California small towns – Malibu: part 2 – the best places to visit

The enchanting beaches and the proximity to the studios in Los Angeles have made Malibu the perfect location for movie, music and sports stars and celebrities to make it their homes. But Malibu is more than just beautiful beaches, celebrity homes and hills. There is plenty of things to do and places to see.

The Getty Villa

Located at 17985 Pacific Coast Highway, was opened in 1974. Getty Villa resembles an ancient Roman villa and is full of priceless antique works of art decorated in Roman style, with beautiful Mediterranean gardens. It’s  displaying about 45,000 pieces of Greek, Roman, and Etruscan art dating back to the period from 6500 B.C. to 440 A.D. Many visitors come here to see one of the most important pieces: The Fano Athlete (The Victorious Youth).

In 1954, oil tycoon Paul Getty created an art gallery in his house in Malibu, but after a few years, the space in the house was no longer sufficient for the entire collection. This gave rise to the decision to build a villa nearby to exhibit his collection.

The Malibu Art Association, a non-profit organization that promotes the arts in Malibu, hosts shows and workshops for its members and offers art for public viewing for the entire community. 

Except on Tuesdays, Christmas Day, and Thanksgiving The Getty Museum is open from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm and admission is free. Parking costs $15 and $10 after 3:00 pm.

The perfect place to escape the hustle and bustle of Los Angeles. It is an amazing beautiful place. You can’t even say we’re in the middle of Los Angeles.

Malibu Wine Hikes

Malibu Wine Hikes (32111 Mulholland Hwy) allows you to take a spectacular scenic tour of the vineyards enriched by potential encounters with wildlife along the way and wine tasting at the end of the day.

The Malibu Pier

Located at 23000 Pacific Coast Highway, a short distance from State Lagoon Beach, you will find Malibu’s beautiful pier which is much less crowded than other piers in California. It’s the ideal place for a relaxing walk while admiring the cliffs and multi-million dollar residences, but here you can also stop and watch patient fishermen adopt various techniques to catch fish. And when you get to the end of the pier, it’s worth stopping for a while to look at an unobstructed view of the ocean.

You can eat in one of the most popular restaurants, at Malibu Farm, a restaurant and bar that serves organic food. Located at the end of the pier, its motto is “from the pier to the table”. And it couldn’t be more true.

Adamson House

Adamson House  located at 23200 Pacific Coast Highway, near the Malibu Pier, between the famous Surfrider Beach and the lagoon. This beach house, which belonged to the Adamson family, is built in the Spanish Colonial Revival style and still has the original furniture from the early 1900s. It boasts an exotic mix of Spanish and Moorish influences, with beautiful displays of decorative tiles, hand-carved doors, and frescoes. The property is one of the most idyllic places on the ocean in all of Southern California.

Malibu Country Mart

This little market in Malibu is always on my list of places to visit when I’m in the area. Located in beautiful quiet neighborhood, surrounded by the mountains and across from the State Lagoon Beach, place features a popular public playground, outdoor dining and picnic area, sculptures and public art, numerous restaurants, free Wi-Fi and on-site parking. You will also find there unique and exclusive boutiques, art galleries, and personal services.

Legacy Park

Located directly behind Malibu Country Mart this place looks different from what we are used to call as parks. It contains no grassy areas, just lots of dirt patch, plants and sculptures of various animals for the area.

Running, jogging, ball and other sports are prohibited in the park. The park includes many educational features, an outdoor classroom, and other information that explains the various habitats included in the final park design.

Pepperdine University

It is said that California’s universities are the most beautiful in the world, so we recommend that those interested in visiting campuses go to Pepperdine University, which is located in the hills of Malibu. Founded in 1937 in South Central Los Angeles, Pepperdine University moved to its Malibu campus in 1972.

The view from up there is spectacular and there is also a beautiful terrace. The law school campus is built into the limestone cliffs of Malibu overlooking the ocean, and the views from there across the Pacific are breathtaking. The campus is very well maintained, lots of green areas and paths between the different levels of the campus. It’s just beautiful here, mountains and a view of the ocean from almost everywhere. It is hard to imagine a more attractive campus or a better place for course participants to have better access to outdoor recreation. There is also a bookstore on campus.

California Surf Museum

If you are more interested in beach-themed activities, you can find contemporary masterpieces at the California Surf Museum (inside the Pepperdine University’s Payson Library), where 30 historical surfboards are exhibited, some dating back to the early twentieth century.

Malibu Hindu Temple

A temple of the Hindu God Venkateswara, built in 1981, is located in the city of Calabasas near Malibu, California in the Santa Monica Mountains. It is one of the largest Hindu temples in the Western hemisphere

Solstice Canyon

Solstice Canyon (3455 Solstice Canyon Rd, near Dan Blocker County Beach) is a trail through the beautiful Santa Monica Mountains with wonderful views of the ocean and a wide variety of plants and wildlife. The canyon is also famous for its perennial waterfalls. The trail in the Solstice Canyon, once inhabited by the Chumash tribe, is 6 miles long, but it is also possible to do shorter hikes on this trail.

California State Parkland

Tours and recreation in the hills behind Malibu offer a wide variety of horseback riding, hiking, mountain biking, with many different views of the Santa Monica Mountains, the curvature of Santa Monica Bay, Santa Catalina Island, and the San Fernando Valley. There are many access points to the trail system scattered throughout the local canyons, as well as many smaller local trailblazers.