Long Beach, California: A Year-Round Family Destination

A little girl watches intently as a diver chats with her and other guests while feeding fish at the Aquarium of the Pacific, Long Beach, California. Photo by Pat Woods
When wicked winds whip through cold climates, Southern California basks in warm sunshine. With 345 sunny days each year, Long Beach offers a delightful break from grey skies and snow.
This pretty ocean side city in the shadow of Los Angeles is a great pre-cruise, post-cruise or anytime destination. My husband Rob and I spent two delightful days exploring Long Beach prior to a Coastal California Princess cruise embarking at the San Pedro pier in Los Angeles.
During our spring visit brilliant purple Jacaranda trees dotted the city. Trees, greenery and colorful blooming flowers were everywhere. After checking in at Hyatt the Pike Hotel, we did a walking tour.
The $1 billion Long Beach pumped into its waterfront has transformed it to a delightful daytime playground and nighttime entertainment center. The Pike area, once a 1920s-era amusement park, today is comprised of the Aquarium of the Pacific, Rainbow Harbor, several hotels, a bevy of eateries and unique shops.
When our feet were tired, we rode a free red Passport bus from the Aquarium of the Pacific past trendy waterfront areas, through the downtown, past the mass transit center and out to the Queen Mary ship attraction.
The bus stopped at Shoreline Village, a pretty waterfront area with a colorful array of architecture reminiscent of an early California fishing village. Eclectic shops feature gifts, collectibles and gourmet chocolates. Visitors enjoy the warm Pacific weather while strolling the boardwalk overlooking Rainbow Harbor, the downtown marina and the Queen Mary.
The free Passport buses have served conventioneers, tourists as well as locals and those with handicaps for 12 years. Drivers are friendly, considerate and compassionate.
After a delicious dinner at Bubba Gump Shrimp Company, we walked back to the hotel over an attractive pedestrian bridge. A relaxing swim in the Hyatt the Pike’s heated rooftop pool was a fitting end to a beautiful day.

An accessible pedestrian bridge with an elevator at each end connects downtown Long Beach buildings. Photo by Pat Woods
The next morning we did a self-guided tour of the Aquarium of the Pacific where school groups interacted with volunteers at the tidal pools and touch tanks. A highlight was three divers feeding fish in giant glass-fronted tanks. The popular penguin exhibit and an outdoor lorikeet (colorful miniature parrots) feeding station captivate all ages. More than 11,000 inhabitants of the Pacific Ocean call the aquarium home (www.aquariumofpacific.org).
We lunched at Parkers’ Lighthouse Restaurant which is surrounded by stellar 360-degree views of the lighthouse, marina, yacht basin, downtown buildings and seaport.
One of Long Beach’s most recognized attractions is the Queen Mary. Launched in 1936, she was considered the grandest ocean liner ever built. When WW2 began, the Queen quickly transformed into a troop ship. Known as the Grey Ghost, she carried 800,000 troops by the war’s end.
Retired from active service in 1967, the Queen Mary was purchased by the City of Long Beach as a floating hotel/restaurant and conference center. Visitors can hear fascinating stories on the guided tours: Behind the Scenes, World War II, Ghosts & Legends—or do a self-guided Scorpion submarine tour (www.queenmary.com).
To celebrate our anniversary, we took an evening sunset cruise through the scenic canals of Naples Island, an affluent neighborhood known for its multimillion dollar waterfront homes. Gondola Getaway features authentic Venetian gondolas rowed by costumed gondoliers.
Along with singing “Arrivederci Roma” under a bridge, our gondolier Erick pointed out the watercraft belonging to the homeowners. He said the Christmas season is magical with all the colored lights and festivities (www.gondo.com).
After sundown in Long Beach, LED lights turn on. The sprawling convention center is surrounded by 125 restaurants within an eight-block radius. Nightclubs, live music and artisanal bars line the city’s downtown, up and down Pine Avenue, the Promenade and Broadway.
Shutter bugs will find fantastic photo ops of the Long Beach skyline, the majestic Queen Mary and seal-covered buoys on a narrated 45- or 90-minute harbor cruise with Harbor Breeze Cruises. Board the boat in Rainbow Harbor. Three-hour whale watching tours are available during the whale migration season (www.2seewhales.com).
Art aficionados can explore two floors of galleries at the Long Beach Museum of Art on a scheduled tour www.lbma.org). A great beginning to a sunny Long Beach day is the Earl Burns Miller Japanese Gardens with a tour of the waterfalls, tea house, Zen Garden and Koi pond (www.csulb.edu/~jgarden).
Long Beach’s mild year-round climate is conducive to events and festivals. More than 200,000 racing fans flock here each year to witness the nation’s biggest race through city streets, the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach
.
In addition to being a busy container shipping port, Long Beach also is a cruise ship port. The Carnival Imagination and Carnival Inspiration are home ported here and do short cruises to Mexico. Carnival Miracle also sails seasonally to Mexico, Hawaii, Tahiti and Fiji.

