Visit Beautiful Long Beach California

Long Beach, just a half an hour from Los Angeles, is a beachfront gem you’ll want to add to your California itinerary. Long Beach offers beautiful beaches and marinas along with a dining and shopping scene that blends big city with beach town fun.

Tour the Queen Mary or relax with a drink in the ship’s Observation Bar. For unique accommodations, you can even stay overnight in one of the ship’s staterooms or suites. Visit the Aquarium of the Pacific, home to playful sea otters, Magellanic penguins, and a 350,000-gallon Tropical Reef Habitat, which holds thousands of colorful fish, coral, sea turtles, and sharks.

Whatever you’re looking for; a romantic weekend, a family reunion destination, or just a getaway with the kids, Long Beach has the food, fun, and sun for your next Southern California trip.  Continue reading our Long Beach visitor’s guide and start planning your vacation today! Looking for the perfect beach? Visit a complete list of southern California beaches here.

Weather – When to Visit Long Beach

In Long Beach, the summers are short, warm, arid, and clear and the winters are long, cool, and partly cloudy. Over the course of the year, the temperature typically varies from 48°F to 82°F and is rarely below 42°F or above 91°F.

Given California’s pleasant summer weather (with relatively low humidity), the time between Memorial Day and Labor Day is high tourist season virtually everywhere — except for desert areas such as Palm Springs and Death Valley, where sizzling temperatures daunt all but the hardiest bargain hunters. Naturally, prices are highest at this time, and they can drop dramatically before and after that period. From late September to early December, crowds drop off, shoulder-season rates kick in, and winter rains have yet to start looming.

What Should You Pack?

When figuring out what to pack for the beach, there are two tips to keep in mind. First, forgetting an item isn’t the end of the world. Unless you’re heading for a remote, deserted island, chances are you can find a store where you can pick up the extras. Second, don’t stress out over making a packing list when there’s a stress-free beach travel essentials list for you below:

• Sunglasses and hats offer much-needed sunscreen and flip flops are perfect for navigating hot, sandy beaches. Go pack them now so you’re not kicking yourself later.
• What about those little items that make beach visits so much more enjoyable? For a little extra comfort on your trip, make sure you pack: Lip balm, sunscreen, bug spray.
• Beach toys and goggles are a must for kids. Building sandcastles and viewing the underwater wonders are perennial favorites.
• Take a first-aid kit with you. Hopefully you’ll only have to worry about a few minor scrapes from seashells, but having your own kit handy is a good precaution.
• Beach Bag – Your beach bag will likely contain a few of the items mentioned above. For a well-rounded bag, consider tossing in sunscreen, lip balm, bug spray, first-aid kit and water-proof baggies.
• Beach Gear – No matter who’s supplying the gear, look to have the following items on hand: beach bag, beach chairs, beach towels, beach umbrella or tent, beach cart and a cooler.
• Remember: Don’t wait until you’re parched to drink. When you’re out in the heat and sun, it’s important to stay hydrated by drinking regularly. So take along a water bottle as well.

Best Long Beach Area Beaches

Belmont Shore Beach

The main beach at Belmont Shore Beach itself is lined with a boardwalk, perfect for a leisurely stroll, and there are plenty of restaurants, cafes, and shops nearby to explore. Parking at Belmont Pier itself can be a challenge, so arrive early or consider using public transportation to get there. Beach chairs, umbrellas, and towels can be rented from nearby vendors, so you don’t have to worry about carrying them along for the ride. There are also plenty of water activities available, such as paddle boarding and kayaking, which are perfect for adventure-seekers.

Alamitos Beach

Among the best things to do in Long Beach is to enjoy the sands. From sunbathing to beach volleyball and sand castle competitions, the long stretch of pristine dunes allows for so much potential fun for solo-goers and tourist groups alike. When you finish frolicking under the sun, you can visit the many hotels and shops available on the oceanfront.

Colorado Lagoon Park

Colorado Lagoon Park is one of the smaller, more intimate beach options you’ll find in Long Beach. This beach is a hidden gem that’s perfect for those looking to getting away from the hustle and bustle that Long Beach often brings. There are plenty of trees for shade, as well as picnic areas and playground equipment. This quiet and tranquil beach is situated on a lagoon, making it a perfect spot for swimming, paddle boarding, kayaking, and even fishing.

