Long Beach, CA Road Trips

Long Beach is a large coastal and port city in Southern California. It is situated at the very southeastern edge of Los Angeles County, bordering both the city of Los Angeles and Orange County, in a region known as the Gateway Cities. With a population of 467,000 as of 2020, it is the second-largest city in greater Los Angeles as well as the seventh-largest city in the state of California. Long Beach is not quite as historic as Pasadena or Old Los Angeles, but it received its share of "the folks" from Iowa. It was incorporated December 13, 1897 and had over 100,000 residents by the late 1920s. Long Beach is recognized as one of the most culturally diverse cities in America. It has large percentages of Latinos and whites (non-Hispanic), as well as very sizeable percentages of blacks (non-Hispanic) and Asians. Whites disproportionately reside on the shore and East Long Beach, while Latinos, Asians and Black disproportionately reside in North and Downtown Long Beach. You may hear different people say different things about Long Beach, either wonderful or horrible things. This is because the city has quite a large population, with a density rate greater than that of nearby Los Angeles. Therefore, like other large cities, Long Beach encompasses everything, such as large industrial areas, struggling neighborhoods, quiet middle-class communities and exclusive neighborhoods. The area code for Long Beach is 562. For emergency services, dial 911 from any phone. The high-rise commercial and governmental area of Long Beach, centered on 1st and Pine, is Downtown Long Beach.

1 Aquarium of the Pacific, 100 Aquarium Way, ☏ +1 562-590-3100, fax: +1 562-951-1629, [email protected]. 9AM-6PM daily, except Dec 25 and the weekend of the Grand Prix of Long Beach in April. One of the largest aquariums in the United States, its nearly 1,000 species fill 19 major habitats and 32 focus exhibits and take visitors through three regions of the Pacific Ocean: Southern California/Baja, the Tropical Pacific, and the Northern Pacific. There is also a Combo package with the Queen Mary. (Pay parking or take Passport C). $19.00. (updated Nov 2020) 2 Queen Mary, 1126 Queens Hwy, toll-free: +1-877-342-0738. M-Th 10AM-6PM, F-Su 10AM-7PM. The Queen Mary is a historic Cunard White Star ocean liner — a beautiful Art Deco structure and the largest passenger ship ever built — whose past includes being a troop transport in World War II, and it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Several different tours of the ship are offered including a Ghosts and Legends tour. The Queen Mary also boasts a hotel, several restaurants and bars (a particularly nice one is the Art Deco Bar, where you can get a good cocktail in vintage surroundings and watch the harbor), a shopping promenade and a wedding reception hall. General Admission includes a choice of one of several available tours (you can take a second guided tour for an additional charge), Self-Guided Queen Mary Shipwalk Tour and access to all open exhibit areas. There are several other tour packages including a Combo ticket with the Aquarium of the Pacific. (Pay parking or take Passport C).

1 Long Beach City Beach (Ocean Blvd between Alamitos Avenue & 72nd Place), ☏ +1 562-594-0951. Dawn-10PM. Long Beach's beach stretches four miles between Alamitos Avenue and 72nd place. A portion of beach where dogs are permitted is Rosie's Dog Beach. At Grand Avenue is the Belmont Veterans Memorial Pier. There are access points every few blocks, and parking lots at Junipero, Termino, Granada, La Verne and 72nd Place. Concrete bike and skating lanes run along the beach. Water is usually fine for surfing or swimming. Lifeguard services are limited, and no lifeguard is guaranteed outside of peak hours or specialized, supervised areas. Beach is free, parking is $2-16. (updated Feb 2026) 2 Belmont Veterans Memorial Pier. 3 Rosie's Dog Beach. 4 Gondola Getaway, 5437 E Ocean Blvd, ☏ +1 562-433-9595, [email protected]. 11AM-11PM daily, closed holidays. Romantic gondola boat ride along the canals in Naples. Make reservations at least one day in advance (3 weeks is recommended). Reservation office hours 10AM-5PM daily. 1 to 6 people: 2 passengers: $100, plus $20 for each additional person up to 6; 7 to 10 people: $350.00 for up to 10-guests. (updated Nov 2020) 5 Catalina Express, 320 Golden Shore (downtown Long Beach), ☏ +1 562-485-3200, toll-free: +1-800-612-1212, [email protected]. Daily departures, varies with season. Boat service to Catalina Island. Reservations are recommended.

