What are some fun and exciting things to do in Long Beach?|111649

Just moved here from the Bay Area, with my 10 month old, and fiance. I go to the beach every week and It is starting to get old.

On the back side of Palos Verdes, are smaller beaches, that are just spectacular, and theres a park up on the backside too witha view to die for! The park is called Friendship Park, the beach is down the road from that, u will make a quick left and down the hill at Shoreline I think. Its within a few miles on the beach side.
Long Beach and fun........with a child so young, beaches, parks, long walks, you can try to find a mommy and me class at a local community center near you maybe?
You can walk near the Queen Mary......um, you know, its all about walking a location with a child that long......not much else that you can do!!
Ok you are new to the area, here are some not that close fun things ok.
Visit Redondo Pier, Hermosa Pier, and Santa Monica Pier, Venice Beach, near the Santa Monica Pier is the fun shopping area of the 3rd Street Prominade, all of these are great locations to walk around. If you have a bike, or you want to rent, you can bike down on the road along the shore for miles! Its called the strand.
The other direction, down PCH, go to Belmont Shores area, theres a great long stretch of great shops and restaurants there. Investigate Seal Beach and the surrounding areas. Venture more south to Huntington Beach, Newport, and wow yourself with Laguna Beach too!
Next year go to Raging Waters water Park, or the one next to Knotts Berry Farm if its still open, they are so much fun for you and baby!!
Down in Newport Harbor, theres a short car on ferry boat ride, park and take the ferris wheel for a spin too, and cheap harbour cruises, a few dollars and relax with baby and see the homes and seals there.
You will enjoy the Griffith Park Observatory, baby wont have much to do, but there is a park, Griffith park for the late day then head to the Observatory at dusk. I know none of these are close, use google maps for directions, but I lived in OC most of my life, and these are all the fun places I loved very much, and now miss now that I dont live in CA anymore.
In Long Beach, go eat at Roscoes Chicken and Waffles for a fun meal!
I never did the Aquarium....heard its nice though.
As baby gets older, explore the librarys all over, the newer the better, many have programs for small ones like story hour, and cozy areas for moms to read to their children. Ive not been to one in LB, but in Huntington the main library is very nice!
Stay safe and enjoy.

In addition to the other suggestions.

Walking along Belmont Shore with the stroller and window shopping is a popular activity.
During Christmas there is a decorated boat parade thru BS and the canals of Naples.Throughout the year there are many contests and parades for dogs. Walking along the Naples canals at Christmas is fun. Quite a few of the homes really go out of the way to put on beautiful displays. I_m not even Christian and I think it_s pretty. You can ride thru the canals on a gondola.
Every summer there are Moonlight Movies on the beach, it_s part of the Sea Festival. There are also several free plays and concerts in the parks.
On October 3rd, the Port of Long Beach opens up its gates and lets the public tour the place. They have free boat and train tours which are actually really, really cool. You can also get good pics of the city from off shore.
The Alamitos Bay Farmers market on Sunday is a good place to get fresh produce.
Justin Rudd runs the Community Action Team for Long Beach and if you get on his mailing list he will keep you up to date on family fun things to do in LBC.
Go to Hilltop Park in Signal Hill to get a panoramic view of LBC and the Southbay. On a VERY clear day you can see the Hollywood sign and Griffith Observatory.
Nearby Seal Beach is the closest place to go for a clean beach. Their Main Street is lined with unique shops, bars and restaurants. It_s the closest thing to a cute beach community you will find. The Kite Festival is on October 4th and is very popular.

Museum of Latin American Art - Free on Sunday!

Today: 1:00 �C 3:00pm Art Workshop: Papel Picado
Tunnel Books. Explore light and depth in this workshop based on the piece. El Rey, in MOLAA��s permanent collection, by Manuel Ameztoy.They do different ones each Sunday.

2:00 �C 3:00pm Docent tours

http://www.molaa.org/

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Long Beach Museum of Art - free on Fridays

http://www.lbma.org/


Rancho Los Alamitos

http://www.rancholosalamitos.com/


Japanese Garden - feed the koi!

http://www.csulb.edu/~jgarden/

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Check out these reviews for this farmers market

http://www.yelp.com/biz/long-beach-south��


http://www.goodveg.org/LBSE.html


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http://longbeachfamily.blogspot.com/



http://thedistrictweekly.com/



http://www.visitlongbeach.com/
- also good for people new to the city

There are literally hundreds of things to do here in LA. Here is my list of ��must sees��. Visit as many as you have time for.:

Disneyland: The Happiest Place on Earth. Half a billion visitors can��t be wrong. #1 Destination.
Universal Studios: A theme park that grew out of a studio tour. #2 Destination.
Even if you don��t visit Disneyland or Universal Studios Tour, Downtown Disney District and Universal City Walk are very fun places to visit for shopping and eating. And they��re free to visit.

