Business-friendly Torrance is the perfect location for a company to flourish, whether you’re looking for a place to set up shop, expand or hold a meeting. The numbers speak for themselves. Just 10 miles from LAX, there’s 67,778 square feet of total meeting space, several unique venues, diverse settings for filming projects including movies, TV shows, commercials and still photography, 1.5 miles of pristine, uncrowded beach, a picturesque downtown, nearly 40 parks, a dozen breweries, a certified farmers’ market, a vernal marsh and a variety of things to see and do.
UNIQUE VENUES
Torrance Cultural Arts Center: The Torrance Cultural Arts Center combines modern design and natural beauty with an authentic Japanese garden with koi pond, art museum, multiple meeting spaces, banquet facilities, two indoor theaters and two open-air plazas.
James R. Armstrong Theatre: Within the Torrance Cultural Arts Center, the 502-seat theater offers full theater amenities, including a large, curtained stage, dressing rooms, 10’ by 20’ screen, audiovisual equipment and an elegant lobby. The theater provides an ideal setting for special performances, awards ceremonies, video screenings, speaker presentations and other stage-worthy events.
El Camino College Center for the Arts: Not your typical community college, El Camino College includes a separate Center for the Arts featuring the 2,048-seat Marsee Auditorium, 353-seat Campus Theatre, and 180-seat Haag Recital Hall. Each is available for rental. The center offers several public events each month, so you’ll want to book your event well in advance to secure a space.
Strand Brewing Co.: After a long day of meetings, a cold, well-crafted beer might be the ticket to some relaxed fun. Strand Brewing Company is willing to help by hosting an event in the brewery’s large warehouse space. Strand can also arrange for some yummy food (think barbecue and brews, perhaps?) from local food trucks and restaurants.
Smog City and Smog City West: This brewery is so beloved by Torrance that it has two locations in the city. Not only that, it has award-winning beers from national and international beer competitions. This all makes sense when you have a brewmaster by the name of Jonathan Porter (yes, just like the beer). Additionally, these breweries are eager to host guests and events – Smog City has two spaces in its private taproom for up to 100 guests and patio for up to 65 guests, while Smog City West can host up to 65 in its shared space.
Torrance Marriott Redondo Beach: Count on class and plenty of room at this upscale hotel that’s close to miles of shopping at the Del Amo Fashion Center. With more than 41,000 square feet of meeting space and a maximum seating capacity of 1,200, Torrance Marriott has a variety of spaces and venues – 20 in all – for every style of event and meeting. And we can’t forget the onsite dining option too, 21 Square Kitchen + Bar.
Miyako Hybrid Hotel: If modern elegance is what you’re looking for, Miyako is the perfect choice offering a wide range of amenities and meeting spaces. Japanese-inspired meeting facilities accommodate groups of many sizes, and the professional staff is on hand to help with your event planning needs. Ise-Shima, its onsite restaurant, also offers elevated sushi and more.
DoubleTree by Hilton Torrance – South Bay: Your team will get a warm invite from the chocolate chip cookies, as well as other ample amenities at the DoubleTree in Torrance. Choose from 11 meeting rooms with over 18,000 square feet of event space. After a meeting, guests can kick back onsite at Andre’s and Vintage Lounge, or head over to Del Amo Fashion Center which is walking distance to the hotel.
Chen Art Gallery: Within the corporate headquarters of Sunrider International lies a spectacular private collection of Chinese art from the personal collection of Sunrider founder, Dr. Tei Fu Chen. Group tours by expert docents take visitors through more than 1,000 artifacts and works of art spanning 5,000 years of Chinese history. Occasionally it also exhibits other acquisitions of European art, creations by Fabergé, Picasso, Matisse and others.
FILMING
With picture-perfect weather and a wide variety of locations, Torrance is a prime filming spot. More than 200 movies and shows have been shot right here. Permits are easy to obtain and there’s ample lodging and food options, too.
Famous Films & Shows: Old movie favorites like Bad Santa, Scarface, Bruce Almighty, She’s All That, and Pineapple Express, and shows like Beverly Hills, 90210, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Reno 911! More recently, Torrance has hosted film crews for The Flight Attendant, 9-1-1: Lonestar, Insecure and Barry.
