Primary Location
Amenities
Children
Good for kids
Accessibility
Wheelchair accessible entranceWheelchair accessible parking lot
Service options
Onsite services
It's almost eerie how consistently kind and helpful the entire staff has been since I first visited Catalina back in 2014. They make it easy to be an out-of-state visitor by being able to answer detailed questions in advance; managed expectations definitely allow for more efficient planning.
Between phone calls and the thoughtful layout of the website, I can find out the best place to watch the sunset, places I can (or can't) charge my phone, which campsites are shaded or have interesting vegetation, the best places to try and get a signal, average water temperatures, drought conditions, the day of the week that port-a-potties are cleaned at Little Harbor campground (Thursday), whether it has rained recently, and more...before stepping foot on the island.
After one visit, I realized upon returning to San Pedro that I did not have the key to the car I'd rented. I called the visitor center and a woman not only immediately let me know that someone had turned in a key, but was professional/responsible enough to verify the type of key before just giving it away. I was about to pay for a roundtrip ticket back to the island to pick it up when she offered to send it back with the next boat. And she was STILL nice when my anxiety called back to verify that the key was on the boat after it departed for San Pedro. My carelessness could have cost me $500+ for a replacement key and a rescheduled flight home or $75 for a trip back to the island, but I found that my back was covered. This is the kind of thing that sets this staff apart from others who are generally helpful; they also help when you don't know you need help and provide help beyond what would you might reasonably expect or deserve.
And in case it matters for anyone who might be reading this, I am a gay Black woman, and have never experienced any kind of discrimination from anyone in Two Harbors. They're just...really nice...in a way that you always hope for but never actually seem to come across. This might not be important to you, but it certainly is to me because I haven't been to many places in America where I do not regularly run into some kind of "ism" or phobia that is somehow oppressive to my life or liberty. I am five-fifths in Two Harbors.
These words are not just for the visitors center. Everyone on the island seems to be equally kind and helpful, from the campground rangers to those at the dive shop and general store. Thank you, thank you, thank you for all that you do. I hope you all receive pay increases and I will see you again soon.
