Icons of Avalon

I wanted to learn some of the local history on my first trip to Catalina. I got a thorough and fun 1 hour plus of info from my tour guide Lili. The colorful characters came to life and the time flew by. She stoppped for my many questions, was pleasant and very knowledgeable. I couldn’t recommend her more! I feel much more connected to the island knowing the varied history.

The tour is definitely worth taking to realize the importance of the island and who used to visit it. There are a lot of significant, interesting facts I never would’ve known if I didn’t take the tour. The tour guide Lili was very informative and passionate.

My husband and I did this tour on the evening of our second day in Avalon (which was our first trip to that part of the island). Lili was our guide and did a great job with the tour. We learned a lot of neat little facts and historic stories about the island, and even found out answers to random questions we’d been pondering since we arrived (such as the significance of tiles in the architecture). The tour concluded at a little wine shop/​bistro where we were offered some tastings (and also ordered a cheese plate). The bistro was cute and quaint, and we spent an hour or so there chatting away and people watching through the front window. The only suggestions we have are to add a little more movement at the beginning of the tour (the first twenty minutes or so were spent standing at the check-​in spot) and the service at the wine shop needs some improvement (not sure if they are managed by the same provider of the tour, but the wait staff at the bistro were slow and not very attentive). Overall we very much enjoyed the experience and it was a fantastic way to spend our evening. Lili is very personable and friendly, and knew a great deal about the island. She was able to answer most of our questions (and some of our questions were pretty obscure). My husband and I happened to be the only ones on this tour and Lily was wonderful about making it a bit of a romantic experience, taking pictures for us and making suggestions about romantic places to go during our stay. Thanks Lili for a wonderful addition to our trip! We would definitely do it again!

The Icon of Avalon tour was fun and informative!
You walk around the town hearing about the Island’s history and all the various celebrities and presidents that have visited the island.
California’s first hotel was built here!
Our tour guide (Pat) was extremely friendly and gladly answered any extra questions we had.
At the end of the tour she takes you to a nice wine bar called CC Gallagher to enjoy a nice flight of rose’ wines, where you can also purchase delicious deserts and souvenirs!