Why Malibu Should Be Your Next Destination

The well-known beach city located 30 miles west of Downtown Los Angeles, California, Malibu, is popular for its celebrity oceanfront homes under an elegant veil of privacy on long strands of beach and beaches, which includes wide and sandy Zuma Beach. Due to being the perfect place for surfing and watching unforgettably beautiful sunsets as well as sunrises, this has become a local and tourist favorite. Furthermore, this beach city is also known for its admirable Mediterranean climate, therefore, a perfect spot for a vacation or a weekend getaway. 

On its east side, the Malibu Lagoon State Beach, or also known as Surfrider Beach, can be found and is known for its waves. On another side, the Spanish Revival-style Adamson House can also be located and in its Malibu Lagoon Museum, local history is displayed. Although it may be extremely difficult to drag yourself away from the ocean and beaches, it may be worth it for the hills and canyons you can hike in the inland. 

Inland, trails can be seen weaving through canyons, waterfalls, as well as grasslands in the Santa Monica Mountains. Additionally, The Getty Villa, which is the original home of the Getty Museum opened in the year of 1974, can be found beyond the beach. In this place, you will be able to witness Ancient Greek and Roman Art for free. After a long day surfing, swimming, hiking, shopping, or going to tourist spots, you may want to stop over at an organic cafe and restaurant which sits on the pier named Malibu Farms. 

With its fresh catches, many have raved about their delicious food, especially the ahi tuna burgers. Love wine and a hike? Why not take a two-hour in-depth tour on the rolling terrain of Saddlerock Ranch vineyard at the Malibu Wine Hikes. These are just a few of the many activities and cool places to see in Malibu. 

Many admire its beauty however, not many know about how this famous beach city in Los Angeles was formed throughout the years. Similar to the history of most parts of the United States, Malibu was first settled by Native Americans— specifically the Chumash, who were known to have survived the diseases brought by European explorers and settlers. The Chumash’s territory extended loosely starting from the San Joaquin Valley to the San Luis Obispo in Malibu in addition to a few lands off the southern coast of California. 

The group named it “Humaliwo,” which translates to “the surf sounds loud.” Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo, a Spanish explorer, is believed to have moored at Malibu Lagoon in order to acquire fresh water in the year of 1542. Afterward, the Spanish decided to return with the California mission system as the area was part of Rancho Topanga Malibu Sequit in the year of 1802. This ranch was 13,000 acres and passed intact to Frederick Hastings Rindge in the year of 1891. Rindge along with his widow, May K. Rindge who both lived in the now well-known Adamson House, protected their privacy with great energy by hiring guards to kill all trespassers and fighting a long court battle to stop the building of a Southern Pacific railroad line through the ranch. Rindge built his own rail line in their property through thwart Southern Pacific and even after his death, his widow continued the work. 

In the year 1929, the state of California won the rights to build Pacific Coast Highway, which became the primary route to Malibu, until the present days. During this year, Malibu Colony became one of the first enclaves of homes within Malibu; May Rindge would decide which Hollywood stars she would allow building vacation homes in the place, which included Mary Pickford and Charlie Chaplin. During the 21st century, Malibu Colony has become a gated community and a place where many dreams to live. 

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• The Stories Behind Malibu

The Stories Behind Malibu

The city of Malibu is known for its beaches and beautiful sceneries. All over the city, signs boast about Malibu’s “21 miles of scenic beauty.” It’s home to many Hollywood movie stars and other influential people.

But before being a tourist destination and home to celebrities, Malibu was home to Chumash Native Americans. They called the territory as “Humaliwo” which meant “the surf sounds loudly.” The name Malibu is loosely derived from this name.

In 1542, Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo reached Malibu Lagoon while searching for fresh water. But it was only until 1770 that the Spanish influence colonized the area. They extended their missions to Malibu in an attempt to convert the Chumash people to Christianity.

In 1802, the Rancho Topanga Malibu Sequit was given as a land grant. The ranch reached parts of Malibu. In 1804, the Rancho Topanga Malibu was first given to José Bartolomé Tapia by the Spanish Governor José Joaquín de Arrillaga.

After the Mexican-American War, California was surrendered to the United States. However, in the 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, it stated that the land grants would still be honored even after the cession. In 1848, Tapia’s widow sold the ranch to Leon Victor Prudhomme, her grandson-in-law. Prudhomme filed a claim for the ranch, but his claim was rejected. Instead, he sold the land to Matthew Keller in 1857. After Keller’s death, it was sold to Fredrick Hastings Rindge in 1891.

Fredrick Rindge protected the land from both individual and governmental influences for years. Rindge even hired guards to evict all trespassers. He won a court case to keep the Southern Pacific railroad line from building tracks within his property, leading him to build his own. Even roads rarely entered their lands until 1929. But Rindge died in 1905, leaving his wife, May Rindge, to continue protecting their lands.

In 1926, May Rindge founded the Malibu Potteries tile factory to raise funds in order to avoid selling their property. However, a fire destroyed the factory in 1931. She attempted to reopen the factory but was held back by the Great Depression.

Malibu was opened for development in 1926. The state of California built the Pacific Coast Highway after winning a case against May Rindge. At this point, May Rindge was forced to begin selling parts of her property. The Pacific Coast Highway served as the primary route through Malibu even today.

In 1929, the Malibu Colony became the first residential area in Malibu. Even with the developments in her land, May Rindge only opened the lands for select celebrities to build their vacation homes. She allowed permanent residence to celebrities during the 1930s. In 1991, most of the ranch was already incorporated as a city for local officials to control the area.

Since May Rindge’s decision to open the lands to celebrities, the Malibu Colony today is a gated community with multimillion-dollar homes. The Colony provides residents magnificent views of the Pacific Ocean and beaches along its shores. Today, it continues to be homes to celebrities and influential people.

Want to have something to remember your Malibu trip? Carved Lake Art has an amazing collection of custom made wood art like this 3D topographical map of Malibu exquisitely made from Baltic birch wood. If you want to see more check out here.