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Long Beach Attractions
Aquarium of the Pacific
100 Aquarium Way
Long Beach, CA 90802 USA Phone: (562) 590-3100
Aquarium of the Pacific, off of Shoreline Dr. at 100 Aquarium Way, features 19 major habitats and 31 focus exhibits representing three regions of the Pacific Ocean: Southern California/Baja, Tropical Pacific and Northern Pacific. Sharks, otters, harbor seals, sea lions, Pacific octopus, clown fish and giant Japanese spider crabs are just a few of the more than 500 species that can be seen.
Shark Lagoon, a 10,000 square foot lagoon, offers visitors the opportunity to touch bamboo, nurse, epaulette and zebra sharks in shallow pools. Lorikeet Forest is a 5,200 square foot walk-through aviary, where guests can feed the birds.
Allow 1 hour minimum.
Admission: Aquarium admission $19.95; over 59, $16.95; ages 3-11, $11.95 There is a $2 per ticket charge for advance ticket purchase by telephone. Parking in the adjacent structure is $6 with an aquarium ticket
Attraction Type: Aquariums
Hours: Daily 9-6; closed during the Long Beach Grand Prix (Apr. 7-9 in 2006) and Dec. 25. Guided 1-hour behind-the-scenes tours are given at least twice daily. Boat trips are offered seasonally weather permitting; phone for availability
Credit Cards: AE, DS, MC, VI
Queen Mary
1126 Queens Hwy.
Long Beach, CA 90802 USA Phone: (562) 435-3511
Queen Mary is at 1126 Queens Hwy. and can be reached via Queen's Way Bridge or I-710. The Queen Mary, one of the largest passenger liners ever built, is permanently moored in Long Beach Harbor. A self-guiding tour includes the bridge, officers' quarters, engine rooms, isolation ward and upper decks. Ghosts & Legends of the Queen Mary is an interactive, special-effects exploration of the paranormal.
Of interest is the Immortal Chaplains Interfaith Memorial Sanctuary, dedicated to the four chaplains of the troop transport ship USS Dorchester. The chaplains gave their life jackets to, and thereby their lives for, four passengers when the ship was torpedoed and sunk off the coast of Greenland in 1943. Later in the war, the Queen Mary transported the survivors of the crew of the U-boat that had sunk the Dorchester to a POW camp in the United States.
Admission: General admission, includes Ghosts & Legends and a self-guided tour of the ship, $22.95; over 54 and military with ID $19.95; ages 5-11, $11.95. Parking $10
Attraction Type: Nautical tours; Ships/boats
Hours: Open daily but hours vary; phone for schedule
Credit Cards: AE, DC, DS, MC, VI
Earl Burns Miller Japanese Garden
Long Beach, CA 90840 USA Phone: (562) 985-8885
Earl Burns Miller Japanese Garden is on Earl Warren Dr. on the campus of California State University, Long Beach. This Japanese-style Garden features a koi-filled lake and a path that winds among Japanese black pines, Chinese willows, golden bamboo, irises and camellias, among other foliage. The path also meanders past waterfalls, Buddhist statues, stone lanterns and a pagoda. A tea house and Zen dry garden complete this tranquil, Asian-themed setting.
Admission: Free except during cultural festivals
Attraction Type: Gardens
Hours: Tues.-Fri. 8-3:30, Sun. noon-4
Harbor Breeze Cruises
100 Aquarium Way
Long Beach, CA 90802 USA Phone: (562) 983-6880
Harbor Breeze Cruises depart from 100 Aquarium Way, Dock 2, next to Aquarium of the Pacific. These 45-minute, narrated tours of the harbor also allow passengers an up-close view of the Queen Mary).
Food is available. Allow 1 hour minimum.
Admission: Fare $10; over 64, $8; ages 5-11, $5
Attraction Type: Sightseeing tours-Boats
Hours: Mon.-Fri. 1:30-6:15, Sat.-Sun. and holidays, noon-7, June-Aug.; Sat-Sun and holidays 12:30-6, rest of year. Phone for exact departure times
Credit Cards: AE, MC, VI
Long Beach Museum of Art
2300 E. Ocean Blvd.
Long Beach, CA 90803 USA Phone: (562) 439-2119
Long Beach Museum of Art, 2300 E. Ocean Blvd., is housed in a facility completed in 2000. The permanent collection consists of 5,000 works on paper, sculpture, ceramics and decorative arts pieces; changing exhibitions are presented. Also available are art-making workshops, a historic mansion and carriage house, and expansive galleries and gardens.
Food is available.
Admission: Admission $7, over 61 and students with ID $6, under 12 free; free to all Fri.
Attraction Type: Art Galleries & Museums; Exhibits & Collections-Art; Gardens; Museums
Hours: Tues.-Sun. 11-5; closed holidays. Cafe opens at 8 a.m.
Credit Cards: AE, MC, VI
Rancho Los Alamitos Historic Ranch and Gardens
6400 Bixby Hill Rd.
Long Beach, CA 90815 USA Phone: (562) 431-3541
Rancho Los Alamitos Historic Ranch and Gardens is at 6400 Bixby Hill Rd., next to California State University, Long Beach; enter through residential security gate at jct. E. Anaheim Rd. and Palo Verde Ave. Six agricultural buildings with livestock, an adobe ranch house built around 1800 and four acres of historic gardens comprise this 7.5-acre property.
Allow 1 hour minimum.
Admission: Donations
Attraction Type: Gardens; Historic buildings/houses
Hours: Wed.-Sun. 1-5; closed major holidays. Free guided house and barnyard tours depart every half-hour. Last guided tour 1 hour before closing.
Scorpion Submarine
1126 Queens Hwy.
Long Beach, CA 90802 USA Phone: (562) 435-3511
Scorpion Submarine, docked next to the Queen Mary at 1126 Queens Hwy., is a Cold War-era Soviet submarine. A self-guided tour of the torpedo room, crew's quarters, galley and communications center is available. Comfortable clothing and low-heeled shoes are recommended.
Admission: Admission (included with purchase of a first-class Passage Ticket) $10.95; over 54, military with ID and ages 5-11, $9.95
Attraction Type: Ships/boats
Hours: Open daily but hours vary; phone ahead for schedule
Credit Cards: AE, DC, DS, MC, VI
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