Formerly known as "Iowa by the Sea", but now populated by a diverse community, Long Beach has a full range of dining options. 1 Gladstone's Long Beach, 330 S Pine Ave (at Shoreline Dr), ☏ +1 562-432-8588, fax: +1 562 432-8589. Su-Th 11AM-10PM, F Sa 11AM-11PM. Seafood dining along the Long Beach waterfront. (updated Feb 2016) 2 Jongewaard's Bake-n-Broil, 3697 Atlantic Ave (Bixby Knolls neighborhood), ☏ +1 562-595-0396. M-F 6:30AM-9PM, Sa 7AM-9PM, Su 7AM-8:30PM. A local secret known for homebaked pies, desserts, soups, and comfort food. Inexpensive (and popular so expect a wait). (updated Feb 2016) 3 Parkers' Lighthouse, 435-A Shoreline Village Dr (in Shoreline Village within landmark lighthouse), ☏ +1 562-432-6500, fax: +1 562 436-3551, [email protected]. M-F 11AM-3PM, 5-10PM; Sa Su 11AM-3PM, 4-10PM. Contemporary seafood restaurant with shoreline view of the Queen Mary. (updated Feb 2016) 4 Polly's Bakery Cafe (Bixby Knolls location), 3490 Atlantic Ave, ☏ +1 562-595-5651. 6:30AM-9:30PM daily. Local chain known for site-baked pies especially fresh strawberry and ollalieberry in season. Roast turkey and chicken dinners. Inexpensive. (updated Feb 2016) 5 Yard House Long Beach, 401 Shoreline Village Dr (located in Shoreline Village), ☏ +1 562-628-0455. Su-Th 11AM-midnight, F Sa 11AM-1:20AM. Chain restaurant with extensive menu and large selection of draft beer. (updated Feb 2016) 6 Higher Taste, Plant-Based (Ahimsa Vegan Cafe), 340 1/2 E 4th St, ☏ +1 562-435-7115. Noon-8PM daily. Ahimsa is a vegan/vegetarian/raw cafe.

1 Joe Jost's, 2803 E Anaheim St, ☏ +1 562-439-5446, [email protected]. M-Sa 10AM-11PM, Su 10AM-9PM. Long Beach Classic--Opened in 1924, one of the oldest family operated taverns in the West. Schooners of draft beer, "Joe's Special" (Polish sausage on rye, with Swiss cheese, mustard, and pickle), fresh roasted peanuts, and pickled eggs. Turn of the century pool tables in the back room. $1.35-4.65 draft beers, $2.65 Special. (updated Mar 2016) 2 The Yard House, 401 Shoreline Village Dr, ☏ +1 562-628-0455, fax: +1 562 435-5544. Su-Th 11AM-midnight, F Sa 11AM-1:20AM. View of Shoreline Village Marina, dockside seating, eclectic uspcale casual menu, 100+ beers on tap, wine by the glass, specialty martinis. Happy Hour M-F 3-6PM, pints $3.25, martinis $5.25, half-price appetizers. Food: $8.95-30.45. (updated Mar 2016) 3 Shannon's On Pine, 209 Pine Ave (at Broadway), ☏ +1 562-436-4363, [email protected]. M-F 11:30AM-2AM, Sa Su 9AM-2AM. By far the friendliest bar in Long Beach. Inexpensive, strong drinks, and an excellent selection of alcohol. The food is reasonably priced and excellent. A wide selection of sandwiches, great dinner specials, and $9 bloody mary and omelette on weekends. Cocktails $3.75-6, beer $3.75-5, sandwiches $4-7, dinner $7-11. (updated Mar 2016) 4 The Sweet Water Saloon, 1201 E Broadway (corner of Orange Av. and Broadway), ☏ +1 562-432-7044. 10AM-2AM daily. Situated in a historic building (opened as the Villa Nova Restaurant in the 1940s), the Sweet Water Saloon is truly a neighborhood bar during the day time, and a party bar at night.

