PARKS
Recreation Park - 211 acres in the middle of east Long Beach, it has two golf courses (fee), the Billie Jean King Tennis Center and Blair Field, in addition to a lawn bowling green, a dog park, casting pond and playground. That little stage in the middle was home to many of my make-believe plays when I was a kid. Great picnic areas, too.
Hill Top Park in Signal Hill - incredible views from Orange County to the Santa Monica mountains, to downtown L.A. to the San Gabriel mountains. There are picnic areas and bathrooms and it's great for walking and jogging, giving you a good workout with the steep incline.
Gum Grove Park - Los Cerritos Wetlands nature walk. See owls, herons, egrets, woodpeckers, coyotes, lizards, hawks, frogs, maybe even a gopher snake, and more.
Earl Burns Miller Japanese Garden at Long Beach State - open Tuesday through Friday, 8a-3:30p and Sundays 12-4p. A peaceful 1.3 acre oasis with a large koi pond where you can purchase koi pellets to feed the fish; sand gardens and bridges.
CULTURE
Long Beach Museum of Art - It's free on Fridays, usually $7 admission.
Rancho Los Alamitos Rancho and Gardens - open Wednesday through Sunday, from 1-5p. Guided tours are available every 30 minutes from the docents. The 7.5 acres are a microcosm of the regional story, granted in 1790 by the Spanish Crown, but also home to the original natives of the Los Angeles Basin and a sacred place.
Rancho Los Cerritos - open Wednesday through Sunday, from 1-5p. Built in 1844, it is an historic site with an adobe home, research library and historic gardens. The home is furnished to reflect the lifestyle of the occupants from 1860-1880.
HOLIDAYS
Well, you'll have to come back for those tips! You can subscribe to my blog to make sure you get the latest entry. They are focused on Long Beach and on real estate, sometimes even in the same entry. If you'd like to receive my monthly e-newsletter or have any questions about real estate, you may reach me at katielarson@kw.com or by phone/text 562.673.5335.
I'd love to hear what your favorite FREE things are to do in Long Beach!
