There are so many cool things to do in Long Beach, California.
It is a great base to explore the beaches of Orange County as well as to spend a few days around Los Angeles. But Long Beach is a city worth spending time in its own right.
It is a historical town with a stunning beach, great restaurants, a beautiful waterfront area, and some great museums to explore.
Getting to Long Beach
There are a few easy ways to get to Long Beach, depending on what your plans are for your entire trip.
Flights to LAX are the most convenient and generally the cheapest option. Long Beach is about 35-45 minutes away by car from LAX.
Long Beach Airport (LGB) also has a lot of flight options with Southwest as well as a few with Delta and Hawaiian Airlines.
You can fly directly to LGB from Dallas, Las Vegas, Oakland, Chicago, Austin, Sacramento, Denver, and Phoenix to name a few.
It is about a 15 minute drive from downtown Long Beach to the Long Beach Airport.
Do You Need a Car in Long Beach?
If you plan to spend your entire trip in Long Beach and you are able to get a flight from LGB Airport, then you don’t really need a car in Long Beach.
You can grab an Uber or Lyft to and from the airport easily. You can then use the fantastic public transportation network. Get the Tap App on your phone to track buses and pay for your ride with ease.
If you plan to explore more of the beaches around Long Beach and you are going to use it as a base for spending the day in Los Angeles, then you definitely will need a car.
I usually use Discover Cars when I rent a car in the US. It offers some of the most competitive prices on cars as well as on full coverage insurance.
The car rental center at LAX is pretty well organized and easy to get to and from and there are plenty of places to top up your gas tank around the drop off area at a reasonable price (reasonable for LA, that is). Check prices and book a car on Discover Cars here.
Top Things to Do in Long Beach
1. The Queen Mary
The Queen Mary is one of the best things to do in Long Beach. It’s perhaps the most famous of all of the tourist attractions in the city and is worth the trip to take a step inside.
The ship made voyages between the US and the UK between 1936 and 1967. It was one of the most luxurious ocean liners of the time with five dining rooms, a two swimming pools, two cocktail bars, a gran ballroom, and a squash court.
The ticket price includes one of their four tours which operate throughout the day. Choose from four different tour options depending on what you want to learn more about the ship. Or upgrade your experience to VIP and explore behind the ropes to the most exclusive areas of the boat. The VIP tour also includes lunch.
If you really want to experience the best of the Queen Mary, you can actually stay in one of the cabins. Part of the ship has been converted into a stunning luxury hotel and rooms start as low as $200 per night. Check prices and book a stay at this memorable floating hotel.
The Queen Mary perhaps doesn’t have all of the modern amenities of the cruise ship on its left, but it is a stunning historical gem that is worth checking out on a trip to Long Beach.
2. Shoreline Village
This colorful waterfront village is one of the best things to do in Long Beach with kids. It has a few restaurants, candy shops, souvenir stores, and an arcade. If you are spending the morning at the aquarium, you can easily walk here afterward for some lunch or start with lunch here and then head to the aquarium after everyone is well-fed.
Parker’s Lighthouse has the best quality in the village with tons of options to choose from like oysters, fish and chips, chicken sandwiches, fish tacos, and salads.
Gilan Pizza and Grill has a nice selection of Italian-American dishes like pizza, pasta, burgers, and sandwiches. So you’re bound to find something on the menu for even the pickiest eaters in the group.
3. Naples Island
Naples is a neighborhood in Long Beach that is a beautiful place to explore on your trip to Long Beach. It is a small island with a popular beach spot and canals to walk along.
Many of the houses have their own docks and direct access to the canal which leads out to the ocean. It is a nice place to come with a kayak or paddle board. There are even a few gondolas around if you want to really feel like you’re on the canals of Venice.
The beach in Naples is a great place for families because the water is much calmer than the beaches along the Pacific Ocean. This makes it incredibly popular on summer weekends, so be sure to arrive early enough to get a good parking spot.
The path along the beach in Long Beach is a great way to get a glimpse of why this city got its name.
4. Long Beach Bike Path
Also known as the Shoreline Pedestrian Bike Path, this flat, paved path runs from Shoreline Village in the west all the way to Belmont Shores in the east. It is 4.5 miles long and has lanes for bikes as well as one for pedestrians who want to walk or jog.
If you are a runner or cyclist and want to enjoy a morning spot to do some exercise or you just want the most scenic way to get from one side of Long Beach to the other, this is an ideal spot.
I recommend starting at Shoreline Village where you can explore some of the different stores and see the views and then walk along the beach (maybe with a sandwich from Modica’s Deli before you leave the city center).
Pack a bag with water, towels, and a bathing suit and set up for the afternoon on the beach along the way.
5. Long Beach Museum of Art
The Long Beach Museum of Art is a wonderful museum to visit when it gets too hot or when the rare rainy days happens in southern California.
The museum’s permanent collection includes over 4,000 paintings, sculptures, drawings, and decorative art pieces. There are also visiting exhibits throughout the year. While I was visiting they had a wonderful exhibit of Keith Haring’s work.
You can check their website to see what exhibits will be on during your trip to Long Beach.
The waterfront area in Long Beach has plenty of grassy areas to sit and enjoy the views as well as shopping, the aquarium, lots of restaurants, and a nice walking path that leads all the way to the beach.
