Long Beach Tourist Information and Tourism

(Long Beach, California - CA, USA)

The most southerly beach town resort located within the boundaries of the Los Angeles metropolis, Long Beach dominates the southern coastline and is an important port city. In fact, the city now ranks amongst the busiest of all the container ports on the planet, although it is important not to think of this as solely an industrial city, as it does manage to boast an undeniable enticing tourism scene, helped by its coastal setting.

Downtown Long Beach forms the heart of the action when it comes to tourism, with its revamped Pine Avenue brimming with bustling eateries and nightspots. There are also many attractions based around the waterfront itself, such as the Shoreline Aquatic Park, the Harry Bridges Memorial Park and the RMS Queen Mary - a moored former luxury liner that sailed across the Atlantic Ocean between the 1930s and the 1960s, and now functions as an attraction in its own right.

Getting around this part of Los Angeles is easy, thanks to the plentiful taxis and minibuses that are on hand to shuttle tourists between the principal sights. Downtown LA is connected in just under an hour by the Blue Line buses, which regularly ply this route throughout the day. In Long Beach itself, transport timetables and general tourist information can be obtained at the Long Beach Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, which is to be found on the East Ocean Boulevard and is within comfortable walking distance of the Long Beach Arena, the Rainbow Lagoon Park and countless restaurants, hotels and attractions.

Long Beach Tourist Information and Tourism: Top Sights

Sightseers always flock to the RMS Queen Mary, since there is so much to see onboard this giant historic liner. Famously bigger and even more sumptuously appointed than the infamous RMS Titantic, the Queen Mary has enjoyed its prominent position on the waterfront of Long Beach since 1967 and comprises a hotel, several restaurants and a museum, with frequent guided tours offering an insight into its luxurious past when it was used by royals, important foreign dignitaries and even military troops. And right next-door, the Russian Scorpion Submarine continues the nautical theme.

Another hugely popular waterfront draw card in Long Beach is the Aquarium of the Pacific, which sits just across from the Shoreline Village and the Queen Mary, being separated by the Queensway Bay. The Aquarium of the Pacific is an ideal tourist attraction for families, with its shark lagoon, penguin habitat and tropical coral reef. Families on holiday in Long Beach will also no doubt enjoy spending time strolling along the lengthy Belmont Shore Pier, or visiting the extremely tranquil and beautiful Earl Burns Miller Japanese Garden. Gondola rides on the canals located in the neighborhood of Naples or boat trips to the nearby island of Catalina are also worth considering. More information about Long Beach Tourist Attractions.

Many of the oldest and most important landmarks standing in Long Beach date back to the early to middle part of the 19th century. Particularly photogenic is the Rancho Los Cerritos Historic Site, which was built in the 1840s and sits in the Bixby Knolls neighborhood, where it is now listed as a National Historic Landmark. Guided tours of this adobe house are available Wednesday through Sunday, taking place in the afternoons and imparting information about the thousands of resident artifacts, photographs, maps, books, letters and antiques. Something quite different is the Skinny House, which is a private residence that is recorded as being the thinnest house in the whole of the US. Other significant landmarks include the Rancho Los Cerritos Historic Site, the Walter Pyramid (currently a multi-purpose indoor stadium), and the buildings of both Long Beach City College and the local campus of the California State University. More information about Long Beach Landmarks and Monuments.

Long Beach is called home by more museums than you might initially expect, with many more attractions of this kind spread around 'nearby' downtown Los Angeles, such as the famous Getty Museum and the California Science Center. In the city itself, the Long Beach Museum of Art is not to be missed if you have even just the faintest glimmer of an artistic tendency. Founded in the year 1950, the gallery boasts a collection of some 3,000 contemporary art works, a popular open-air cafe and free admission each Friday. The art theme is continued at the enormous Museum of Latin American Art (MOLAA) on Alamitos Avenue, which stands just a stone's throw away from the somewhat smaller Pacific Island Ethnic Art Museum and its collection of over 1,000 art works from Fiji, Hawaii, Papua New Guinea, New Zealand, Tonga and various tropical islands. If you are particularly enamored by the arts scene in Long Beach, then try to hang around for the second Saturday in the month, when local galleries and stores around the Ocean Boulevard and the East Village Arts District participate in the very popular ArtWalk, with live music and a street fair lining Linden Avenue. More information about Long Beach Museums.

Southern California really is an appealing tourist destination and holiday spot, with its sunny, sandy beaches and seemingly endless choice of day trips. From Long Beach, you can either jump into your rental car or catch a bus to see the nearby attractions lining the Pacific Coast Highway (US-1), which connects the likes of Seal Beach, Huntington Beach and Newport Beach, as well as the Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve. Excursions to San Pedro are also popular, via the Seaside Freeway, with the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium and the Point Fermin Lighthouse being worth a look. Moreno Valley and Riverside are additional destinations that are just about close enough to Long Beach to visit in a single day, although if you only have time for one day out, then it will most probably be the bright lights and excitement of Los Angeles that beckon to you above everything else, whether you choose to photograph the iconic Hollywood sign, watch a game of baseball at the Dodger Stadium, or spend an afternoon strolling around the grounds of the Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens. More information about Long Beach Attractions Nearby.

More Long Beach Information / Fast Facts and Orientation

• Country: USA
• Location: California State (CA) / Los Angeles County / Pacific Coast
• Status: city
• Area: approximately 51 square miles / 133 square kilometers
• Population: approximately 475,000
• Language: American English
• Currency: US Dollar (USD)
• Time zone: GMT - 8 hours Pacific Standard Time (daylight saving time is observed)
• Country dialling code: +1
• Telephone area code: 562
• Average daily Long Beach January temperature: 19°C / 66°F
• Average daily Long Beach July temperature: 28°C / 82°F