In the 1890's a man named Abbot Kinney set forth to turn what is now known as Venice Beach into a renaissance resort and amusement park. In other words a "Coney Island of the Pacific".

The boardwalk along Venice Beach, which is actually called 'Ocean Front Walk', is saturated with street performers which include instrumental musicians, singers, jugglers, acrobats, mimes, comics, magicians, prophets, fortune tellers, artist, souvenir peddlers and other assorted entertainers & merchants. In this eclectic saturation is a mixture of a Hollywood and circus feel. As people watching is a must. Most of the shops have a funky vibe to them unless they are selling souvenir T-shirts, and there are quite a few of those. Mix in with 'un'usual suspects are basketball courts, handball courts, and paddle tennis. Not to mention the world famous Muscle Beach, and three miles of sandy beach.