Long Beach Beaches
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
18 reviews for Long Beach Beaches
18 reviews in English
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Review from Vanni S.
12/30/2011 3 Check-ins Here
I love Long Beach!
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Review from London B.
Kirkland, WA
1/17/2012
Get your tetanus, hepatitis a, b, and c shots before you even think about dipping even a toenail into this quagmire. Go on a long walk on the pedestrian path, ride your bike or play catch with Fido, but for heaven's sake, please do not try to practice your breast stroke or play a game of Marco Polo in these here murky tides.
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Review from Michelle S.
Long Beach, CA
1/11/2012
i wouldn't go in that water for anything. needles, condoms, etc wash up.
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Review from Kathy W.
11/23/2011 2 Check-ins Here
Not the prettiest beach but it's still a beach. Some people never see a beach. The water has no waves and the sand is pretty dirty. There are a lot of renovations going on right now so the sand commonly has motorized vehicle tracks. On a nice day though you're able to see the Port of Long Beach, Queen Mary, and the horizon. Overall, more a beach just alongside the city. The best is to run or bike alongside the Long Beach beaches on the pedestrian and bike paths.
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Review from Keith and Jennifer D.
Long Beach, CA
8/11/2010
Oh geez.... where do I start?
Look, we came from the very northern coast of California and where the beaches are very clean and beautiful. Growing up in Southern California we went to Newport and Huntington Beach on a regular basis but now that we moved to Long Beach, we will take a pass on the beaches here and keep to HB since it's just a few extra miles south.
We were strolling around belmont shores and decided to go the beach and have lunch and make some sandcastles with our kid. So we head on over and the first thing we notice is all the trash.
For example:
-torn apart shoe
-ripped up t-shirt
-misc. full and tied up hefty bags
-tons of plastic bags
-condom wrappers
-empty car oil bottle
and this was just in the few feet surrounding us... super yuck!!!!
Oh and my favorite part, while building a sandcastle, somebody stole our beach umbrella and ran off with it, while it was being used!
who does that???!!!
Bummer.
We'll take the trip over to HB next time when we want a family outing to the beaches. -
Review from Rob A.
9/14/2010 46 Check-ins Here
Worst beaches in the Southbay. Reason being, it's not natural to hold up the flow of the ocean like this. The breakwater is the reason and it's man-made (back in the WWII days to defend against attack. Well, the side effect is NO WAVES. If you're just looking to send some time in the sand and catch some rays, this is a good location. The beach is very long "hence the name". I just wouldn't recommend swimming. No flow means nasty water.
The boat people will like it though, because the water is calm.Listed in: Get Outside
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Review from Susan L.
9/8/2010 1 Check-in Here
Horrible beach, if you can even call it that. We went there and everything was within a few feet of each other. You walk 5 steps from the parking lot, you're on the sand, 5 more steps, you're in the water. Not much to look at really....
It's true what they say, the worst beach is long beach. -
Review from andrya h.
Long Beach, CA
5/12/2008
Why's everyone hating?
I volunteered for the beach clean up http://www.beachcleanu.../ and discovered a lot of cool things.
1. Long Beach Residents are practicing safe sex seeing as we found a lot of condoms a long the shore..
2. I think it's dark underground heroin problem is gradually getting better, because we only found 2 hypodermic needles.
3. Crack is Wack. And the players must know that because I only found one crack pipe.
4. Cocaine is apparently still one hell of a drug however. We found many "small baggy's" during clean up.
5. And Back to number one, I dont think we have to worry about as many baby daddy's roaming the streets, because we found zero diapers which must mean zero babies.
6. And just when I was starting the get desperate for panties due to avoiding laundry day, there was a pair of undies that were found as well.
Long beach is the shit. And we found dead sting rays to prove it!Listed in: I've been told Im a funny…
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Review from Cidne W.
Long Beach, CA
5/25/2008
Driving down Ocean Blvd. between Cherry and the 2nd street cut-off is scenic. What IS that island out there? I once asked a fireman I dated as we drove by and he told me, but I was so entralled by that first date experience that I forgot what he told me. There is a sidewalk and grassy area and on a nice day there are people with their dogs, or biking or skating or chillin' Beyond that, closer to the water, is the beach and not very many sunbathers as you'd see on more popular beaches. This may be due to the fact that on this particular stretch, there are no concessions stands or food spots and such. Just pretty houses on the other side of Ocean Blvd. All of that is further east in the more developed side of the beach.
