Hyper-Local Guide to a Stellar Long Beach Weekend

The Long Beach you think you know is cooler than you realize…22 miles from downtown LA or an hour flight from San Francisco to the quaint LGB airport, it’s brimming with vintage charm and a growing number of thoughtful entrepreneurs, notable eateries, and talented makers. Our founder, Jenny Hwa and Cassandra Malone, founder of the cool kids destination California Drifters, partnered up to share their favorite spots and past times…if you love sunny skies, locavore culinary experiences, unique shopping nooks, artisanal coffee purveyors and retro flair keep reading, so you can curate a lovely long weekend in this often overlooked seaside town…

Where to stay

• The Varden Hotel
• The Little Bungalow 

Women’s clothing

• Prism Boutique 
• The Hangout 
• American Cancer Society Discovery Shop

Home decor

• California Drifters 
  
• 6th and Detroit 
• Peacock & Co. 
• Urban Americana 
• Eric Trine (online only)
• Hollie Wood Style (online only)

Men’s clothing

• Port 
• Butterscotch 
• Snake Oil Provisions 
• 7th Wave Surf Shop

Food + cocktails 

• Restauration 
• Seabirds Kitchen 
• Pizzanista 
• Manaow 
• Pike Restaurant & Bar 
• Ballast Point Brewing 
• Saint & Second 
• The Grain Cafe 
• Roe Seafood 

Coffee, Juice + Donuts

• Rosepark Roasters 
• Lord Windsor Coffee 
• Wide Eyes Open Palms 
• Salud Juice 
• Do Good Donuts 

Activities + to dos

• Paddle boarding
• Catalina Island Express + zip lining 
• Rancho Los Alamitos Historic Ranch + Gardens
• POW! WOW! Long Beach murals + gallery events
• Gondola ride in Naples

If you know and love Long Beach and its surrounding areas, please click 'continue reading' and leave comments to add your own contributions! 

Photos courtesy of Design Sponge, The Varden Hotel, 6th and Detroit, Roe Seafood and Hollie Wood Style.