Water Play

The Best Places to Swim in Long Beach

by

Need to cool down? You’re in luck- there are TONS of great places to swim in Long Beach! Read on for a full list of our favorites.

Temperatures are creeping up, and with many in Long Beach living without AC, it gets HOT both inside and outside!

One of the best ways to cool down is by throwing yourself into some water and getting some relief from the heat.

Luckily, we know exactly where to swim in Long Beach. Whether you want a pool, beach, or just a place to splash around, we’ve got you covered with this list of the best places to swim in Long Beach.

Read More

Visit Splash! La Mirada This Summer

by

Looking for a fun, low-key water park in Southern California? Check out Splash! La Mirada with kids to pack in a full day of water based fun.

If you’re anything like our family, your kids LOVE to play in water.

And luckily, living in Southern California, the summer weather is absolutely perfect to splash and play, whether at the pool, the beach, or one of our many local splash pads.

But once in a while, we want to upgrade our summer fun by visiting a water park in Southern California. And unfortunately, our budgets don’t always allow us to go big (a la Raging Waters, Soak City, or Great Wolf Lodge).

Luckily, we’ve got a hidden gem of a water park in nearby La Mirada. Run by the city, Splash! La Mirada Buccaneer Bay is a perfect place to ride water slides, chill in a lazy river, and go on a water-based play structure.

WITHOUT breaking the bank.

So if you are looking for a cheaper water park in Southern California, look no further. We’ve got all the tips for visiting Splash! La Mirada with kids.

Read More

Kids Swim Teams in Long Beach

by

If your kid has been taking swim lessons for a while, you might wondering, is my kid ready to be on a swim team? If yes, it’s time to find a swim team for kids in Long Beach! Here are the best kids swim teams in Long Beach.

My kids started swim lessons as babies. They were soon rolling and floating, rocking big arms, and confidently spending the summer in the pool. Eventually, they plateaued and it felt ridiculous to keep spending big bucks on lessons. Which is when we decided to switch from swim lessons to swim team.

We researched every swim team in – and around – Long Beach before picking one. So whether you’re ready to join now or just starting to look into it, these are the best kids swim teams in Long Beach (and nearby!)

Read More

Public Pools Near Long Beach

by

Looking for a way to cool off this summer? Check out this list of public pools in Long Beach (or near Long Beach!) with recreation swim hours.

My kids LOVE to swim. It will keep them occupied longer than just about anything else- not to mention that it’s so good for their health, too.

So swimming in the summer is a top priority for our family.

The only downside? We don’t have a pool.

Which means we have gotten pretty familiar with the public pools around us!

If you are looking for a place to swim in Long Beach this summer, we’ve got you! Keep reading for the full list of public pools near Long Beach to get your aquatic fix.

Read More

Swim Lessons in Long Beach

by

Looking for swim lessons for kids in Long Beach? We’ve got a list of swim lessons for every level of swimmer, and every type of budget, in one handy place!

Swim lessons have always been REALLY important to both Jaymi and Christine, the moms behind LongBeachKids.com.

Christine has a pool, so infant water safety is on the very top of her list.

And, since Jaymi’s husband doesn’t know how to swim, he’s always been very insistent that the kids learn how.

So we’ve done LOTS of research on where to find swim lessons in Long Beach, and we’ve tried lots of them too.

This list isn’t going to give you every bit of information about each swim lesson option here in Southern California, but it’ll point you in the direction of lots of amazing classes, groups, and private lessons to teach your kids to swim.

So let’s get to it- here’s our list of places to find swim lessons for kids in Long Beach (and the surrounding areas).

kids at swim lessons. text reads: swim lessons in long beach

Read More

Visiting the Tidepools at Cabrillo Beach

by

Want an easy visit to the Cabrillo Beach tidepools? Located next to Cabrillo Marine Aquarium, the tidepools in San Pedro provide easy parking, outdoor adventure, and lots of fun for little exporers!

During the pandemic, I promised my kids that I would take them to the places that their school would have taken them to on field trips under normal circumstances.

When I found out the second grade trip was a visit to the tidepools, I kinda freaked out. I had been to the tidepools by myself in college, and found the whole thing intimidating.

I was super nervous to take my kids to the tidepool for the first time.

Luckily, I have a friend who works at the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium. She was able to give me lots of great information about how to best visit the Cabrillo Beach tidepools with kids.

That information made such a HUGE difference for us, that I knew we just had to share it with you!

So if you are thinking of braving the tidepools at Cabrillo Beach for the first time, here is some expert advice to make your first visit a roaring success!

the tidepools at cabrillo beach; text: cabrillo beach tidepools

Read More

Marine Park (AKA Mother’s Beach) in Long Beach

by

Need an easy beach with kids in Southern California? Check out Mother’s Beach in Long Beach! With shallow waters, no waves, and attentive lifeguards, this is one of the safest places to start going to the beach with kids in So Cal.

One of the first places I took my kids to the beach in Long Beach was Mother’s Beach.

We were meeting up with some friends, and though I was nervous to take my toddler to the beach by myself, I decided to be brave and try it.

And, to use an appropriate pun, it was the perfect place to get my feet wet when it comes to taking kids to the beach.

I went on a weekday morning, so parking was easy. The water was warm and shallow. And the lifeguards were very safety conscious (which was a little annoying, but totally made me feel better).

We mostly go to beaches with deeper water now that the kids are older, but we still hit up Mother’s Beach in Long Beach anytime someone with toddlers comes into town.

Read on to find out why Mother’s Beach is the best beach for toddlers in Southern California (according to two moms who have been to pretty much all of them!)

Read More

The Pools at Mayfair Park

by

Need to cool off this summer? There’s lots to love about the community pools at Mayfair Park, including a public pool (near Long Beach!) and a wading pool with a fun sprinkler. Read on to get all the details!

When my four kiddos asked to go to a wading pool, I was skeptical. At ages 9, 8, 5, and 3, the older two were well outside of the range.

But they’re good kids, and I knew they’d be respectful of littler ones. So we trekked off to the Mayfair Wading Pool to see if it was as good as we remembered.

The 9 and 8 year olds loved it even more than the younger two did!

It reminded me of why we’ve always loved the pool at Mayfair Park. Not only is the community pool available for rec swim, swim lessons, and even private pool parties, but the wading pool is open daily all summer and totally free.

Do we have you convinced yet? If not, you’ll need to keep reading for the full details. We promise we’ll get you hooked sooner than later!

Read More

Horny Corner/Los Alamitos Bay

by

It goes by many names- Alamitos Bay, The Bay, and the rarely-used Horny Corner, but all Long Beach residents agree on one thing- The Bay is the place to swim in Long Beach. With a long waveless beach, free parking, and easy access, you’ll find The Bay swarming with locals nearly every day during the week during the season. Read on to find out why it’s such a hit!

I wasn’t born here in Long Beach. So though I’ve lived here since 2003, when locals said they were heading to The Bay, I had no idea what that meant.

It wasn’t until a friend told me exactly where to go and where to park that we first visited the bay as a family. And it quickly became my kids’ favorite place to swim.

With calm, beautiful water, lots of boats to look at, and plenty of friends to bump into, the Bay is a go to destination for many Long Beach families.

So why does everyone love Alamitos Bay so much? Read on to find out all about planning your visit, and why why so many locals would call it the best beach in Long Beach.

Read More