 City view of Long Beach’s colorful waterfront which provides numerous photo ops from a plethora  of vantage points. Photo by Pat Woods
Remember the 1958 song 26 Miles
(Santa Catalina) by the Four Preps? At Catalina Express Landing in Long Beach, board a speedy catamaran for a trip to Catalina Island, one short hour away. Arrive in Avalon, hike the hills, or
glimpse the world below the waves on a classic glass-bottom boat tour. Other options include deep sea fishing, kayaking, snorkeling or simply lying on the beach watching the waves roll in
www.catalinaexpress.com.
Incorporated in 1888, Long Beach is 22 miles south of downtown Los Angeles, 10 miles southwest of Anaheim and 90 miles north of San Diego. This beautiful seaside city of 466,000 boasts 5.5 miles of sandy beach which rarely is foggy because it faces southwest.
Ten minutes from downtown, Long Beach airport recently underwent a $140 million modernization with a new concourse and upgraded concessions. Alaska Air, Delta, JetBlue Airways and US Airways/American serve the award-winning airport (www.lgb.org). Los Angeles World Airport is 25 minutes north (23 miles).
In addition to Catalina Island, nearby attractions include Disneyland, Disney’s California Adventure, Universal Studios, Hollywood, Getty Center, downtown Los Angeles and Beverly Hills. Most of these places can be reached by public transit from downtown Long Beach, saving parking fees and the stress of navigating California’s busy freeways.
Wherever we went in Long Beach, locals were helpful and friendly. For more Long Beach information, visit www.visitlongbeach.com or call 800-452-7829.
Author bio: A widely published travel and cruise writer, Pat Woods loves to visit California.
Filed Under: Beach Vacations • Boating • California • CruisingTags: aquarium, California, Long
Beach, Pat Woods
View the original article here

                                                      tours for california click here

Five Family Friendly Caribbean Spring Break Destinations

Every spring sees packed planes of families and couples escaping their own cold temperatures for a tranquil sea down south, hoping to bring color back into their skin and to get a boost of summer before everyone else. However, as much as beaches are more or less all the same, no two Caribbean destinations are – Mexico’s got Mayan Ruins, the Bahamas has Atlantis Paradise Island, Curaçao has languages and art and culture. That’s why families love the Caribbean – because though kids get bored at the beach, when they can come face to face with a dolphin, their year is made.

Though not technically in the Caribbean, the Bahamas certainly feels close enough. And on Atlantis Paradise Island, a luxury resort just outside of Nassau, it feels like paradise. Paradise allows you to get up close and hug a dolphin, and then it invites you to become your own marine animal and make a splash or fifty in the 141-acre water park maxed out with 11 pools, river rides, extreme waterslides, and a Mayan Temple adventure that encompasses four different drops, rides, and slides. The home of the most expensive hotel room in the world certainly isn’t going to let down its deluxe clientele by not reanimating their paradisaical dreams in palpable splendor, and even families who don’t have $25,000 in pocket change are invited along for the luxurious ride. Around Nassau, families can go to the gorgeous Ardastra Gardens, Zoo and Conservation Centre to watch the world-famous marching flamingos or check out the interactive Pirates of Nassau Museum with its replica of the pirate ship Revenge.

The Atlantis Paradise Island resort in Nassau, Bahamas.

