Long Beach Area Guide: Things to Do, Coffee and Food

Long Beach sits on San Pedro Bay at the southern edge of Los Angeles County, where an offshore breakwater keeps the surf small along a long run of city beaches. It is home to one of the country's busiest container ports, the Queen Mary ocean liner (docked here since 1967) and a downtown of high-rises and 1920s landmarks along Ocean Boulevard. Beyond downtown, the Naples canals on Alamitos Bay, the shopping streets of Belmont Shore, Retro Row and Bixby Knolls, and Craftsman bungalows and Spanish Revival houses in the older neighborhoods fill out the city.

Getting around

The Metro A Line runs along Long Beach Boulevard with stations at Wardlow, Willow Street, Pacific Coast Highway and Anaheim Street before a downtown loop (5th Street, 1st Street, Downtown Long Beach and Pacific Avenue), and continues north to downtown Los Angeles; Long Beach Transit buses cover the rest of the city. The I-405, I-710 and I-605 freeways and Pacific Coast Highway serve the city, and a paved beach path runs along the shore from downtown toward Belmont Shore.

Neighborhoods to know

• Downtown and the East Village Arts District. Pine Avenue and The Promenade hold restaurants and bars, Ocean Boulevard mixes high-rises with older landmarks such as the historic Breakers building, and the East Village blocks have galleries and murals.

• Belmont Shore. Second Street is a long strip of shops, restaurants and bars a few blocks from the sand, and it closes each December for the Belmont Shore Christmas Parade.

• Naples. Three small islands in Alamitos Bay laid out in the early 1900s, with canals, footbridges, waterfront homes and gondola tours of the waterways.

• Retro Row and Bluff Heights. Fourth Street's Retro Row has vintage clothing and furniture shops, cafes and restaurants, and the nearby bluff along Ocean Boulevard holds Bluff Park and the Long Beach Museum of Art.

• Bixby Knolls. Atlantic Avenue has shops and restaurants, Long Beach Boulevard has the SteelCraft outdoor food hall, and the historic Rancho Los Cerritos adobe sits nearby.

Things to do in Long Beach

• Aquarium of the Pacific, 100 Aquarium Way. Aquarium on Rainbow Harbor with galleries on Southern California, the Northern Pacific and the Tropical Pacific, plus Shark Lagoon, a penguin habitat, a lorikeet aviary and the Pacific Visions wing. Reservations are required on weekends and holidays.

• Queen Mary, 1126 Queens Hwy. The 1936 ocean liner, permanently docked in Long Beach, offers guided tours, exhibits, restaurants and hotel rooms in Art Deco staterooms. A 90th anniversary exhibit, including a medallion from the maiden voyage, is on board during 2026.

• Museum of Latin American Art (MOLAA), 628 Alamitos Ave. Museum of modern and contemporary Latin American and Latino art with changing exhibitions and a permanent collection. Open Wednesday to Sunday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

• Long Beach Museum of Art, 2300 E. Ocean Blvd. Art museum in a historic building overlooking the ocean, with changing exhibitions, the Claire's restaurant on its grounds and a second gallery downtown at 356 E. 3rd St.

• Rancho Los Alamitos, 6400 E. Bixby Hill Road. Historic ranch with an adobe ranch house, barns, livestock and about four acres of historic gardens. Admission to the house and gardens is free, Wednesday to Sunday, 1 to 5 p.m.; the entrance is past the Bixby Hill guard gate.

• Rancho Los Cerritos, 4600 Virginia Road. Historic adobe home and gardens run as a living history museum, with free admission during public hours (Wednesday to Sunday), docent tours and a California native garden.

• Earl Burns Miller Japanese Garden, Cal State Long Beach campus, 1250 Bellflower Blvd. Japanese garden at Cal State Long Beach, dedicated in 1981, with koi ponds, a Zen garden and seasonal programs. Free reservations are required, and it is closed Mondays and Tuesdays.

• Shoreline Village, Shoreline Village Drive, downtown waterfront. Harbor-front shops and restaurants with a carousel, an arcade, bike rentals for the beach path, sailing and harbor cruises, and views across the water to the Queen Mary.

Events and markets

• Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. When: A Friday to Sunday weekend in mid-April (the official site lists April 16 to 18, 2027) Where: Downtown street circuit, 300 E. Ocean Blvd. IndyCar and IMSA races, Formula Drift and other series on downtown streets, plus a free lifestyle expo and concerts.

• Long Beach Marathon. When: An early to mid-October weekend (the official site lists October 2 to 3, 2027) Where: Downtown waterfront and beachfront courses. Marathon, half marathon and an Aquarium of the Pacific 5K on closed roads along the waterfront and beach.

• Queen Mary's Dark Harbor. When: Select nights from mid-September through Halloween. Where: Queen Mary, 1126 Queens Hwy. Halloween event on and around the ship with haunted mazes, live entertainment, themed bars, rides and food.

• Belmont Shore Christmas Parade. When: The first Saturday in December, 6 to 9 p.m. Where: East 2nd Street, from Quincy Avenue east to Bayshore Avenue. Evening holiday parade down Second Street; the street closes to traffic at 4 p.m. so spectators can set up chairs.

