Hermosa Beach's flat stretches of sand are ideal for lying out and playing sports like ultimate frisbee and volleyball; in fact, it's so sport-friendly, the AVP (Association of Volleyball Professionals) Open Tournament is held here annually, and beach volleyball Olympic Gold Medalist Misty May-Treanor calls Hermosa Beach home. Permanent poles and nets adorn the beach and are the focal point of many weekend tournaments.
Despite being the site of fierce competition, the area promotes a chilled-out south bay lifestyle of surfing and sunning. The beach is lined with lifeguard towers, and parking is abundant but metered, so bring quarters. Bronze plaques line the Hermosa Beach Pier commemorating surf pioneers in "The Surfer's Walk of Fame." Walk down the pier and you'll dead-end into a plethora of shops and eateries parallel to the beach, including Insomniac Coffee House, which used to be a favorite haunt of Beatniks in the 1950s and '60s. The local Farmer's Market gathers every Friday, and the "Free To Be Me" drum circle meets the third Sunday of every month.
Located between Redondo Beach and Manhattan Beach, Hermosa attracts a lively nightlife of locals and tourists. Intersecting with the main beach walkway the Strand, Hermosa's Pier Avenue is a strip of bars and restaurants that are as lively by night as the beach is by day. Whether relaxing with a pint at a pub or having an all-out dance party, Pier Avenue's variety is likely to please all partiers.
Lastly, if you happen to hear that ringing every day, don't be alarmed: the noon siren has been sounding since 1923; initially, firefighters rang it daily to stop the bell from rusting, but now it is a lasting Hermosa Beach tradition.
Beach Information
- Location:
- The Strand and Pier Avenue, Los Angeles CA
- Resources:
- Hermosa Beach: www.watchthewater.org
- LA County Department of Public Health, Water Quality: www.lapublichealth.org
- LA County of Beaches & Harbors: www.beaches.co.la.ca.us
- A Wheelchair Riders Guide to LA Beaches: www.coastalconservancy.ca.gov
