Catalina Casino

The Catalina Casino isn’t a gambling hall—rather, it’s a palatial special-events venue complete with a beautiful art-deco movie theater. The sort-of-Roman-looking structure is the most iconic building on the island, and its walls are full of stories: these days, the ballroom hosts special events ranging from jazz nights to weddings, but it’s steeped in over 90 years of history, which you can learn more about on three different walking tours offered through the year. If a tour’s not your thing, it’s still worth going to a movie there (first-run films show nightly at 7:30pm): the Art Deco theater is gorgeous, and there’s often pre-show music played through its 1920s-era organ.