Unlike some of the Yelpers, I don't hate the beach...'cause I don't go! Ha! I drive BY the beach. I don't surf, I don't like sea water fucking with my afro or braids and lawd knows I don't need a goddamned tan. I fuckin' can't swim ( I can float :) and I'm too old to even try perpetrate by laying on the beach in a swimsuit that somehow does not hide all of my stretch marks. But driving along that stretch on Ocean Blvd. on a sunny day, the large pretty houses on one side and the beach on the other is crazy pretty to look at. But enjoy it quick....it's about a two minute stretch. I'd like to own one of those pretty houses, but like I said, I'm not a water baby and I'm afraid of tsunamis. Long Beach had one ya know. I think it was in the 30's or something. If pressed, I'll look it up.
They tell me the beach is polluted. Okay, like Forrest Gump, Baby. I'm not trying to play in the water filled with fish doo-doo and human run-off anyways.
I guess I am sort of prissy like that. -
Review from Robin Z.
5/27/2008 1 photo
"Ooh, let's all go down to Long Beach and splash pollution on each other!"
Consistently ranked lowest on the annual beach reports from numerous conservation organizations including Heal the Bay and Surfrider Foundation, Californians or visitors should take the message seriously and bypass Long Beach for the South Bay or our southern beaches. Long Beach city hall is much more interested in making money from the shipping and transportation industries than tourists spending money while visiting these waters. Review the history and you'll find there has never been any serious move by any Long Beach administration to create a more beach-friendly environment even though studies have shown that by altering the defunct breakwater, open-ocean agitation can restore the waters of Long Beach to a healthier status.
If you're a strong, healthy, young person, you may survive several outings in these fetid, toxic waters. But if you have children, are aged, pregnant or have open sores, you'd be smart to avoid Long Beach altogether.
Long Beach shores deserve a 10 on the Total Suck Factor. Two yelp stars for "potential" -
Review from Albert K.
Chicago, IL
3/4/2009
We went to a beach near the parking lot near Ocean Blvd and Shoreline Dr., dunno if it's Alamitos Beach or not... Metered parking 24/7 is insane, but the city's got to make money somehow...
Went on a Sunday morning, and the parking lot was pretty deserted. Nobody was there, besides some runners and walkers, so we ate Clementine tangerines from the lifeguard house and listened to the waves. Absolutely beautiful. It's beaches like this that make me question why I live in bitterly cold Chicago...
Nice path for runners/bikers.Listed in: Los Angeles
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Review from Tiffany C.
Garden Grove, CA
7/28/2009
Wanted to go to the beach due to warm weather.
Decided to change it up a bit and try a different beach...thought "hmm, what about one in Long Beach?"
Epic fail.
The beaches along Ocean Blvd. are riddled with trash and debris...and smells bad. I don't know how people can see all that trash and little bits of styrofoam and still want to lay down in the sand...and even think about going in the water!
Gross! -
Review from Christine R.
San Diego, CA
10/7/2008
(Shudder).
Shortly after I moved there, I saw on the news that a dead body washed up on the shore near Belmont Pier. And that's supposed to be the NICE Long Beach beach.
(Shudder, cringe, shudder). -
Review from Chip A.
Long Beach, CA
4/16/2008
review, who needs a fuckin review. We all know we don't live in long beach for the beach...its cheaper than HB, LB, MB,.....and still on that water.
Long Beach's new Beach slogan "Come for the Beach, Stay for the Needles" -
Review from Holly T.
6/11/2007 18 photos
First of all, if you're a visitor to our fair city, and you'd like a real beach experience, I'd suggest that it's well worth the extra few minutes to drive south to the next beach down, Seal Beach. Basically the further south you go, the better the beaches will get. But if that's not an option, let me attempt to give you a rundown of the Long Beach beaches, based on my *opinions* as a lifelong Long Beach resident.
The positives first. I WOULD (maybe) come here for:
1) The Shoreline bike path (http://www.yelp.com/bi...), which I like so much I reviewed separately. I love seeing all the people on the bike path, and I use it on an almost daily basis.
2) the dog beach (http://www.yelp.com/bi...) - I guess. I don't have a dog, but dog owners seem to like it.
3) flying kites and playing beach volleyball on the Belmont Shore/peninsula side of the beach
4) monthly beach cleanups - see http://www.beachcleanu.../ for more info. I've been doing this off and on for years and it's fun and rewarding.
5) kayaking (http://www.yelp.com/bi...), boating, sailing, etc.
6) Gondola Getaway (http://www.yelp.com/bi...) - not really part of the beach but I'm fishing for positives.