Located an hour from Cancún and a short ferry ride across the Caribbean Sea from Cozumel, Playa del Carmen is a sun soaked, scenic getaway with luxury all-inclusive resorts, plenty of local sightseeing and exciting Indiana Jones-esque exploration attractions designed for families of all ages. The Iberostar Paraiso Lindo Resort & Spa is conveniently located between Cancún and Playa del Carmen. It’s sprawling white sand beaches, swim-up bar, restaurants, waterparks and tons of other amenities are perfectly suited for families looking to stay in and chill out, while surrounding the area are Mayan Riviera adventures fit for explorers of any age. Diving into the underground rivers of the eco-adventure complex Xcaret is one way to see the Mayan culture. Between their three adventure parks, visitors can explore the famous Yucatan cenotés, see a Mayan ceremony in the reconstructed Mayan Village amidst real archaeological ruins, catch a cultural rain dance, swim through a natural cave system, zip across green forests on a zipline and swim with the local marine life. Closer to Carmen de Playa, families can climb the Nohoch Mul pyramid ruins in Coba Mayan Village.

The beautiful Caribbean beaches of Playa del Carmen.

Montego Bay is known as a popular resort town in Jamaica, but it’s also rife with history, culture and nature and adventure tours. The Hilton Rose Hall Resort & Spa, settled right on the edge of the island looking into the clear blue Caribbean waters on one side and Montego Bay’s famous low mountains on the other, is a quintessential Montego Bay resort for the whole family. Housed in the grounds of a former sugar plantation, The Hilton Rose Hall incorporates a private beach, the championship Cinnamon hill Golf Course, intact historical ruins, Jamaica’s largest water park, a swimming pool complex and much more. The best part for families? Kids below 12 stay and eat free! The resort also provides complimentary shuttle services to attractions nearby, like the Rose Hall Great House, another former plantation house built in the 1770s, in which silk-covered walls whisper the story of the mysterious Annie Palmer, the White Witch of Rose Hall. Visitors to Montego Bay can also take a river raft down the Martha Brae, a three-mile ride past the area’s tropical flora and fauna and a scenic and educational tour before lunch at a local eatery.

Looking towards Montego Bay on the Jamaican coast.

Located on the easternmost point of the Dominican Republic, Punta Cana used to be a primary area for sugarcane plantations, but since the ‘70s has switched its focus tol tourism. Begin with consistent year-round perfect climate and tons of exotic wildlife, and add luxury resorts – that’s how Punta Cana thrives now. There are tons of tour companies that take visitors out to swim with dolphins, sharks and rays in a controlled environment, horseback riding through the Dominican countryside, adventure tours on buggy, speedboat or zip line. One popular destination in Punta Cana is the Punta Espada Golf Club, a par-72 designed by Jack Nicklaus right along the Caribbean Sea and the Cap Cana Resort. Cap off a day of extreme adventurin’ with a meal at any number of the fresh local seafood restaurants, like Jellyfish Restaurant, housed in a stylish and airy two-story restaurant with a barbecue by their cooking stations and the full expanse of the ocean within a gazing distance. The Zoetry Agua Punta Cana looks more like a luxury village than resort, with streams cutting between thatch-roofed houses, private decks looking out onto the pristine white sand beaches and ocean, and spa amenities, fine dining and airy lounges and bars.The Dominican Republic has a number of stunning destinations.

A tiny island just off the coast of Venezuela, Curaçao doesn’t look like much on a map, but discovering its rich culture and history makes it a worthwhile stop. Curaçao is not just a place to lie on a beach – although there are plenty of opportunities to do that, too. The island is bursting with art and energy, flora and fauna and truly unique food styles derived from a multitude of different international cuisine styles paired with super fresh seafood. Sunscape is the only all-inclusive resort, spa & casino in the area, and it is very nice. Regally large and with 341 rooms and suites, four swimming pools including one with a swim-up bar, five restaurants and a café and nightly live entertainment. Outside of the resort, visitors can get to know the local marine life by going to school at Dolphin Academy and get up close with the friendly beasts while learning about marine conservation, or visit the Curaçao Sea Aquarium, which houses an underwater conservatory in a semi-submarine and also offers a hands-on experience to introduce visitors to sea lions.

The beautiful and colorful Dutch-inspired buildings of Curacao.

View the original article here  

                                           tours for Caribbean click here