There aren't many hotels that you find just down the road south of the city in Santa Monica. But what people love about Malibu are its beaches and mountain sports. Hikes, camping and bicycling are a few things you might enjoy when visiting the city that many celebrities have called home.
There are two piers in Malibu, the Paradise Cove Pier which is private, and the public Malibu Pier. Both are open to the public for visits, which Paradise Cove requires that you eat at the restaurant for affordable validated parking or else pay a king's ransom to park and stroll the pier. Meanwhile, the Malibu Pier has limited parking like so much of Malibu does. Summer provide tough challenges in finding parking spots, while things ease up in the winter months.
Malibu values the arts & entertainment, and enjoys the campus of private Pepperdine University for music, stage and arts performances. The city celebrates major events each year such as the 4th of July, held in a community park.
Malibu has received tons of media attention for fires that once swept from the mountains right down to the homes on the beach; for meeting the challenges of repairing infrastructure such as rusty sewer pipes that tainted the ocean water until a solution was implemented; for floods that have washed through the mountains, destroying multi-million dollar homes; for the lines drawn in the sand by residents seeking to keep the beaches in front of their houses off limits to the public; for the legal battle that ensued over a photographer's right to photograph and distribute aerial pictures of Barbra Streisand's Malibu mansion; and countless other issues. Because Malibu has so many famous and wealthy people residing there, the media attention is guaranteed during special events, breaking news and disasters.
But throughout the year, Malibu is a beautiful coastal gem that you will most likely fall in love with if you take time to stop and explore its captivating charms.
Malibu Creek State Park Campground is open all year round and is located just 25 miles from downtown Los Angeles. The park has over 4,000 acres, featuring hiking, fishing, bird watching and horseback riding opportunities. There are 15 miles of streamside trail through oak and sycamore woodlands an chaparral-covered slopes. Twenty-five-mile Malibu Creek in the park is the principal water-course of the Santa Monica Mountains - from Boney Mountain to Malibu Lagoon. parks.ca.gov
Adamson House is decorated with Malibu tiles produced by Malibu Potteries and contains original furnishings. Docent led tours are available Call: (310) 456-8432. adamsonhouse.org
Malibu Lagoon Museum adjoins the Adamson House. It contains photographs and artifacts depicting the colorful history of Malibu from the Chumash Indian era through the Spanish California culture that includes ranches of Rindge and Adamson families. Cost: Free. Location: 23200 Pacific Coast Highway. Call: (310) 456-8432.