7 Best Things To Do In Torrance, California

1. Western Museum of Flight

Continuing in the direction of museums that celebrate the history of transportation, the Western Museum of Flight is another place worth checking out. And if you ever wonder what the great Air Force machines look like, up close and personal, you should definitely head here! Their exhibits include many aircraft from a long aviation history, including the YF-17 Cobra (a lightweight fighter, designed for the US Air Force, in the 1970s) or the very rare YF-23 (there were only two prototypes built). They also display plastic models and have a big collection of historic photographs.

The museum isn’t big, the trip usually takes one to two hours and admission is 5 USD.

Western Museum of Flight

Address: 3315 Airport Dr, Torrance, CA 90505

Website: Western Museum of Flight

2. Los Arboles Rocketship Park

Editor's Note: There's no photo available at the time of writing

I can bet that everyone, at some point in their lives, has dreamed of being an astronaut and flying high, high into space, in a rocket. Here, all those dreams can come true. The Los Arboles Rocketship Park is a great place for families, especially for the little ones, and it’s the perfect place to let them burn off some energy. The main attraction of the park, (not surprisingly), is a metal rocket ship structure, with a couple of floors for children to climb and let their imagination take them up to space, and then back down to the ground, on the slide down the outside of the rocket.

Los Arboles Rocketship Park

Address: 5101 Cll De Ricardo, Torrance, CA 90505

3. Madrona Marsh Preserve

Torrance is the perfect city to just enjoy nature and the outdoors, from the Pacific beaches to the green parks. One of the best places to go and escape into nature is the Madrona Marsh Preserve. It’s a spot of wilderness in the city and also one of the last vernal marshes in southern California, where you can see plenty of amazing plants and wildlife - frogs, birds, snakes and many others.

A couple of times a month they organize special events, like Bird Walks or Tyke and Nature Hikes. The Nature Center, located across from the gate to the marsh, is a great educational experience, where adults and children can learn about the marsh and different wetlands, including the life of marshes and ecology.

The Preserve & Nature Center are closed on Mondays.

Madrona Marsh Preserve

Address: 3201 Plaza del Amo, Torrance, CA 90503

Website: Madrona Marsh Preserve

4. Torrance Breweries

If you’re not traveling with children and want to discover some adult attractions, visit the Smog City Brewery, where you can enjoy a great selection of some of the best craft beers in South Bay, or Monkish Brewing Co., with a tasting room and different kinds of beer, including Belgian beer, IPA and sour beer.

For all the beer geeks who like to try new craft beers and enjoy some brewery history, I highly recommend the Southern Los Angeles Brewery Tour, with a trip to the three best breweries in the city and take in a few samples of the best beer in the area. The tour usually takes around four and a half hours.

Monkish Brewing Co.

Address: 20311 S Western Ave, Torrance, CA 90501

Website: Monkish Brewing Co.

Smog City Brewery

Address: 1901 Del Amo Blvd, Torrance, CA 90501

Website: Smog City Brewery

5. Miramar Park

I know what you might be thinking: “Hello, I’m going to be in California. Museums are cool, but where’s the beach?” Well, we’ve got you covered. One pretty beach in Torrance is found at Miramar Park, with a beautiful view over the hills of Palos Verde, a peninsula in the Los Angeles area. No matter if you want to have a picnic by the ocean, swim, get a little suntan, or just have a nice romantic evening, enjoying the sunset by the water, Miramar Park is the place to go!

There are a couple of parking lots along Paseo de la Playa if you’re planning to go by car.

Miramar Park

Address: 201 Paseo De La Playa, Redondo Beach, CA 90277

6. Annual Festival of the Kite

Kites are fun, we can all agree and everyone, at least once in their lives, has had a kite in their closet, just waiting for the perfect amount of wind to go and fly it. Kites are beautiful, colorful dots in the sky and come in all different sizes and shapes. And just imagine how magical it is when there are hundreds of them in the sky. Well, you no longer need to just imagine it - come to Torrance in March and check it out for yourself.

The Annual Festival of the Kite, at Redondo Pier, is one of Southern California’s longest-running kite festivals and includes a lot of other attractions. Best of all, the admission is FREE.

Annual Festival of the Kite

Address: 100 Fisherman’s Wharf, Redondo Beach, 90277

Website: Annual Festival of the Kite

7. Shopping at Del Amo Fashion Center

Finally, I want to give you the best place for the activity all girls (and some guys) love - shopping! Get a taste of the coastal chic lifestyle we are all familiar with - a picture of a gal, walking along the streets of Beverly Hills, under the palm trees, with tons of bags in her hands. You can get this experience in Torrance too, and the perfect place is Del Amo Fashion Center.

Here, you’ll find some of the fancy stores, where you can spend your whole salary and leave with one bag, like Micheal Kors, Nordstrom or Hugo Boss, but you’ll also find stores with prices for average people, like H&M, Forever 21 and Zara. The mall also offers a place to have a rest, during your shopping excursion and grab a bite, in places like Chipotle or Johnny Rockets, or have more fancy dinner at one of the nice, mostly seafood, restaurants. The shopping center is open from Monday through Friday, 10 am - 9 pm; Saturday, 10 am - 8 pm, and on Sunday, 11 am - 7 pm.

Del Amo Fashion Center

Address: 3525 W Carson St, Torrance, CA 90503

Website: Del Amo Fashion Center

Enjoy a break from the city at this delightful little town!

Here are all my favorite choices for what to do in Torrence, California! I hope you find something interesting on this list and have a fun few days in this pretty, little town. Don’t forget to check out the numerous dining options, including Indian restaurants and bars.