The owner of the ship was knowledgeable and sweet. There were beautiful and different items inside…read moreat an affordable price. I highly recommend

Has much more interesting merchandise than many other stores in Avalon. Also the owner is very nice…read more:)

Tourist prices of course, but a great stop for unique Cubs gear. Took hime a cool gift for friendsread more

This is your classic upscale beach town gift shop. You will most certainly NOT see cheesy magnets…read moreor novelty t-shirts. This is a shop for people that own beach houses or have relatives that do. Or who have fully embraced the nautical or "beach" aesthetic in their homes. I do tease. This stores carries a well-curated array of gifts. These include such things as hand-made pottery, jewelry, candles, cards and an array of objet d'arts. There is dominant color palate of blues, greens and driftwood. It is a very nice shop and one that you could easily spend quite a while picking out a tasteful gift for a loved one. The Steamer Trunk has a lovely inventory. And it of course carries merchandise emblazoned with "Catalina Island." It's just that it's the same inventory I've seen when I've visited my mother near Rehobeth Beach. Or the Waterfront in Baltimore where my sister lives. It would have been nice to have seen some more local artists/artisans represented. As you might expect, the gift shop wasn't on the cheap side, but, to be fair, for the quality of the goods for sale it was reasonable. Resort towns (and California and especially Catalina) are typically on the pricier side. This is an economy fed primarily through tourism. But, again, prices were not exorbitant. When I visited there several other shoppers in the store and the woman tending the register was answering question for them. I felt like I would have no problem getting helpful answers. So, while not unique, definitely a place to find some beautiful gifts.

Catalina Pottery & Tile is a one stop shop for yummy treats and souvenirs before leaving Catalina…read moreIsland. We stopped by here on a Sunday afternoon to pick up some delicious treats. This shop is right on the Main Street and very close proximity to Catalina Express. Not too far of a walk to the dock. We stopped to pick up some treats and souvenirs like Catalina Artisan Balsamic Vinegar, Catalina Artisan Apricot Jalapeño Jam, South Bend Company Sea Salt Chocolate Pretzels and Angus Beef Jerky Chips. This shop by the way smells so good. They have scented candles that fills the store with such a favorable scent. Catalina Pottery & Tile have a variety of merchandise for sale. You can find everything from food items, to jewelry, tiles, candles and many more.

Focusing on local Catalina Pottery, Catalina Pottery and Tile is a store on the main drag in…read moreAvalon. It also sells other 'lifestyle' items including leather goods, unique jewelry, home decor, gifts, and (most important for my brother) gourmet food. He has been on the lookout for a particular taste from balsamic vinegar, ever since our trip to Australia. He was happy to find a brand he hadn't tried before: 250 ml bottle of Catalina Artesian Foods blueberry flavor ($18 a bottle). Will be interesting once he brings it home to Houston and determines if it was worth the price.

My friends and I were walking through all the boutiques and shops on Thursday night and wandered…read moreinto Bay of the Seven Moons right around their closing time. The owner is so sweet and did not rush us at all when we were looking around, even though I'm sure she was ready to go home. Her puppy Rudy is so cute and sweet, and I was really excited when she let me play with him for a bit. We ended up getting the fortune bracelets from the toy capsule machine. I thought that for only $1 it was a cute little bracelet (that can be worn as an anklet also!) and the meaning behind each color is really cool. I totally recommend checking her boutique out while you are in Avalon! She has lots of very unique products. At the very least, you can say hi to Rudy and grab a cute fortune bracelet!

After my first pass of "window shopping," I wanted to get a gift for my granddaughter…read more Unfortunately, we were there on a Sunday and shops close at 5 pm or 6 pm. We were disappointed that we missed coming back to this store only to have missed them being open. I am always looking for something unique, and I usually will spend a substantial amount of money on the right thing. It's unfortunate that I was not staying overnight on Catalina. It was a missed sale for the shop owner and a return trip is not in my near future. In addition, on my initial visit when it was open, I was not asked if wanted to see any items. So service here was lacking. I am a Filipino woman and after reading the complaints by customers of Latino descent, I am now realizing maybe this is why I wasn't helped during my visit. Seeing the racial discrimination posted by other customers, my recommendation is DON'T SHOP AT THIS STORE.

Our favorite gift shop on the strip in Avalon! This cute little shop is in Metropole plaza which is…read morewalking distance from the dock. They have everything like seashells, wind chimes, signs, shot glasses, souvenirs, and more. Most things are made from sea shells and the colors are so pretty. We really like the seashell chimes and dream catchers here. Everything is reasonably priced and very well made. The workers here are always so friendly. They package the purchased gifts for customers very well too. Definitely come in to find some cute gifts if you ever visit Avalon!

