Things to Do on a Rainy Day in Long Beach

Because Long Beach enjoys near constant sunny days, people tend to stay home when it does actually rain, making it a great time to beat the crowds at some of the city’s top attractions. With tons of cool things to see and do indoors, here are a few fun ideas on how to spend a rainy day in Long Beach.

INDOOR GAMES

The themed escape rooms at PanIQ Room (327 Pine Ave) in Downtown Long Beach range from scary (Insane Asylum, Haunted Manor) to fantastical (Pirates of Tortuga, Wizard Trials). Topgolf Swing Suites (500 E 1st St) at the Courtyard Long Beach offers simulators to play virtual games of golf, baseball, hockey as well as carnival games like Zombie Dodgeball. Dave & Busters (7515 Carson Blvd), located at the Long Beach Towne Center, has tons of games to try in the arcade, including virtual reality games.

MUSEUMS & GALLERIES

The Long Beach Museum of Art (2300 Ocean Blvd) offers exhibits of contemporary art and views of the stormy sea from the museum’s campus overlooking the ocean. Other outstanding local museums include the Museum of Latin American Art (628 Alamitos Ave), Pacific Island Ethnic Arts Museum (695 Alamitos Ave), and the Kleefeld Contemporary Art Museum (1250 Bellflower Blvd) on the campus of Cal State Long Beach. There are engaging exhibits at Loiter Galleries (425 The Promenade N) in Downtown Long Beach and Compound (1395 Coronado Ave), a community art space that also hosts wellness events and artisan markets.

WATERY WORLDS

While you might want to avoid getting wet in the rain, you can still make a splash visiting the city’s biggest attractions. Southern California’s largest aquarium, the Aquarium of the Pacific (100 Aquarium Way), houses three large indoor galleries perfect for exploring. Nearby, you can imagine you’re setting sail for a transatlantic journey of days gone by with a visit to the historic Queen Mary (1126 Queens Hwy) ocean liner. Enjoy a tour, a drink and live music in the Art Deco-styled Observation Bar, or even stay the night in a stateroom so you can gaze at the rain from your own porthole.

GO TO THE MOVIES

Seeing a movie is a perfect rainy day activity, and Long Beach offers several theaters conveniently located within major shopping centers, including Cinemark at The Pike Outlets (99 S Pine Ave), AMC Marina Pacifica 12 (6346 E Pacific Coast Hwy), and Regal Edwards Long Beach (7501 E Carson) at the Long Beach Towne Center. Enjoy an old-school movie-going experience at the 100-year-old Art Theatre (2025 E 4th St) on Retro Row, which screens a selection of both studio and arthouse releases as well as vintage films, sometimes scored by live musicians.

A COZY CUP

Rainy days call for cozy cappuccinos or lovely cups of tea. There are many coffee shops in Long Beach with several that roast their own beans, including Rose Park Roasters (800 Pine Ave / 3044 E 4th St / 455 E Ocean Blvd) and Black Ring Coffee (5373 Long Beach Blvd). Others have delicious breakfast and lunch items; check out Coffee Parlor (2944 Clark Ave), Alder & Sage (366 Cherry Ave) just off Retro Row, or The Merchant (4121 Long Beach Blvd) in Bixby Knolls. The Wicked Wolf (2332 Pacific Ave), a cozy lounge serving tea and coffee by day and cocktails at night, offers a fantastical experience with a fairy tale inspired interior and menu.

SOMETHING STRONGER

There are plenty of wine bars, breweries, and pubs in Long Beach for you to cuddle up with a flight or a cocktail. Try the featured wine flight at District Wine (144 Linden Ave) to sample a curated selection of both reds and whites. Altar Society Brewing Co. (230 Pine Ave) is a great rainy day hang inside Downtown Long Beach’s oldest standing building, and Beachwood Brewing’s (3630 Atlantic Ave) Bixby Knoll’s tap room has award-winning beers and craft cocktails made with spirits distilled in-house. Fittingly, coming from a land well-versed in rainy days, the Irish coffee at The Auld Dubliner (71 S Pine Ave) is a perfect antidote for wet weather.

About the Author

Claire Atkinson

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