Lincoln Dealership serving Manhattan Beach Geo

Manhattan Beach Has Much More to Offer than Just The Beach

Anyone who has live for a period of time in the Southland recognize Manhattan Beach as one of a string of beach town that run for the Palos Verde peninsula to the south to Malibu Beach to the north. What most don’t know, including many locals, is that the area behind the beach now filled with houses, condos, and apartments, were all sand dunes until about 100 years ago.

At that time developers scraped off the sand to reveal the soil beneath. But where did the sand go? Actually it was distributed in several different ways. Some was used to build the Pacific Coast Highway, some was shipped north a dozen miles for use in the construction of the Los Angeles Coliseum for the 1932 Summer Olympics, and believe it or not, some was shipped to Hawaii to replace and cover some of the volcanic rock on their beaches. So if you’re a Southern California and you’re headed to Hawaii, remember that the sand you feel beneath your feet at the beach may have originated back home.

Here are five other points of interest in Manhattan Beach, some of which may be unknown even to long-term locals.

Roundhouse Marine Studies Lab and Aquarium

The Roundhouse Marine Studies Lab and Aquarium is a tiny facility located at the end of the Manhattan Beach pier, and is free to the public. While called The Roundhouse, the building is actually octagonal. The Aquarium includes a shark tank, tide pool touch tank with animals common to Southern California, tanks with lobsters, and baby sharks as well as brightly colored, non-native fish and invertebrates. The aquarium is open Saturdays and Sundays, from 10 am to sunset and Monday through Friday 3 pm to sunset. Group and education tours are offered.

Sand Dune Park

Developed in 1964, this park was named for the 100-foot high sand dune located there; one of the few reminders of what the terrain in the area was like prior to development. Steps and switchbacks lead up into the nature area as a trail that provides different ways to reach the top. The trail winds through plant life including the local, rare Orcutt's yellow pincushion. The top of the dune provides a panoramic east-facing view of the City. Currently, use of the sand dune portion of the park is by reservation only, which must be made in advance at City Hall.

AdventurePlex

Beach Cities Health District opened AdventurePlex a Manhattan Beach fitness center for kids and their families in 2002, filled with mazes, tunnels, outdoor rock climbing walls, complex ropes courses, and an indoor gym. AdventurePlex challenges children physically and intellectually in health-focused recreational activities. But there are activities for grown-ups as well, including adult fitness classes, as well as facilities for team building activities and parties.

Manhattan Beach Art Center

The Manhattan Beach Arts Center seeks to create connections among artists, cultural organizations, community groups, businesses, visitors and residents that sustain and promote a thriving, diverse, creative city. The Center’s mission is grounded in a belief that learning about the arts is integral to human development and continual personal growth. The Manhattan Beach Art Center offers exhibitions, classes and workshops in painting and ceramics, as well as Summer Concerts.

Manhattan Beach Botanical Garden

Although the most recent drought has passed, experienced Californians understand that the next drought may only be a few years away. The Manhattan Beach Botanical Garden dedicated to promoting Earth-friendly gardening techniques, encouraging the use of drought-tolerant plants including California natives, and conserving our natural resources. On display are examples of California native grasses, shrubs, succulents, and trees that thrive in this environment without additional water. Also on display are non-native but non-invasive grasses, shrubs, and trees.

There are many great sites to visit in the Manhattan Beach area and what better way to see them all than in a new Lincoln automobile or SUV from South Bay Lincoln.