Shopping in Long Beach

With more than 11 miles of sandy shorelines and sparkling bays, Long Beach is the perfect place to enjoy time both in and on the water. From standup paddleboards to sailboats, harbor cruises to romantic gondola rides, Long Beach offers waterfront activities for everyone.

Family-friendly beaches

Thanks to a protective breakwater built by the U.S. Navy during World War II, Long Beach’s sandy shores are a great choice for families. Protected from major waves and without riptides, shorelines like Alamitos Beach, Marine Park (aka Mother’s Beach), and Belmont Shore Beach provide plenty of space for sunbathing or sand castle building and calm waters for families with small children to enjoy the beach without the worry of wipe-out.

Water sports and tours

Always wanted to learn how to kitesurf? That same breakwater that makes the shoreline safe for little ones also makes Long Beach’s Belmont Shores one of the best places for beginners to learn the sport. Try out a 90-minute Discovery lesson with SoCal Kitesurfing or jump into a three-hour group lesson with Captain Kirks. Visitors can also rent standup paddleboards, kayaks, Aqua bikes, Duffy electric boats, and other watercraft in Rainbow Marina.

If being on the water is more your vacationing style, a guided 45-minute harbor tour from Harbor Breeze Cruises will help you get your bearings in town and learn about the history and marine life of the Long Beach waterfront. Or choose one of their three-hour whale-watching tours. Look for gray whales December through April, the mighty blue whales June through October, and an endless supply of dolphins, sea lions, and other marine life all year. Make reservations online for the best deal. Looking for something even grander? Charter a sailboat through the Harbor Yacht Club or Pacific Sailing for a day or overnight trip to Catalina Island.

Also along the waterfront, sign up for the annual Aquarium of the Pacific 5K in October to run (or walk) past Rainbow Harbor and Queensway Bridge on a flat, scenic course. Bonus: All participants get a $5 voucher for admission to the aquarium.

Romantic getaway

For a little romance on your visit, take a Venetian gondola ride with Gondola Getaway. The one-hour gondola rides take groups of two to six passengers through the canals of Naples with views of million-dollar homes, luxurious yachts, and bridges arching over the canals. Pack your own appetizers and wine to enjoy on the boat (they’ll provide glasses and an ice bucket!) or book a Brunch or Pizza Cruise. Larger groups in town for weddings and other events can hire multiple boats at once or the larger “Carolina” that holds up to 15 people. If you’re lucky, you might even get serenaded by your gondolier.

Get around town

The Long Beach waterways are also a great way to get around the city without getting in your car. From Rainbow Harbor, visitors can hop on the Aquabus, a 49-passenger boat that travels between Rainbow Harbor, the Queen Mary, Hotel Maya, and the Catalina Landing, or the AquaLink, a 79-passenger high-speed catamaran that travels between Rainbow Harbor, the Queen Mary, Vet’s Pier, and Alamitos Bay.

Pay homage to the rich heritage of trans-Atlantic travel with a visit to the Queen Mary, a luxurious passenger ship that made the Titanic seem like a bathtub toy. At 1,019 feet long and 81,000 tons (310 meters and 73,500 metric tons), the Queen Mary was one of the largest and most elegant ships of the early 20th century. The ocean liner made 1,001 crossings between New York and England beginning in 1936. Now permanently stationed in Long Beach, the Queen Mary is not just a floating museum—the ship also offers top-notch dining, dazzling city skyline views, overnight accommodations in original first-class staterooms, and a full calendar of performances and events.

You can explore some parts of the iconic vessel on your own, but guided tours offer a more in-depth experience. The Glory Days tour delves into the ship’s construction and her time in military service during World War II. The Haunted Encounters tour reveals why the Queen Mary made Time magazine’s “Top 10 Most Haunted Places in America” list.

While onboard, be sure to enjoy a meal in one of the Queen Mary’s three award-winning restaurants. Sip a chic cocktail while you savor the sunset view from the Observation Bar (formerly the ship’s first-class lounge) or spoon up a bowl of chowder at the Chelsea Chowder House & Bar. For a luxurious evening, enjoy five-star dining, unmatched service, and an extensive wine list at Sir Winston’s Restaurant & Lounge. At the Royal Sunday Brunch, champagne flows freely and banquet tables overflow with 50 unique dishes from around the globe. This weekly feast has been featured on the Travel Channel and lauded in Condé Nast Traveler.

For a uniquely nautical experience, spend the night aboard the Queen Mary in one of the ship’s 346 original staterooms and suites. Choose a stateroom on one of the three decks (all above sea level). No two rooms are alike, but many have Art Deco–style built-in cabinets, original wood paneling, and artwork.

Throughout the year, the Queen Mary’ssocial calendar overflows with performances and events, from comedy nights to wine-tasting dinners to local live music performances. One of the biggest annual parties is the ScotsFestival and International Highland Games held in February, which celebrates the big boat’s heritage—it was built in Clydebank, Scotland—with traditional Highland dancing, piping, drumming, Celtic harp concerts, and even falconry and sheepherding demonstrations.