What's New: Long Beach Attractions

With several world class museums, cultural centers, historic sites, and attractions across the city, Long Beach offers many opportunities for residents and visitors to spend the day exploring and enjoying the city. Here’s a primer on the exhibits and programs coming to local museums and attractions this season.

Art Museums

The Long Beach Museum of Art (2300 E Ocean Blvd) is exhibiting “Wires Crossed: The Culture of Skateboarding, 1995-2012,” a collection of photography by Ed Templeton. The exhibit, on display through May 5, 2024, documents the lives of amateur and professional skateboarders. At LBMA Downtown (356 E 3rd St) through March 3, 2024 is “Living Spaces,” an exhibit of photorealistic paintings by local artist Tidawhitney Lek. The Museum of Latin American Art (628 Alamitos Ave) is displaying “Paola Vega: Mystery of Painting” until March 2024, “Alexandre Arrechea: Intersected Horizons” through May 2024, and a new sculpture installation through September 2024, “Malacate de Asfalto” by artist Betsabeé Romero.

PACIFIC ISLAND ETHNIC ART MUSEUM

On exhibit now until June 24, 2024, at the Pacific Island Ethnic Art Museum (695 Alamitos Ave) is “Left Behind to Bring them Home,” a collaboration between Tongva and Pasifika contemporary artists. According to the museum director, this is a land acknowledgement practiced in ceremony between indigenous artists of the saltwater. The exhibit led by Cindi Alvitre, Tongva artist and guest cultural curator, features paintings, mixed media, sand painting and sacred spaces.

HISTORIC RANCHOS

Rancho Los Cerritos (4600 Virginia Rd) is hosting a series of workshops allowing you to meet and work with the artists behind the Rancho’s “Then and Now” exhibit featuring historic photos of the Rancho’s past. Rancho Los Alamitos (6400 E Bixby Hill Rd) is offering a lecture series starting on February 22 with a presentation on California native plants and sustainable gardening practices. Visitors can also listen to a new audio tour focusing on the Tongva people, the original inhabitants of the land where the Rancho now stands.

MARITIME MUSEUMS

Aboard the Queen Mary (1126 Queens Hwy) you can enjoy a stay in one of the staterooms, take a tour of the ship to learn about its history, visit one of the restaurants for a great meal or the Observation Bar for happy hour. Recently, the historic ocean liner resumed its popular Royal Sunday Brunch, featuring a vast array of dishes from around the world. Across the water in San Pedro, the Battleship IOWA (250 S Harbor Blvd, Los Angeles) is hosting “Stewards of the Sea,” an exhibit showcasing the U.S. Navy’s environmental policies and initiatives, such as hydrophone technology to listen for and protect whales.

AQUARIUM OF THE PACIFIC

Each year the Aquarium of the Pacific (100 Aquarium Way) opens its new major exhibition on the Friday before Memorial Day Weekend. The same is true this year, when the institution celebrating the animals and ecosystems of the world’s largest ocean will unveil a brand new collection of exhibits, programs, and educational offerings highlighting a particular animal and the environmental mission to protect it. It’s under wraps until May 24, so be sure to follow @aquariumpacific on social media to see the big reveal.

About the Author

Claire Atkinson

Claire Atkinson is a Southern California native who has lived in Long Beach for nearly 20 years. She spends her free time visiting local parks, farmers markets, and museums, and loves learning about Long Beach history and culture.