• Catalina Island is a popular destination for weekend getaways.catalina beach image by Christian Schoettler from Fotolia.com
  
  Santa Catalina Island is a small, 76-square-mile island off the coast of Southern California. Catalina is a popular Southern Californian destination for weekend getaways because it is located only 22 miles south-southwest of Los Angeles. You can get to Catalina within one hour by boat and 15 minutes by helicopter. Some visitors even arrive by jet ski. While most of Catalina's tourists are interested in the island's beaches, there are also fun activities available for those who don't like getting wet.
  
  

Water Activities

• Catalina Island is prized by Southern Californians as a destination for water sports and recreation. Catalina offers all sorts of water sports including scuba diving, snorkeling, kayaking, surfing, jet skiing, parasailing, ocean rafting and sport fishing. You can take a tour in a submarine or you can check out Catalina's many colorful fish and coral formations in a glass-bottom boat. Catalina is home to an endangered population of abalone, which you are free to admire but not take home with you. You might even see a stingray or a shark. It doesn't matter if you have no experience with any of these activities or if you don't own equipment. Several businesses on Catalina cater specifically to adventurous vacationers looking to try something new. Once you arrive, you'll be surrounded by locals offering to teach you new skills or rent you the equipment you need to teach yourself. Of course, if you're more interested in simply swimming or quietly relaxing on the beach, Catalina caters to you too.
  
  

Land Activities

• Not every visitor to Catalina is interested in getting wet or riding in a boat, especially since the island gets a bit cool during winter months. Catalina's only town, Avalon, is only 1 mile wide but it's populated with quaint shops, restaurants and hotels. You can spend your day getting pampered with a mud wrap or a massage in one of Catalina's luxury day spas, then sample some of the island's fresh seafood at a romantic dinner. Catalina even has a casino for visitors interested in nighttime thrills. For visitors who are more interested in sports and nature, Catalina offers some of the best hiking and camping in Southern California. With a camping permit from the Catalina Island Conservancy, you can wander off into grassland, ridgelines and woodlands. You might spot some of Catalina's famous wild boars; be sure to keep a safe distance!
  
  

Special Events

• Throughout the year, Catalina is also home to a number of special annual festivals and events. Foodies might be interested in Catalina's Taste Around Avalon, which takes place every year in late May. At this event, all of Catalina's restaurants set up booths and sell samples of their wares so that visitors can try a great variety of Catalina's offerings in one day. Catalina also has a yearly Wine Festival in September. For art fans, Catalina has a Pottery and Tile Extravaganza in September, featuring many local artists, as well as a Festival of Art in the same month. Music fans also have several reasons to make the trip out to Catalina, including the Blues Festival, JazzTrax Festival and the Festival of World Music, all of which take place in the autumn.