When Abbot Kinney bought land on the Southern California coast over 100 years ago, it was nothing but a swampy marsh. But Kinney was a world traveler and had a wild vision -- to transform this acreage into his very own “Venice of America.”

On this Detour, longtime Venice photographer Edizen Stowell takes you back to 1904 to introduce you to Abbot Kinney himself -- played by renowned character actor and resident Venetian, Orson Bean. Together, you’ll walk beneath the beautiful colonnades and Italian decor that still remains, and learn about Abbot Kinney’s network of tunnels below. You’ll see how what is today a car-packed traffic circle was once Kinney’s Grand Lagoon. Along the way, Edizen conjures Kinney’s imported singing gondoliers, the town’s popular miniature steam train, and the wildest roller coaster on the West Coast. And before the tours ends, you’ll discover the fate of Abbot Kinney’s vision for a city of canals as we walk through a waterfront American neighborhood unlike any other.

With Kinney’s words, we will trace Venice’s wild origins, from its beginning as a devoted copy of the Italian original, to its modern incarnation where you’ll see that more than just a glimmer of Kinney’s dream lives on.