Cute shop and friendly owner. So many cute things sold at this shop. We were sad that we didn't…read morevisit here first before purchasing souvenirs for friends and family. This shop is located near the cafe and inside metropole market place with other retail locations. It is located off the main broadwalk in a busy shopping center. Highly recommend coming to this shop prior to making any purchases as most everything on the island is not refundable or returnable.

Friendly staff. My son bought a few souvenirs here and he's really happy. My wallet isn't.read more

The lady who runs this place is very polite, and her souvenirs/gifts are fairly priced too…read more I definitely recommend that you stop by here when you're visiting the island.

*Beautiful gardens with some very unique, and endemic flora- some only found on the island or…read moreendangered. * Awesome birding here *Main path to the memorial is a gradual incline and on relatively gravel/ sand even terrain... off shoot walking paths to meander thru the gardens as well. * To get to the top of the memorial, there are a lot of steps to climb. Worth the view from on top. * You can jump on the garden to sky trail (near the memorial)... it is described as a moderate to strenuous hike and aptly so: some switchbacks, elevation gain, rocky terrain... but the views... oh the views are lovely. Of note you can also catch this trail elsewhere- but it all depends on you and the distance and time you have. * Operated by the Catalina Island Conservatory * To get here: you can either walk here from Avalon... but it's quite a ways. The public transit COAST is available but we found it impossible to secure a ride (didn't help that a cruise ship had come in that day), rent a golf cart for the day, or the best / hassle free option was to pay a small fee (about 13 bucks a person) at the Conservancy and they shuttle back and forth. The only draw back is you need to schedule your trip ahead of time and if you are a person who does not like itineraries when you travel, this may put a dent... but definitely worth a visit. *Restrooms are located at the entrance

Definitely a place to visit when touring Avalon, Catalina Island. From the port, it's about a 15…read moreminute ride, 40 for walking. We downloaded the Ride Circuit app and it's a $2 fee per ride, which you can't really beat! The place also does student discounts, which is a nice touch. Walking through the first part was nice. Reading information on the little cards about the plants and taking different routes. We actually got to see a tiny fox! It is uphill, nothing too crazy, just bring some water. The memorial at the top of the hill is worth your time. It is a climb up the stairs, so be prepared. Once you get to the top and oversee the garden and have a view of the port, you'll for sure gasp in surprise of the view. Pretty cool seeing a structure preserved! If you take the left path when you get to the memorial, you'll come across a little area called Little Fox Hollow. I'd recommend visiting and walking through. For little ones, but you can make it fun as an adult too! On the right path, there is a hiking trail about a mile long. A lot steeper than when you start from the entrance to the memorial. We didn't get fully to the top due to exhaustion. It gives a higher view than the memorial structure. Overall, I'd definitely come back when I visit Avalon, Catalina Island!

We walked there from the boat dock and it was an enjoyable walk. Took approximately 1 hour because…read morewe made many stops along the way. The Nature Center is located towards the most distal part of the Island, so if you walk there, you will have the opportunity to do a lot of things such as sightseeing, playing at parks (if you have children), sitting down in the shade, seeing wild animals such as deer, birds, and squirrels. There are also at least three public bathrooms on the way and an interesting "Bird Park" that seemed to be closed. If you did not make any stops, you could walk to the Nature Center from the dock easily in 20-30mins. My 7 year old daughter easily made the walk without any complaints. Nature Center: free. Small and doable in about 15 minutes. There are also clean bathrooms inside and someone working at the front desk to answer your questions. They sell stuffed animals and some little souvenirs that were a little more expensive than the items found on the Green Pier. There was a coloring station that consisted of a small table and two little chairs, pictures and coloring pages were provided. There was a digital microscope and we spent some time placing everyday objects underneath for viewing (dollar bills, hands, nails). There were also some interesting facts and an iPad connected to a large screen TV...wasn't operating the day I visited but I think it was supposed to be display a short video. Afterwards, we did not want to visit the Wrigley Monument nor the Gardens, so we took the bus back to the Pier. Bus cost $2/person and arrives every 20 minutes. The stop was situated less than a one minute walk from the Nature Center. Overall, it's a quick place to stop if your'e visiting the Island. Something fun to add to the itinerary for the day.

We actually really liked this place. It is small, but it's free to go inside and there are a…read morenumber of informative boards for those of you who like history and nature. You can get to know a little bit more about the island, and also, clean bathrooms. We stopped here on our way up to the Wrigley Memorial during our walk. You can also get hiking permits here. There's also a little table for kids, with children's books and coloring too.