1 Broadlind Hotel, 149 Linden Ave, toll-free: +1-833-782-9522, [email protected]. Small historic ApartHotel in Downtown Long Beach $140. (updated Feb 2026) Linden Avenue, between Ocean and 3rd, has a lot of hotels. 2 Courtyard Long Beach Downtown, 500 E 1st St, ☏ +1 562-435-8511, toll-free: +1-800-321-2211, fax: +1 562-901-0296. Check-in: 3PM, check-out: noon. On-site parking for both guests and non-guests, fee:$5/hour, $19 daily. Free high speed Internet. Smoke free hotel and pets are not allowed. $200-240. 3 Hilton Long Beach, 701 W Ocean Blvd, ☏ +1 562-983-3400, fax: +1 562-983-1200, [email protected]. Check-in: 3PM, check-out: noon. Outdoor heated pool. Pets are allowed. Complimentary health club. $220-260. (updated Mar 2016) 4 Hyatt Regency Long Beach, 200 S Pine Ave, ☏ +1 562-491-1234, fax: +1 562-983-1491. Check-in: 3PM, check-out: noon. Full service luxurious hotel with water views from rooms. Pet allowed with $100 fee for up to 6 days. Additional pet fees after first 6 days. $230-430, suites $1,500-3,000. (updated Mar 2016) 5 Hyatt Centric The Pike Long Beach, 285 Bay St (One block north of Shoreline, adjacent to the Pike Outlets), ☏ +1 562-432-1234. Check-in: 4PM, check-out: noon. 138 rooms and suites. Includes a rooftop pool and bar with 360° panoramic views of Long Beach. Free WiFi. Flatscreen TV in all rooms. $166-347. (updated Feb 2026) 6 Marriott Long Beach Downtown, 111 E Ocean Blvd, ☏ +1 562-437-5900, fax: +1 562-499-2509. Check-in: 4PM, check-out: 11AM. High-speed wireless for a fee. Smoke free hotel.

Out of the five airports in the Los Angeles metropolitan area, Long Beach can easily be reached from three: Long Beach Airport (LGB), within the city; Los Angeles International (LAX), 22 miles (35 km) away; and John Wayne (SNA), 23 miles (37 km) away in Santa Ana. All three lie adjacent to Interstate 405. The other two airport options are Burbank (BUR IATA), 37 miles (60 km) away; and Ontario (ONT IATA), 53 miles (85 km) away. LGB is the most convenient to use location-wise and, being a smaller airport, provides less hassle; however, LAX offers more frequent service, service from more destinations, and better fares. Long Beach Airport is limited to around 40 daily flights, the vast majority of which are provided by carrier Southwest as of 2020. 1 Long Beach Airport (LGB IATA). Airport is primarily served by Southwest Airlines from multiple cities across the U.S. It also served by Delta Connection (Salt Lake City) and Hawaiian (Honolulu & Kahului (Maui)). Rental cars are available for hire at the airport, which is best for (local/regional) travel in Southern California. Long Beach Yellow Cab ☏ +1 562-435-6111 is another option, approximate fares to downtown hotels $30-40 one-way. Long Beach Transit Route 111 bus (Broadway/Lakewood) connects the airport to downtown Long Beach and to Metro's A Line train at the downtown Transit Mall. It runs south to downtown hourly from LGB. To find the bus stop, follow the taxi signs, walk one block beyond the taxi lineup, and turn right.

A car is the most convenient way to get around Long Beach. Most areas of Long Beach have free parking but be aware that much of Downtown Long Beach and the shoreline have pay parking lots. Avis, Budget, Enterprise, Hertz and National all have car rentals at the Long Beach airport. Enterprise has several other car rental locations around the city; Avis and Thifty have non-airport locations as well. Major east-west streets (starting from the south) are Ocean Blvd, 2nd Street, Broadway, 4th Street, 7th Street, Anaheim Street, Pacific Coast Highway, Willow Street, Spring Street, Wardlow Road, Carson Street, Del Amo Blvd, South Street and Artesia Blvd Major north-south streets (starting from the west) are Santa Fe Avenue, Pacific Avenue, Long Beach Blvd, Atlantic Avenue, Orange Avenue, Cherry Avenue, Redondo Avenue, Lakewood Blvd, Ximeno Avenue, Bellflower Blvd and Studebaker Road One of the tricker traffic points in Long Beach is the Los Alamitos Traffic Circle, where Pacific Coast Hwy (SR 1), Lakewood Blvd (SR 19) and several other streets meet at a complicated roundabout. The free bright red Passport buses serves the Long Beach downtown and waterfront attractions. The Passport. A free bus, operated by Long Beach Transit, that connects you to downtown Long Beach's finest attractions and destinations, including the iconic Queen Mary, Aquarium of the Pacific, Pine Avenue, City Place Mall, The Pike at Rainbow Harbor, Convention Center, Shoreline Village, many downtown hotels and Long Beach Transit's water taxis, the AquaLink and AquaBus.