7) 4th of July fireworks - if you've got nothing better to do, everyone comes down to the beach - though last year it was weak compared to years past.
The negatives. I WOULD NOT recommend coming here for:
1) surfing. Impossible. There are no waves, due to the breakwater. See http://www.surfrider.o... for more info.
2) swimming - the water is friggin disgusting. The Heal the Bay annual report for 2006-07 just found Long Beach the most polluted beach in California (see http://www.healthebay....). What with the LA River and San Gabriel River both dumping out here, historic DDT dumping up the coast, and the breakwater to keep everything trapped in a cesspool, it's no wonder.
3) fishing - OK, lots of people fish here, so maybe they're not all wrong, but it still seems awfully risky to me due to the sketchy water quality. Check http://www.longbeach.g... for current water quality, and beware of red tide.
4) playing in the sand, unless you want your kids to find a used condom in their sand castle. There aren't really a lot of seashells or anything like that, compared to other beaches that have actual tidepools and marine life.
5) cooking - no fires allowed. However, some people do bring their own BBQs to the grassy parts.
6) ocean views - well, *I* think the ocean view here is OK, since I'm used to it, but to others offshore oil drilling disguised as palm tree clad islands, a major port, and lack of waves may not be so attractive, especially when compared to the views offered at other beaches.
7) the pier - Belmont Pier is primarily a fishing pier and I don't find it all that pedestrian friendly. Again, head up or down the coast for better piers.
I learned while writing this review that there are actually many smaller beaches that make up the Long Beach beaches. Unfortunately I don't have space to go into details of each, but here's a brief rundown of some of them:
Alamitos Beach - from Alamitos Ave to 15th Pl - and Junipero Beach, from 15th Pl to 39th Pl (the pier). Probably what most people think of when they think of the Long Beach beach, and probably also the least attractive. I think the best part of this section is the bike path.
Belmont Shore Beach, from 39th Pl to 54th Pl and Peninsula Beach, from 54th Pl to 72nd Pl - I think this is the nicest section of the beach. It's east of the pier, quieter, cleaner, has the dog beach, volleyball courts, and has the charming plank boardwalk on the peninsula.
Bayshore Beach - this runs along the interior of the peninsula and has a great view of Alamitos Bay and the islands of Naples. Since it's on they bay side and not the ocean side it's even quieter and is very pleasant, though it does get crowded at times.
Mother's Beach (real name - Marine Park), at Appian Way & 2nd St. It has sectioned off shallow water for little kids. Even as a kid I hated this beach because it was so crowded and had no waves. To each his own.
Colorado Lagoon (http://www.yelp.com/bi...)
In short, there are good parts of the Long Beach beaches if you know where to go. But compared to any other beach in the area, they really fall short, which is a shame. I'm a little torn, because often I really enjoy myself walking on the beach, and I like the diversity of people and how it's not so plastic as LA or OC beaches. But last week there were a few days of nasty red tide, and it was so gross looking out on the brown water. If you do go, stay out of the water! I think the creature from the movie THE HOST is in there somewhere... -
Review from CHARLY B.
West Covina, CA
3/22/2010
needed a new place to kayak so i decided to kayak in long beach and man was it super dirty. I was fishing of my kayak and all i saw around me was trash trash trash. After half an hour i pack up and left never again will i kayak in long beach.
Listed in: good fishing hot spots
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Review from Richard N.
Long Beach, CA
6/1/2009
I live and grew up near the shore in Long Beach. I am sad to admit that we have the worst beach around. Polluted water, filthy sand, and rank air sums up our whole beach experience. Most locals go to Huntington Beach to catch rays and waves.
It's a shame that my fellow residents fail to realize that Long Beach was and could again be an amazing BEACH city with great summer surfing and amazing tourism. No Pepe, Long Beach wasn't always flat, dirty, and soulless. "The Mang" built a great wall to keep the enemies out. Unfortunately, it keeps Mamasita Nature out too.
Good: a really good and long paved bike path that takes you from Downtown to Belmont Shore.
Bad: syringe-laden sand, beach-goers pack gats instead of boards. -
Review from RuthAnn G.
Mountain View, CA
5/17/2008
i'm not here for the surf, just the sand so i can lay out and get the brown my white-ass legs should have (i'm mexican for god's sake, with a natural brown lovliness and the whitest legs imagineable!) this beach is dirty, but it's my neighborhood beach i've never been ashamed of laying out, riding my bike, or bringing my chompis to any of the beaches of long beach. and because of this, i WILL volunteer for the next beach clean up! shit...
