Where Main St ends, Seal Beach Pier begins, extending 1865ft over the ocean. The 1906 original fell victim to winter storms in the 1930s and has since been rebuilt three times with a wooden boardwalk. It’s splintery in places, so wear shoes (no high heels!). Snap a picture of the playful bronze seal standing guard at the pier’s east entrance – he may be the only one you see.
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
28.46 MILES
With eyes on both the galaxy above and palm-flanked boulevards below, the Griffith Observatory hovers above LA like a hulking spacecraft. This is one of…
9.63 MILES
What started as a simple berry farm is now a sprawling 160-acre operation with rides, live shows and lovable Peanuts characters roaming the grounds. Knott…
27.27 MILES
Prepare for a sensory overload on Venice's Boardwalk, a one-of-a-kind experience. Buff bodybuilders brush elbows with street performers and sellers of…
29.23 MILES
Once the very end of the legendary Route 66 and still the object of a tourist love affair, this much-photographed pier dates back to 1908 and is the city…
Huntington Library, Art Collections & Botanical Gardens
26.97 MILES
One of the most delightful, inspirational spots in LA, the Huntington is rightly a highlight of any trip to California thanks to a world-class mix of art,…
23.31 MILES
From the instant it opened in September 2015, the Broad (rhymes with 'road') became a must-visit for contemporary-art fans. It houses the world-class…
Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels
23.44 MILES
LA is unlike any other city, and this cathedral is unlike any other cathedral. Seat of the US's largest Roman Catholic archdiocese (some five million…
Los Angeles County Museum of Art
26.69 MILES
The depth and wealth of the collection at the largest museum in the western US is stunning. LACMA holds all the major players – Rembrandt, Cézanne,…
Nearby Coastal Orange County attractions
2.33 MILES
If downtown Long Beach feels urban and corporate, Belmont Shore exudes a quintessential SoCal, laid-back air. It has a fine beach with a pier for fishing…
2. Bolsa Chica Conservancy Interpretive Center
3.23 MILES
Galleries in this 1400 sq ft facility feature tanks showing off local marine life and reptiles, and there's taxidermy of land and bird species. It's on…
3.75 MILES
The beachfront location is breathtaking; permanent collections boast pop art, mid-20th-century furniture and sculpture and some contemporary work; and the…
4.11 MILES
This blocks-long stretch of 4th St is a fab destination for retro fashion, fun cafes and restaurants and an awesome art-house theater.
5. Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve
4.56 MILES
You'd be forgiven for overlooking Bolsa Chica, at least on first glance. Against a backdrop of nodding oil derricks, this flat expanse of wetlands doesn't…
4.87 MILES
Long Beach’s ‘flagship’ attraction is this grand – and supposedly haunted! – British luxury liner. Larger and more luxurious than even the Titanic…
7. Museum of Latin American Art
4.88 MILES
This gem of a museum is the only one in the US to present art created since 1945 in Latin America and in Latino communities in the US through important…
4.98 MILES
This Cold War–era Soviet submarine is moored alongside the Queen Mary. As you scramble around, imagine how 78 crew shared 27 bunks and two bathrooms,…