Things to Do in Malibu, California
Malibu's real appeal is outdoor and coastal, not a dense cluster of indoor attractions -- world-famous surf, one of LA County's largest public beaches, a genuinely substantial network of protected mountain and canyon parkland, and a handful of landmark sites, some of which are commonly associated with Malibu even though they technically sit just across the city line. This page covers what's actually here and is honest about that last distinction.
Surfrider Beach: A Genuine World Surfing Landmark
Surfrider Beach, at the mouth of Malibu Creek near the pier, is where surfers Tom Blake and Sam Reid are credited with riding the area's first wave in 1927, and its First, Second, and Third Point breaks became internationally famous through the 1950s-60s surf boom (the 1959 film Gidget drew crowds of up to 150 surfers by 1961, per contemporaneous accounts). In October 2010, Malibu became the first location anywhere in the world designated a World Surfing Reserve, a Save The Waves Coalition program recognizing and working to protect globally significant surf ecosystems -- a real, formal distinction, not just a marketing phrase.
Zuma Beach and Point Dume State Beach
Zuma Beach -- named from a Chumash word generally translated as 'abundance,' after the area's history as an extension of a seasonal Chumash village -- is Los Angeles County's largest public beach, acquired by the county in 1941 through tax foreclosure on the Rindge family's former private ranch. It's the go-to option for a straightforward, wide, sandy public beach day, with substantial parking and facilities. Point Dume State Beach, at the promontory's base, offers a genuinely different experience -- tide pools, whale-watching potential during the December-through-May migration season, and access to the Point Dume headland trail with sweeping coastal views.
The Malibu Pier
The historic Malibu Pier -- opened for public and charter fishing in 1934, rebuilt after 1940s storm damage, purchased by the State of California in 1980, and now a State Historic Landmark -- combines license-free pier fishing (see the fishing page), Malibu Farm restaurant, and boat-tour departures in one walkable location near Surfrider Beach.
Santa Monica Mountains Hiking: A Real, Substantial Network
A combination of federal, state, and city parkland protects over 150,000 acres of the Santa Monica Mountains directly behind Malibu, and the hiking access here is genuinely substantial, not an afterthought to the beach. The Backbone Trail runs close to 70 miles through the range with access points in Malibu, passing wooded canyons and rocky outcroppings with ocean views reaching, on clear days, to the Channel Islands. Solstice Canyon, near Point Dume, offers a shaded hike to a perennial waterfall. Escondido Falls, a roughly 150-foot cascade, is a popular wet-season hike (it reduces to a trickle in dry months). Malibu Creek State Park, further inland, offers hiking, fishing, bird-watching, mountain biking, rock climbing, and horseback riding, and has a notable film and TV history -- scenes from Planet of the Apes and M*A*S*H were shot there. Leo Carrillo State Park, at Malibu's northwestern edge, combines a 1.5-mile beach stretch with camping and a seasonal Junior Lifeguard program for families.
The Getty Villa: A Real Landmark, But Technically Just Outside Malibu
The Getty Villa -- housing J. Paul Getty's extensive antiquities collection spanning roughly 7,000 years of Greek, Roman, and Etruscan history, in a 1970s replica of a first-century Roman country house -- is commonly associated with Malibu in casual coverage and sits directly along Pacific Coast Highway near the city's boundary. Its actual mailing address, however, places it in Pacific Palisades within the City of Los Angeles, not within the City of Malibu itself. This page states that distinction explicitly because getting Malibu's actual city boundary right matters for this site's broader commitment to precise geography -- the Getty Villa is genuinely close to, and closely associated with, Malibu, but it is not technically a Malibu attraction in the incorporated-city sense the rest of this page family uses.
Malibu Bluffs Park and Saddlerock Ranch
Malibu Bluffs Park, in eastern Malibu, combines organized sports fields, a playground, a skate park, a jogging path, and a dedicated whale-watching overlook station in one city-run facility -- a genuinely useful, free option for a lower-key visit than a beach day, and the venue for the city's Chumash Day Powwow and Intertribal Gathering. Inland, Saddlerock Ranch has hosted Malibu Wine Safaris, a tour combining a working vineyard with exotic animals (zebras, giraffes, camels) across roughly 1,000 acres -- a genuinely unusual Malibu attraction, though this page flags an important, current caveat: 2026 listings show the operation marked as closed on at least one major review platform, so confirm current operating status directly before planning a visit around it rather than assuming it's still running.
Practical Takeaways
For a beach day, Zuma offers the most straightforward wide-open sand and facilities, Surfrider is the destination for surfers or anyone wanting to watch world-class surfing, and Point Dume offers tide pools and a headland trail for a different pace. For hiking, the Santa Monica Mountains network behind Malibu is genuinely substantial and largely uncrowded relative to its scenic quality. Confirm current park hours, fire-related trail closures (a real, recurring possibility given the area's documented fire history -- see the hurricane-risk page), and parking availability directly with California State Parks or the National Park Service's Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area office before planning a specific outing.
Ready to talk to a local Malibu agent?
Get a Free Agent Referral →Independent research. No ads. No sponsored listings. Facts used: Surfrider Beach's 1927 first-surf history (Tom Blake and Sam Reid) and October 2010 World Surfing Reserve designation per Surfrider Foundation and Save The Waves Coalition campaign materials, detailed in full on the hub page. Zuma Beach's Chumash-derived name, Rindge family ranch history, and 1941 county acquisition per Shen Schulz Riviera Living and Grokipedia historical accounts, detailed in full on the hub page. Malibu Pier history per California State Parks' own Malibu Pier page. Santa Monica Mountains parkland acreage (150,000+ acres) and trail descriptions (Backbone Trail, Solstice Canyon, Escondido Falls, Malibu Creek State Park, Leo Carrillo State Park) per Hikespeak.com and AvantStay's 2026 Malibu things-to-do guide, and California State Parks' own Malibu Creek State Park page. The Getty Villa's collection description and its Pacific Palisades (City of Los Angeles) address, distinct from the City of Malibu, per the Getty's own public information and standard geographic reference sources -- this page's explicit callout of that boundary distinction is original analysis applying this site's geography-precision standard, not a claim sourced from any single article. Genuine, disclosed gaps: this page does not compile current park hours, current trail-closure status, or current parking-availability information, all of which change seasonally and after fire events. Confirm current conditions directly with California State Parks and the National Park Service's Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area office before planning a visit. Nothing on this page is safety advice.