Share The Article
Ever feel like you’re wasting time planning a trip, as if you’re following the crowd doing the same curated experiences?
Here at Travel Off Path, we realize trips to places such as Cancun, New York City, and Paris can all be phenomenal experiences, but oftentimes lack the element of surprise.
The truth is the best destinations can be right under your nose, and all you have to do it is simply look.
That’s the case for one under-hyped beach town on LA’s outskirts, more known for iron-pumping bodybuilders of Venice, quintessential SoCal vibes of Santa Monica, and laid-back luxury of Malibu (before yet another wildfire got out of control)…
The point being is that few mention Torrance as their next beach escape, whether it be a day trip for fellow Californians like myself, or an extended getaway that’s easy to reach from one of SoCal’s plethora of airports.
But there’s no doubt those who’ve focused on LA’s glitzier and (dare we say) overexposed beaches have been missing an incredibly underrated hideaway brimming with vibrant shores and unsuspecting culture.
Discover SoCal’s Crowd-Free Beach Escape
Travel + Leisure recently featured Torrance as one of California’s most underrated foodie scenes, but completely missed how nice and uncrowded the beaches are here, especially during winter.
Not that Torrance is a global hotspot like aforementioned beaches, but summertime does welcome more locals in the know who love keeping Torrance as their own slice of paradise.
Boasting a long stretch of golden shores from Torrance Beach to RAT Beach (an acronym for Right After Torrance), tourists who’ve been weaving through crowds and gridlock traffic could’ve been relaxing seaside without a care in the world.
Most notably, lies the Palos Verdes peninsula, a place deserving of a seat at the table with Malibu in terms of sheer beauty.
RAT beach lies below Palos Verdes’ postcard rolling bluffs. Hardly anyone outside the ‘burbs of LA and Orange County knows it’s the perfect spot for a crowd-free getaway, unlike LA’s well-known buzzing beaches.
And if you’re lucky, you may even spot breaching whales from shore this time of year. If not, better your chances by booking a tour with Redondo Beach Whale Watch nearby — expert guides since 1956.
Warm Up In The ‘Ramen Capital’ Of California
If there’s one thing tourists who’ve never visited California before should know, it’s that our beaches may be beautiful, but they’re often too cold for a pleasant swim, hence surfers in wetsuits.
As we finish the final chapters of 2025, temps are still warm with the renowned California sun still beaming, but once the sun sets, it’s still sweater weather across SoCal.
What better way to warm up than with a steaming hot bowl of perfectly crafted ramen?
Torrance is the undisputed ramen king despite more popular Asian enclaves in LA’s city limits, such as downtown’s pint-sized Little Tokyo and ever-so-trendy K-Town, where it’s nearly impossible to find a bad meal here either.
But it’s Torrance that takes the (green tea) cake. In fact, this city is so beloved for ramen that they have their own ramen trail to check out the top spots, such as top-rated Hakata Ikkousha.
Ever since German-inspired Alpine Village closed its doors in recent years, Torrance has showcased a surprising array of cultural delights given its diverse community, whether it be a burgeoning craft beer scene, authentic izakayas or local-favorite Cherry Blossom Cultural Festival held each spring.
As Travel + Leisure put it, Torrance (and nearby Gardena) have “the largest Japanese American populations in the U.S. outside of Hawaii”, so you know you’ll always be eating good!
Day Trip Or Mainstay?
Most Southern Californians come to Torrance to feast on sensational international cuisine or shop at one of America’s largest shopping centers, Del Amo Fashion Center.
You won’t find flashy resorts here, just the usual onset of popular chain hotels.
As such, if you were to make day trips, Los Angeles is notorious for headache-inducing traffic.
That being said, there are numerous airports to fly into so you can try to minimize traffic if you’re sold on Torrance being your mainstay.
That’s right — you can avoid the chaos of LAX if you so choose, though it is the closest airport mileage-wise to Torrance.
Of course, anyone who has sat in LA traffic knows a 10-mile drive can easily be an hours-long rush hour nightmare.
Other arrival options:
- Long Beach (LGB) – approx. 25 mins away
- Santa Ana (SNA) – approx. 45 mins away
- Ontario (ONT) – approx. 55 mins away
- Carlsbad (CLD) – approx. 1 hour and 15 mins away
No matter how you arrive, previously mentioned Palos Verdes is home to one of California’s most underrated 5-star resorts a short, scenic drive from Torrance — Terranea Resort.