Rosie’s Dog Beach

This special spot is a roughly two-acre-long stretch of sand where you can let your little fluffy friends off-leash to run and play to their heart’s content. This beach is one of the only true places in Long Beach where dogs are truly allowed to roam free, making it a hit beach destination for four-legged friends and their owners.

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Mother’s Beach

With its calm waters, crazy soft sand, and playground area, Mother’s Beach is a popular Long Beach option for families and those with children. There are also quite a few picnic areas and BBQ pits scattered throughout the area if you’re looking to throw something on the grill with a beautiful view of the beach and the surrounding Long Beach area.

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Best Restaurants in Long Beach

Sura $11 – 30

Long Beach only has one real Korean restaurant, and it lucked out with Sura. Whether you want glossy-sweet grilled pork, spicy tofu soup in a gurgling stone pot or a rainbow of pickled banchan, Sura abides. A fusion menu added by the owner’s millennial children includes vegan tacos, bulgogi fries and more — all the better to help the pitchers of beer flow more freely. Telephone: 562-495-7872 Web: Sura

Roe Seafood $11 – 30

When a Oaxacan-German chef spends years cooking steak and seafood, you get Roe Restaurant, the Long Beach answer to Connie & Ted’s; come for chef Art Gonzalez’s sustainable seafood creations, stay for some of the best desserts in the city. Telephone: 562-546-7110 Web: Roe Seafood

Ellie’s $31 – 50

Chef Jason Witzl opened this corner bistro dedicated to handmade pastas, charred vegetables, and other Cal-Italian creations. Start with the $25 quarterie menu, which gives you three courses based around your choice of pasta. This is one chef you’ll want to trust. Telephone: 562-437-4837 Web: Ellie’s

Playa Amor $11 – 30

Critically acclaimed chef Thomas Ortega offers a sophisticated, playa-inspired menu of contemporary pocho and modern-Mexican cuisine with Baja-inspired classics like Puerto Nuevo lobster and grilled octopus get prepared with better ingredients and local diners in mind. Telephone: 562-430-2667 Web: Playa Amor

Robert Earl’s BBQ $11 – 30

Robert Earl started tossing meats into his homemade smoker and selling the results at the local farmers market a half-decade back. Robert Earls BBQ has exactly what you need. With award winning brisket, ridiculously tender ribs, and extraordinary macaroni & cheese Robert Earls BBQ makes for an unforgettable meal that will have you coming back for more every time. Telephone: 562-726-1116 Web: Robert Earl’s BBQ

Best Nightlife in Long Beach

Belmont Brewing Company

Only in Long Beach would Southern California’s oldest operating brewpub also be the city’s best oceanfront bar. Brewmaster Blackwell has been cranking out stellar craft beers since the mid-’90s and regulars always come in droves for BBC’s happy hour, where cheap pitchers and pizzas accompany sunset views. Telephone: 562-433-3891 Web: Belmont Brewing Company

Stache Bar

Here you’ll find a Dodgers bar with a not-so-secret stock of top-shelf liquors at middle-shelf prices and bartenders who know how to use them in your new favorite drink. Alternately, you can order a PBR tall boy or Jack and Coke, and no one will bat an eye. Telephone: 562-606-2529 Web: Stache Bar

Shannon’s Bayshore Saloon

Shannon’s is an old-school Long Beach classic. It’s the bar that inspired the intro recording to the Sublime song “Badfish” and it continues to attract locals to its narrow wooden embrace, where the house drink, called “Shoot the Root”, includes a shot of root beer schnapps dropped into a tumbler of Coors Light. Telephone: 562-433-5901 Web: Shannon’s Bayshore Saloon

Beachwood BBQ & Brewing

When you feel like elevating your beer game, head to Beachwood BBQ and Brewing, which was most recently named Best Brewpub in the World. The brewery stocks dozens of its own award-winning beers along with guest taps that would make any beer bar weep. Telephone: 562-436-4020 Web: Beachwood BBQ & Brewing

Haskell’s Prospector

By day, Prospector is a windowless steakhouse with creepy exterior paintings of miners and their wenches. By night, though, the kitchen closes down and it becomes a windowless steakhouse with creepy exterior paintings of miners and their wenches AND a dive bar that specializes in two things: cheap drinks and local music. Telephone: 562-438-3839 Web: Haskell’s Prospector