6. Aquarium of the Pacific
The city’s aquarium is one of the best things to do in Long Beach, especially with kids and kids at heart. It is located in the waterfront area not far from Shoreline Village.
The aquarium is home to penguins, sharks, octopus, sea otters, turtles, and tons of varieties of fish and other sealife. It has exhibits that allow you to learn all about the different sealife habitats in Southern California.
You have to book a timed ticket on their website, especially if you are visiting during peak times like summer, Christmas vacation time, and around Spring Break.
7. Museum of Latin American Art
Opened in 1996, the Museum of Latin American Art in Long Beach is the only museum in the United States that is dedicated entirely to art work created by Latin American people.
You’ll find modern and contemporary art including paintings, drawings, sculptures, photography, and mixed media throughout the museums regular collection and visiting exhibits.
At only $7 for entry, it is one of the most affordable things to do in Long Beach and the art here is fantastic. The museum is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, so plan accordingly for your visit.
One of the best things to do in Long Beach is just to sit along the beach at sunset.
8. Berth 55 Fish Market
Seafood lovers will not want to miss heading to Berth 55 Fish Market for lunch during their trip to Long Beach.
This is a fully functioning fish market. So locals head here to buy freshly-caught fish and shellfish. But there is also a whole restaurant in the market where you can let someone else cook up those fresh catches.
It’s a true choose-your-own adventure here with plates of fish, lobster, clams, scallops, and more available either grilled or fried. Have them whole or order up a few fish tacos instead.
The platters come with your choice of rice, coleslaw, or French fries. You can pre-order and get things to go by ordering through their website or you can just head here and order and eat in the restaurant.
9. Eat Tacos
If you are visiting southern California from a different part of the US, then you’ll definitely want to make sure you enjoy some tacos while you’re in Long Beach.
There is a large Mexican community here and they are serving up some absolutely fantastic tacos, burritos, and some US-Mex inspired dishes that are packed with flavor. A few to check out include:
The streets around Belmont Shores really make you feel like you are in Southern California.
10. Catalina Island
There are only two ferry ports to get from the mainland to Catalina Island and one of them is right in Long Beach. Grab the Catalina Express to the island for a fun day trip.
Be sure to book your tickets a few days in advance, especially if you are traveling on a busy summer weekend because they can sell out.
The ferry takes roughly one hour to get from Long Beach to Catalina Island and once you’re there you can explore on foot.
The island is home to over 165 miles of recreational trails and roads for hiking, making it one of the best places in the region for nature lovers. You can also go kayaking, swimming, or snorkeling around the island. There are plenty of rental places and tour companies available on the island to help you explore in the way that you prefer.
Head to the pier and look out at the different manmade islands in the middle of the water.
11. Spot the Manmade Islands
One of the things that mars the landscape a little bit in Long Beach is the oil field just off shore from the beach. Instead of looking out at endless horizon, you instead look out at oil rigs and drills.
In an effort to try to make it look a little bit nicer, manmade islands were built in the 1960s around some of the drilling spots and you can see them very easily from most places on the beach in Long Beach.
The are known as the THUMS islands and each of the four islands has a name; Grissom, Chaffee, White and Freeman.
The best view is around the pier or at the far east end of the beach in Belmont Shores.
12. Go Sailing
You don’t have to cross the county border into Orange County to enjoy a little bit of luxury in Long Beach.
There are options for getting out on the water in Long Beach to suit every budget.
If you are looking for a cheap option, you can take a harbor tour in a glass bottom boat. These tours cost about $30 and take you out to see some of the underwater life around Long Beach’s coastline. Knowledgable guides will teach you about the ecosystem here making it fun for both kids and adults. Book that boat tour here.
If you are with a group and you want to have a private boat tour, this boat tour option is a good one that works out as relatively affordable if there are four or more people.
It includes a 2-hour trip on a sailboat with a captain. It stops around White Island where you can hop out and do some snorkeling around the stunning marine life here. Book that boat tour here.
This boat tour takes you out in the evening so that you can see the city lit up at night. It tours around the Queen Mary, Canadian Forces Beach, and Parker’s Lighthouse. The evening tour is a nice romantic option for couples who want to have a fun night on the water. Book that tour here.
The Win-Dow is home to one of the best burgers you’ll have in the entire city.
13. Eat the Best Burgers in Long Beach
There are no doubt plenty of great places to eat in Long Beach, but the one that you absolutely don’t want to miss if you love burgers is the Win-Dow.
Located in Belmont Shores, this local smash burger spot is simple. As the name suggests, you place your order at the window and then wait for your name to be called before grabbing your order.
There are stools and bar-style tables around the restaurant where you can enjoy your food in the sunshine or you can take it with you down the street to the beach.
The burgers here are juicy and perfectly cooked. The burger sauce is sweet and a salty and a little bit creamy. There are pickles and lettuce. The fries are crispy on the outside and so fluffy on the inside. They also have chicken burgers and veggie burgers available.
It’s one of the most affordable spots to have a meal in town (except for the taco spots, of course). The original cheeseburgers are under $5 and fries are $4 and one order of fries is more than enough for two people to share.