Aquarium of the Pacific. Southern California's largest aquarium houses more than 11,000 animals across 500 species, from giant Pacific octopus and sea otters to sharks and sea turtles. Interactive galleries and daily shark and reef shows make it an anchor experience for any Long Beach visit.
RMS Queen Mary. The legendary 1930s Cunard ocean liner is permanently moored on the Long Beach waterfront and recently reopened after extensive restoration, offering self-guided audio tours, WWII history tours, and ghostly Haunted Encounters experiences aboard the ship. First Class Admission includes access to the adjacent Soviet…
Whale Watching from Rainbow Harbor. Long Beach is one of the best whale-watching hubs on the West Coast year-round: gray whales migrate December through April, massive blue whales appear May through November, and humpbacks, fin whales, and orcas make seasonal appearances. Harbor Breeze Cruises departs daily from Dock 2, right beside the Aquarium, with…
Naples Island Gondola Rides. Long Beach's Naples neighborhood was designed in the early 1900s as an Italian-inspired canal village, and Gondola Getaway — the largest gondola fleet in America, operating since 1982 — offers authentic 50-minute cruises through the canals with singing gondoliers. Bring your own wine and cheese for a genuinely…
Retro Row — 4th Street. A three-block stretch between Cherry and Junipero Avenues packed with 40-plus independent vintage shops, antique dealers, record stores, and eclectic restaurants. The restored 1920s Art Theatre hosts first-run art films, live concerts, and comedy; the entire corridor is designated bike-friendly.
East Village Arts District. Downtown Long Beach's creative quarter, centered between Long Beach Boulevard and Alamitos Avenue, mixes street murals, independent galleries, live music venues, and film-location-worthy Art Deco streetscapes — 'La La Land' and 'Jane the Virgin' were both shot here. The monthly Second Saturday art walk is a lively…
Long Beach Museum of Art. Set in a 1912 clifftop estate on Ocean Boulevard above Bluff Park, LBMA's galleries survey California Modernism and contemporary California art against sweeping Pacific Ocean and Catalina Island views. The attached Claire's café is a beloved weekend brunch destination in its own right.
Museum of Latin American Art (MOLAA). The only museum in the United States dedicated exclusively to modern and contemporary Latin American and Latinx art, MOLAA occupies a contemporary building designed by Mexican architect Manuel Rosen and includes four galleries, a project space, and a lush outdoor sculpture garden.