Famous Directors: Quentin Tarantino, Ridley Scott, Ron Howard, Sam Mendes, Christopher Nolan, Martha Coolidge, Rob Epstein, Bill Pohland, and Tim Burton have all filmed in Torrance, to name a few.
EXCELLENT EATS
Torrance has more than 400 eateries on its plate. From eclectic to elegant and exotic to classic, you’ll find plenty to please all kinds of palates.
King’s Hawaiian Bakery: Straight from the islands, this is the authentic eatery for that famous sweet Hawaiian bread. Its dishes are pretty legendary, but our favorite is its famous King’s Hawaiian French Toast.
Ramen Trail: Nicknamed “The Ramen Capital of Southern California,” Torrance is a ramen-lover’s paradise. There is an entire map lining out all your options at DiscoverTorrance.com. If you’re not already converted, you will be.
Brewery Stops: Torrance boasts a dozen notable breweries.
All twelve are well worth the sip and the trip but stand-out favorites include George Lopez Brewing Co. (owned by the famous comedian) and HopSaint Brewing Company with brewmaster Brian Brewer (yes, that’s really his name). Yorkshire Square Brewing Co. also brews a vast selection of “proper British beers” and real cask ales. It also has a pub menu with some really good food, too. Red Car Brewery gives a sense of nostalgia as the first craft brewer in Torrance (and it’s located in a historic building in Old Torrance).
Sushi: Besides Ise-Shima, Torrance is home to many notable sushi spots including all-you caneat Ginza Sushi, local favorite Irifune and Matsui (named for the famous Japanese baseball player Hideki Matsui) – just to name a few.
Burgers: Torrance was named the #11 Best Cities for Burger Fans in the US according to Lawn Love, and we take that title very seriously. Fine dining restaurant, The Depot, managed by local star Chef Shafer, features the BFD Cheese Burger on their afternoon menu. You can also find pretty stellar eats at Colin Cowherd Burger, located in the Brews Hall which is the first multi-concept brewery and food hall in Torrance. Other burger joints include Burger City Grill, Habit Burger, Five Guys, and In-N-Out among others.
Din Tai Fung: This mouthwatering restaurant has hand-crafted eats that are rooted in Chinese tradition. Their soup dumplings are a standout, with their pork buns and bao dishes great for rounding out an amazing meal.
AGENDA-WORTHY SITES
Torrance Beach: One of Southern California’s gems, Torrance Beach offers 1.5 miles of pristine, uncrowded shoreline and decent surf. More than 300 parking spots are conveniently located next to Miramar Park and restaurants and shops are nearby. Torrance Beach is also the start of The Strand, a 22-mile bike path that runs all the way up to Will Rogers State Beach near Malibu.
Del Amo Fashion Center: One of the largest shopping malls in America, there are more than 250 stores to browse in and buy. Go ahead and treat yourself. Don’t worry about getting lost. There are maps everywhere, plus it is home to a California Welcome Center!
Attractions: Disneyland, Knott’s Berry Farm, Six Flags Magic Mountain, Universal Studios Hollywood, and the Aquarium of the Pacific are nearby, along with SoFi Stadium, the Kia Forum, Crypto. com Arena, Dodger Stadium, Angel Stadium and so many more sports and entertainment venues.
Museums: Torrance is known for its many art galleries and museums, including the Torrance Art Museum, Destination: Art, Torrance Historical Society & Museum, Cansu Art Gallery and the Chen Art Gallery. The Western Museum of Flight is another favorite, offering a unique look at local aviation history located at Zamperini Field Torrance’s municipal airport.
Tours: LA-based Celebrity Helicopters can give your group an aerial tour of famous Los Angeles sites or you can opt for LA City Tours for a bus tour of the city, beaches, movie star homes, the Hollywood sign and more. Another excellent tour is LA Beer Hop, where they’ll take you on a public or private tour of many of the South Bay’s craft breweries.
For more information, contact the Torrance Office of Economic Development at (310) 618 5807 or via email at [email protected] or Discover Torrance at (310) 802-7777 or via the web at discovertorrance.com.