Hollywood: Enjoy the Walk of Fame, Entertainment Museum, Chinese Theatre and more. You can see a lot for free. The Hollywood _ Highland complex has lots of shops and restaurants, and the Kodak Theater. The El Capitan theater, right across the street, is where Disney shows their movies. And the Hollywood Bowl is a GREAT place to listen to concerts outdoors.

Olvera Street/Union Station: Olvera Street is the birthplace of LA, and it emphasizes our Mexican heritage. In addition to the Avila Adobe (oldest building in LA), you can eat at some pretty good Mexican Restaurants, do a little shopping, and taste a churro. If you don��t want to go to Tijuana, this is as close as it gets without going there. Union Station has great architecture from a bygone age. Also, you are 2 blocks from Phillippe��s (see below).

Rodeo Drive, 90210: Packed with exclusive shops, full of gawkers. They all came to enjoy the excess. Free, unless you intend to buy something.

Venice Beach: Los Angeles kitsch and over-the-top culture at its best. Here you_ll find Muscle Beach, street performers and tacky shops galore. Fun, VERY interesting, but I avoid it after dark, when it gets a little TOO interesting for my taste.

Santa Monica: Beach and Pier: Great beach scene and a classic seaside amusement park, complete with antique carousel that has been in a lot of TV and movies. After visiting the pier, you can ride a bike south a couple miles to Venice Beach.

Sunset Boulevard began as a route between the stars_ posh neighborhoods and the Hollywood studios. It runs from downtown to the ocean, passing through the _Sunset Strip_ on its way.

Farmers Market and The Grove - A new shopping complex right next to a Los Angeles landmark, It is right next to CBS, so walk across the lot to see if they are taping _The Price is Right_. You might even get in.

Griffith Park - Home of the Los Angeles Zoo, Griffith Park Observatory, Travel Town, the Greek Theatre, and Gene Autry Museum of Western Heritage.

Getty Museum - The Getty_s architecture is so beautiful that it keeps me fascinated. No matter whether you like their art, architecture, or view better, the Getty is sure to please. Free.

Attend a TV taping - You can get free tickets at audiencesunlimited.com, tvtix.com, or see the booth at Universal City walk. It_s very interesting to see a show being taped. The most popular, by far, is the Tonight show. Check the NBC web site for all the details there.

Places to eat:
In-N-Out Burger: Multiple locations, best burger in LA, ask anyone.
Pink��s Hot Dogs: 709 N. La Brea, just north of Melrose. You might even see a celebrity. Maybe.
Tommy��s Chili Burgers: Look for the shack, an LA tradition. The original location is at Beverly _ Rampart, a couple miles west of downtown.
Canter��s Deli: 419 N. Fairfax, between Beverly _ Melrose. Near CBS, you might spot a celebrity.
Phillippe��s: 1001 N. Alameda. Great roast beef sandwiches. Near Union Station and Olvera Street. Watch the mustard, it��s hot.
Tito��s Taco��s: Voted best tacos in LA, even though it��s in Culver City.
The Pantry: Corner of Figueroa and 9th, downtown. Huge portions, they never close, GREAT steak and eggs.


Places to Shop:
Third Street Promenade, Santa Monica
The Grove, Los Angeles
Americana @ Brand, Glendale
Beverly Center, Los Angeles
Citadel Outlets, Commerce
Brea Mall, Brea
The Block at Orange, Orange
South Coast Plaza, Costa Mesa
Fashion Island, Newport Beach
Santee Alley, Los Angeles

the aquarium!! i_m going to volunteer there soon ^.^ after i finish taking the required classes -.-;; it_s worth it anyways. disneyland, i think it_s still free for kids under 2 years old...not sure. my parents said i was free until the age of 3.
long beach_s beach is dirty _._ i came out of the water and there was black spots on me :_[ other than that, i think it_s a nice place(well the nice side).