Looking for a new stretch of sand to check out with your kids? Check out the best beaches in Long Beach for kids from two local moms with half a dozen kids between them!
Historically, Long Beach beaches have gotten a bad rap. The breakwater had a serious effect on water quality for a while, and locals often headed to Orange County for their beach days.
But Long Beach has worked HARD to improve water quality, and as a result, we’ve got a lot more beach fun in our area.
If you’re looking for a beach to hit up with your kids, we can whole heartedly recommend these beaches near Long Beach to keep your kids entertained all day (without the long drive and fighting traffic on the way home!)
In no particular order, here are the best beaches in Long Beach to visit with kids!
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Are the Beaches in Long Beach Dirty?
Don’t let what you’ve heard about Long Beach fool you- Long Beach beaches consistently score well on water cleanliness tests.
We recommend checking the water quality before you go to any beach in Long Beach in case there have been any incidents you need to know about.
And water quality across Southern California beaches is going to be universally worse after a rain storm– so give it a few days after it rains to head back to the beach.
Mother’s Beach in Long Beach
There’s a reason it’s called Mother’s Beach! The smooth sand and lack of waves make it the perfect place for littles to splash and play.
With a big playground just steps from the beach, decent bathrooms (and lots of them), and a long stretch of sand to play in, this is one of the best beaches near Long Beach for kids.
And also, probably, the busiest.
Related Post: Best Beach Snacks for Kids
Colorado Lagoon
Let Colorado Lagoon’s (previously!) bad reputation work to your benefit! This isn’t technically the ocean, but it’s a very calm place for kids to swim without the typical SoCal beach crowds.
Colorado Lagoon scores well on water quality tests due to several renovations over the years, making it a clean, safe place for kids to swim.
Kids will love the nearby playground, and you’ll love the easy parking (find out where to park in our Colorado Lagoon tips post!)
Related Post: Visiting Colorado Lagoon in Long Beach
Granada Beach
Granada Beach is one of Long Beach’s proper, “ocean facing” beaches. It’s located along Ocean Avenue at Granada.
Featuring Rosie’s Dog Beach, an ocean-facing beach with mellow waves, and a huge Tidepool themed interactive play area, this up-and-coming beach is bringing new life to the Belmont Shore.
And there’s a large, paid parking lot that always has spaces to park in. This is about as easy as Southern California beaches get!
The Bay/Alamitos Bay/Bayshore/Horny Corner
This sweet little stretch of beach goes by many names. But no matter what you call it, Long Beach families LOVE it!
There aren’t any waves, and there are demarcated swimming zones. Kids will love playing on the inflatable obstacle course all summer long.
The only thing that keeps us from recommending this one as THE best beach in Long Beach for kids is the pretty rough parking situation. You may end up walking a fair distance, but it’ll almost certainly work it when you get there.
Related Post: Horny Corner/Los Alamitos Bay
Junipero Beach
This is another one of the ways Long Beach is making beaches even better for kids.
A new play structure just went up along the Belmont stretch of beach at Junipero (and just so you know, locals call it JUNE-i-pero. It’s a pretty contentious topic around here).
With a Treasure Island theme, it features a fun ropes obstacle course, so kids can play on their way to the (mellow) waves.
Related Post: Family Beach Day Hacks (No Baby Powder Required!)
Long Beach City Beach
This is the longest beach in Long Beach, running from up near Shoreline Park to Alamitos Bay.
There is lots of parking towards the east side, near Granada. Parking can get a little stickier on the west side, where you’ll need to park along Ocean Blvd.
You won’t see many swimmers here, but you will see people soaking up the ocean breezes and making good use of the bike path, which runs the length of the beach. You can also use the path for walking or rollerblading.
No matter which beach in Long Beach you choose, you can’t really go wrong. They’re all the best beach in Long Beach for kids in their own special way- it just depends what kind of mood you’re looking for that day!
Keep Exploring Long Beach beaches with these helpful guides-