City Guides: Things to do While Boating in El Segundo, California
The sunny Southern California town of El Segundo sits on Santa Monica Bay between Santa Monica to the north and Redondo Beach and Manhattan Beach to the south. Part of Los Angeles County, it offers a small-town vibe along the sand and surf of Dockweiler Beach, Bruce’s Beach and El Segundo Beach.
Fun fact: The El Segundo Recreation and Parks Department is the basis for NBC’s Parks and Recreation TV series. We can’t guarantee you’ll run into Ron Swanson, Leslie Knope or Andy Dwyer, though. It’s also the headquarters of Mattel (And you thought Barbie was from Malibu!).
If you and your crew are headed up, or down, the coast, stay a while and check out these fun things to do from a private boat dock rental, hotel or marina in El Segundo.
Zimmerman Automobile Driving Museum
Photo: Wikimedia
Car enthusiasts of all ages will want to visit the Zimmerman Automobile Driving Museum and its mission to preserve the aesthetic, engineering and cultural evolution of the automobile. More than 130 antique, vintage and muscle cars are on display. Special and weekly events include car shows – such as Studebaker and Packard and classic Fords – as well as live music and kids’ events. Sunday rides allow you to enjoy a ride in a classic car (for a small fee). There’s even a 1950s themed ice cream parlor. Our motto is: Come for the cars but stay for the ice cream!
Marvin Braude Bike Trail
Photo: California Beaches (Facebook)
The Marvin Braude Bike Trail, also known as The Strand, isn’t just for bikers. You can also walk and run along the 22-mile paved trail along Santa Monica Bay. It runs from Will Rogers State Beach in the north to Torrance County Beach in the south. You’ll pass El Segundo’s Dockweiler Beach as well as other beaches (a total of 17) and marinas as you traverse this trail.
ESMoA
Photo: Wikimedia
ESMoA, an art and education center, was founded in 2013 as an art “laboratory.” Its mission is to spread sparks of creativity using art experiences and the visual arts through film festivals, special themed events, video art and sculpture, photography and painting exhibits. It’s the perfect creative outlet to visit from a private boat lift for rent. Admission is free.
The Theme Building
Photo: Los Angeles Conservancy (Facebook)
Located at Los Angeles International Airport, the “Populuxe” architecture of the Theme Building might make you think you’ve walked onto the set of Men in Black, The Jetsons or some other space-age scene. Designed with a futuristic mid-century modern aesthetic (heavy on the futuristic), it combines the worlds of aeronautics and pop culture. It was completed in 1961 and became a historic cultural monument in 1993. It’s about 68 feet tall and resembles a flying saucer on four legs.
The exterior features stucco-covered steel and decorative concrete block. There used to be a restaurant inside (called The Encounter), but it’s now closed. The observation level is open on weekends. The ground floor is home to a 7,100-square-foot Bob Hope USO at LAX facility.
A little spacey? Sure. But why not? After all, El Segundo is the self-proclaimed aerospace capital of the world (Boeing, Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martine and Raytheon are headquartered there). It’s worth a selfie before taking off to another attraction or a boat dock rental on the bay.
The next time you’re in El Segundo, be sure to check out some of these sites. Whether you’re in town for a couple of days or a week, it’s an excellent spot to visit from a private boat slip for rent. Tell Ron Swanson we said hi.