{ const mainContainer = document.getElementById(‘top-torrance-quiz-v1’); if (!mainContainer || mainContainer.hasAttribute(‘data-initialized’)) return; mainContainer.setAttribute(‘data-initialized’, ‘true’); const state = {}; const data = { quizTitle: “Is Torrance Your Perfect SoCal Vibe?”, quizDescription: “LA’s glitzy beaches get all the hype, but this underrated gem has crowd-free shores and is the ‘Ramen Capital’ of California. See if it’s your style.”, questions: [ { question: “My ideal SoCal beach day is…”, options: [ { text: “Relaxing on a crowd-free beach below rolling bluffs.”, score: 1 }, { text: “People-watching on a buzzing, famous beach like Venice.”, score: 0 } ] }, { question: “My perfect travel meal is…”, options: [ { text: “An authentic bowl of ramen in a local-favorite spot.”, score: 1 }, { text: “A trendy, glitzy restaurant in a tourist hotspot.”, score: 0 } ] }, { question: “I prefer destinations that are…”, options: [ { text: “Underrated gems that only locals know about.”, score: 1 }, { text: “Famous, high-energy, and in the middle of all the action.”, score: 0 } ] } ], results: { isTorrance: { title: “You’re a ‘Hidden Gem’ Hunter!”, description: “Torrance is your vibe. You will love the crowd-free RAT Beach, the stunning Palos Verdes bluffs, and the authentic ramen trail. This is the perfect off-path escape from the LA chaos.”, emoji: “🍜” }, notTorrance: { title: “You’re a ‘Main Attraction’ Traveler!”, description: “You would probably prefer the high-energy, glitzy vibe of Santa Monica or Venice. Torrance might be a little too quiet and suburban for your perfect trip.”, emoji: “🌴” } } }; const buildElement = (tag, options = {}) => { const el = document.createElement(tag); Object.entries(options).forEach(([key, value]) => { if (key === ‘listeners’) { Object.entries(value).forEach(([event, handler]) => el.addEventListener(event, handler)); } else { el[key] = value; } }); return el; }; const scrollToToolTop = () => { mainContainer.scrollIntoView({ behavior: ‘smooth’, block: ‘start’ }); }; const resetState = () => { state.currentQuestion = 0; state.score = 0; }; const handleAnswer = (score) => { state.score += score; state.currentQuestion++; if (state.currentQuestion { mainContainer.innerHTML = ”; const questionData = data.questions[state.currentQuestion]; const questionText = buildElement(‘h3’, { textContent: questionData.question }); const optionsContainer = buildElement(‘div’); questionData.options.forEach(option => { const optionButton = buildElement(‘button’, { className: ‘tool-button’, textContent: option.text, listeners: { click: () => handleAnswer(option.score) } }); optionsContainer.appendChild(optionButton); }); const progressContainer = buildElement(‘div’, { className: ‘progress-bar-container’ }); const progressBar = buildElement(‘div’, { className: ‘progress-bar’ }); progressContainer.appendChild(progressBar); const poweredBy = buildElement(‘p’, { className: ‘powered-by’ }); poweredBy.innerHTML = ‘Powered by Travel Off Path’; mainContainer.append(questionText, optionsContainer, progressContainer, poweredBy); setTimeout(() => { const progressPercentage = ((state.currentQuestion + 1) / data.questions.length) * 100; progressBar.style.width = `${progressPercentage}%`; }, 100); }; const renderResultView = () => { mainContainer.innerHTML = ”; const result = state.score >= 2 ? data.results.isTorrance : data.results.notTorrance; const cardClass = state.score >= 2 ? ‘result-card status-good’ : ‘result-card status-warn’; const resultCard = buildElement(‘div’, { className: cardClass }); const emoji = buildElement(‘span’, { className: ‘tool-emoji result-emoji’, // Per protocol, emoji is set with innerHTML to trigger font stack innerHTML: result.emoji }); const title = buildElement(‘h3’, { textContent: result.title }); const description = buildElement(‘p’, { textContent: result.description }); resultCard.append(emoji, title, description); const restartButton = buildElement(‘button’, { className: ‘tool-button primary’, textContent: ‘Take Quiz Again’, listeners: { click: () => { resetState(); renderStartView(); scrollToToolTop(); } } }); const poweredBy = buildElement(‘p’, { className: ‘powered-by’ }); poweredBy.innerHTML = ‘Powered by Travel Off Path’; mainContainer.append(resultCard, restartButton, poweredBy); }; const renderStartView = () => { mainContainer.innerHTML = ”; const title = buildElement(‘h2’, { innerHTML: `🏖️ ${data.quizTitle}` }); const description = buildElement(‘p’, { textContent: data.quizDescription }); const startButton = buildElement(‘button’, { className: ‘tool-button primary’, textContent: ‘Start Vibe Check’, listeners: { click: () => { renderQuestionView(); scrollToToolTop(); } } }); const poweredBy = buildElement(‘p’, { className: ‘powered-by’ }); poweredBy.innerHTML = ‘Powered by Travel Off Path’; mainContainer.append(title, description, startButton, poweredBy); // Fix emoji rendering on start screen title.querySelector(‘span’).innerHTML = ‘🏖️’; }; resetState(); renderStartView(); }); ]]>
Sam Sears
Sam, our Lead Writer & Journalist based in San Diego has visited 36 countries and written over 1000 articles with a focus on sharing his own travel experiences and shining a light on lesser-known gems.
The Travel Off Path Advantage: Your Travel Toolkit
Subscribe To Our Latest Posts
Enter your email address to subscribe to Travel Off Path’s latest breaking travel news, straight to your inbox.
Please visit:
Our Sponsor
