The City of Avalon – The Best Place to Heal your Soul

Many boaters in Southern California go to the Catalina Island often, as the trip is an escapade from the bustle of the mainland. Sailing and cruising in the open waters on beautiful sunny days is a relaxing experience, but many wish to just anchor their vessels on the Avalon harbor to visit the unique and inviting Santa Catalina Island.

The name Avalon comes from a poem that describes a place for healing. George Shatto acquired the Island in 1887 and struggled a lot to come up with a name for the only town on the Island. Shatto decided against naming the town after himself, and his sister-in-law, Etta Whitney, ultimately helped him to name the town. She was reading “Idylls of a King” by Alfred Tennyson at the time, in which the poet tells the story of King Arthur, who was very badly wounded after a battle, going to the “Island valley of Avilion” to heal from the injuries and regain health. The poet explains the valley as a “deep-meadowed, happy, fair with orchard lawns … crowned with summer sea.”

“To the island-valley of Avilion; Where falls not hail, or rain, or any snow, nor ever wind blows loudly; but it lies deep-meadowed, happy, fair with orchard lawns and bowery hollows crowned with summer sea, where I will heal me of my grievous wound,” the passage reads. This passage made Whitney to recommend the name “Avalon” as the name for the Island town. It was incorporated in the year 1913, and the leaders of the city kept the name of Avalon as it is since then.

The harbor of Avalon has since become a paradise for boaters and the hotels in Catalina started to bustle with “sailors” from the mainland. With so many moorings available in the harbor, boaters can visit the island to enjoy a rewarding stay at the Catalina hotels.

 

Today, there are many charming hotels in the island, like the Hotel Metropole, where you can have a luxurious stay and recover from the exhaustion of your day-to-day stressful life. You can see that the city of Avalon is a place buzzing with activities, although many tourists would argue that the city of Avalon and the Catalina Island is the best place to relax, relieve, and heal the soul.