(On Friday and Saturday evenings, arrive an hour before show time for a live performance on the theater’s spectacular pipe organ.) Guided walking tours are also a must, shedding light on Avalon’s history and Hollywood connection. Today, the tradition continues, and annual events guests (many dressed in period attire) still twirl in the casino’s grand ballroom, or watch first-run movies in the elaborately painted theater on the lower level. Inside, Wrigley hosted lavish dances and performances. ' Wrigley saw the casino as a way of casting a magical spell on all who arrived' Wrigley saw the casino as a way of casting a magical spell on all who arrived-a way of seeming to say, “look, here is beauty, relaxation, and fun,” and a way to-for at least a little while-escape the country’s troubled times.

The impressive Art Deco building was the dream of by chewing gum magnate William Wrigley Jr., who bought controlling interest of Catalina Island in 1919. From its regal setting at the north end of Avalon Harbor, this dramatic circular building has stood as a welcoming sentinel since just before the Great Depression.