Five Easy Day Trips from Long Beach California

If you are staying in the Long Beach California area, there are many different activities to do. There are different day trips to take and what you choose to do really depends on what your interests are. There are different shows available, different museums to visit and different shopping destinations. But if you are up for something more adventurous or even for something that is a Southern California must-do, check out this list of some of the best and most easy day trips in and around the Long Beach California area.

Easy Day Trips from Long Beach California #1: Catalina Island

Catalina Island is a beautiful island not far off the coast of Southern California. You can visit shops beside the ocean, eat local island foods, see the island's fantastic beauty by hiking trail or bus or you can see ocean life by kayak, sailboat, snorkel or even submarine. There's a lot to do on Catalina Island.

Getting to Catalina Island can be an exciting adventure in itself. And one of the boating companies that can take you to Catalina Island in style is the Catalina Express. They have been in business for more than twenty years and carried 15 million passengers to and from Catalina. They offer up to 30 round trips daily from Long Beach, San Pedro, or Dana Point and it takes about an hour to reach Catalina Island. With experience like that, Catalina Express is a company you might want to check out.

While you are on one of the Catalina Express boats, you can sit on deck and watch for schools of dolphins or just enjoy the ocean breezes. If you get tired of that, you can go inside the cabin for drinks or something to eat and enjoy the journey in airline-style seats. The boats dock at either Avalon or Two Harbors on Catalina Island. You will need to buy your tickets on the mainland and reservations are a good idea to get the time you want because seats do sell out.

Since this is a day trip, you will want round trip tickets. Adults, ages 12 to 54 years are $66.50. Seniors over 55 years are $60.00. Children, ages 2 to 11 years are $51.00 and infants under 2 years are $4.00. There is an additional fee to take along a surf board or bike; a round trip ticket will be $6.00 for one of them.