• DTLB Art + Design Walk. When: Quarterly, on Saturdays. Where: Galleries, studios, storefronts and public spaces in downtown Long Beach. A downtown art walk with murals, installations, group shows, pop-up galleries, live music and workshops.

Coffee in Long Beach

• Recreational Coffee, 237 Long Beach Blvd. Downtown cafe serving espresso drinks, pour-over, seasonal lattes and matcha, and selling beans it roasts.

• Rose Park Roasters, 3044 E. 4th St. Local roaster focused on light-roast, single-origin coffee. The 4th Street shop was its first; it also runs cafes at 800 Pine Ave. and 455 E. Ocean Blvd.

• Alder & Sage, 366 Cherry Ave. Cafe pouring coffee from local roasters with breakfast, lunch, beer and wine, a patio with fire pits and live jazz on Thursday evenings.

• Steelhead Coffee at SteelCraft, 3768 Long Beach Blvd. Local coffee bar inside SteelCraft, an outdoor food hall that also has pizza, tacos, burgers, an island-style grill, juice and a beer and wine bar.

• Caffe Luxxe, 6420 E. Pacific Coast Hwy. Long Beach cafe of the small-batch roaster that started on Montana Avenue in Santa Monica, serving espresso drinks and drip coffee.

Places to eat

• Gusto Bread, 2710 E. 4th St. ($). Mexican bakery (panaderia) baking naturally leavened breads, pan dulce and pastries with house-made masa and stone-milled flour, plus specialty coffee and aguas frescas. Open Wednesday to Sunday, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.

• Ammatoli, 285 E. 3rd St. ($$). Chef Dima Habibeh's restaurant serving Levantine (eastern Mediterranean) dishes at brunch, lunch and dinner.

• Lola's Mexican Cuisine, 2030 E. 4th St. ($$). Contemporary Mexican restaurant on Retro Row, with a second location at 4140 Atlantic Ave. in Bixby Knolls.

• Claire's at the Museum, 2300 E. Ocean Blvd. ($$). Breakfast and lunch on the Long Beach Museum of Art's oceanfront patio, with views toward the Queen Mary and Catalina Island. Open Thursday to Sunday; free parking in the museum lot.

• The Ordinarie, 210 The Promenade North ($$). Cocktail bar and restaurant on The Promenade serving comfort food at lunch, dinner and late night, with live music and seasonal pop-ups.

• Roe Seafood, 5374 E. 2nd St. ($$). Belmont Shore seafood restaurant with patios and cocktails, plus a fast-casual fish market next door selling fresh seafood. Closed Tuesdays.

• Parker's Lighthouse, 435 Shoreline Village Dr. ($$$). Mesquite-grilled seafood with harbor views at Shoreline Village, with the Queensview Steakhouse on the third floor.

• Boathouse on the Bay, 190 N. Marina Dr. ($$$). Waterfront restaurant on Alamitos Bay serving steaks, seafood and sushi, with weekend breakfast and a Tuesday to Friday happy hour.

Hours, prices and event details checked October 2026.

Long Beach questions

When is the Grand Prix of Long Beach?

It runs over a Friday to Sunday weekend in April on a street circuit in downtown Long Beach, with IndyCar and IMSA sports car races, Formula Drift and a free lifestyle expo. The official site lists April 16 to 18, 2027 as the next race weekend.

Can you go aboard the Queen Mary?

Yes. The 1936 ocean liner, permanently docked at 1126 Queens Highway, offers guided tours, exhibits, restaurants and overnight stays in its staterooms. 2026 marks 90 years since its maiden voyage, with an anniversary exhibit on board.

Do you need a reservation for the Japanese Garden at Cal State Long Beach?

Yes. Reservations for the Earl Burns Miller Japanese Garden are free and required, one reservation covers up to six people, and the garden is closed Mondays and Tuesdays. Hours vary by month, and campus parking is not validated.

Escrow notes for Long Beach

Transfer tax. County tax only: $1.10 per $1,000 of value ($0.55 per $500) under the Los Angeles County documentary transfer tax. Long Beach has no additional city transfer tax; the county recorder's list of cities with their own rates includes only Culver City, Los Angeles, Pomona, Redondo Beach and Santa Monica. Source: official page.

Our transfer tax calculator runs the county and city tax for any Los Angeles County price, and the free 2026-27 LA Transfer Tax and Measure ULA Cheat Sheet has every city rate on one page.

Buying or selling in Long Beach? Send Iris the fully executed contract at iris@calwestescrow.com or call (323) 300-6122.

About this guide. Cal West Escrow wrote this guide to share general local information. No business paid to be included, and we do not accept free goods or services for mentions. A mention is not an endorsement, and hours, prices and events change, so check with each business before you go. Business names and trademarks belong to their owners. Transfer tax and other escrow notes are general information as of October 2026, not legal or tax advice. Cal West Escrow is committed to fair housing: this guide describes places, not people, and is not meant to suggest who should live anywhere.