Holy shit it’s hot. An Extreme Heat Warning dropped on the LBC — through Friday night, highs flirting with 95°. Yeah, yeah, we know: “just go to the beach.” Groundbreaking advice, truly. Every single person in the 562 will have that same idea, which means if you can get away to the beach, you’ll spend 45 minutes circling for parking in Belmont Shore just to bake on hot sand shoulder-to-shoulder. Hard pass.
If you do end up at Horny Corner or The Peninsula, don’t forget to bathe in sunscreen, bring water (and snacks!) and take multiple dips in the bay to keep cool.
Otherwise, here’s where the rest of us are actually going to disappear until this heat dome breaks.
Get Lost in 11,000 Animals at The Aquarium of the Pacific
The Aquarium of the Pacific — 100 Aquarium Way, Long Beach, CA 90802. Three massive indoor galleries, perfectly climate-controlled, and you can spend two hours nose-to-glass with sharks and sea otters without your phone hitting 100° in your pocket. Yes, locals go here too — it’s not just a tourist thing. Treat yourself to an actual afternoon, not a rushed field-trip lap.
Do Art, Not Sunburn
Carolyn Campagna Kleefeld Contemporary Art Museum (CSULB) — 1250 Bellflower Blvd, Long Beach, CA 90840 — on campus, completely free every day, rotating contemporary exhibitions plus an outdoor Art Park/sculpture collection. Closed Fri–Sun though, so it’s a weekday-only stop.LBMA Downtown — 356 E. 3rd St, Long Beach, CA 90802 Tucked into the East Village Arts District, this is a completely different vibe from the main LBMA campus on Ocean — 35-foot ceilings, exposed brick, rotating exhibitions from emerging and established artists. Great for a local, low-key afternoon of art.
MOLAA — Museum of Latin American Art — 628 Alamitos Ave, Long Beach, CA 90802 — the only U.S. museum dedicated to modern and contemporary Latin American/Latinx art, housed in a former silent film studio with a 15,000 sq ft sculpture garden. Free admission Sundays.
Pacific Island Ethnic Art Museum (PIEAM) — 695 Alamitos Ave, Long Beach, CA 90802 — right across from MOLAA; the only museum in the continental U.S. focused on Pacific Islander art. $5 general admission, free for kids 11 and under.
Long Beach Museum of Art (LBMA on Ocean) — 2300 E Ocean Blvd, Long Beach, CA 90803 — the original, oceanfront campus in Bluff Park, distinct from LBMA Downtown. Half-price Fridays.
Loiter Galleries — 425 The Promenade N, Long Beach, CA 90802 Downtown, scrappy, and hyper-local. Small enough to hit before or after lunch nearby.
Munzón Gallery — 1730 E Anaheim St, Long Beach, CA (Cambodia Town) — contemporary painting and printmaking, plus rentable artist studios with printing presses; open for events and by appointment
Pan African Art Gallery — 2228 Atlantic Ave, Long Beach, CA — African and African diaspora art, founded by sculptor/painter Akinsanya Kambon; tours by appointment
Hellada Gallery — 117 Linden Ave, Long Beach, CA (East Village) — nearly 30 years running, doubles as an incubator space with classes, live music, and film screenings; open Wed–Sun, 2–7pm
Open Gallery — 1738 E 7th St, Long Beach, CA — boundary-pushing, inclusive space for emerging/underrepresented artists across mediums; limited hours, gift shop open weekends
Flux Art Space — 410 Termino Ave, Long Beach, CA (Belmont Heights) — intimate project space run out of artist Betsy Lohrer Hall’s own storefront-studio; open Saturdays during shows + by appointment
MADhaus Gallery — 624 Pacific Ave, Long Beach, CA — small, scrappy downtown space
Drink Something Cold, Indoors, On Purpose
Beachwood Brewing & Distilling — 3630 Atlantic Ave, Long Beach, CA 90807 brings 24 taps of award-winning beer plus house-distilled spirits to its Bixby Knolls taproom
Altar Society Brewing Co. — 230 Pine Ave, Long Beach, CA 90802 keeps it light and intimate on Pine Ave with a solid rotating lineup
Trademark Brewing — 233 E Anaheim St, Long Beach, CA 90802 — Long Beach’s first production brewery/taproom, 30 taps, indoor space plus a biergarten if anyone wants to brave the heat later in the evening
Long Beach Beer Lab — 4000 E Anaheim St (Wrigley) or 518 W Willow St, Long Beach — brewery + bakery/café hybrid, so you get AC, beer, and fresh sourdough pizza in one stop
This is the week to finally do that brewery crawl you keep talking about — minus the sun stroke. These spots have dark, cold, blessedly AC’d taprooms built for exactly this kind of day. Order a flight, sit inside, let the world outside be someone else’s problem for a while.
Camp Out With a Book
The Library Coffeehouse — 3418 E Broadway, Long Beach, CA 90803 Cozy, book-lined, and open until midnight, so you’ve got hours to nurse an iced Vietnamese coffee, claim a comfy chair, and let the AC do its job. It’s the kind of spot that makes “just working from a coffee shop” actually appealing again.
Go Antiquing in a 16,000-Square-Foot Warehouse
Urban Americana — 1345 Coronado Ave, Long Beach, CA 90804 A massive indoor warehouse in the Zaferia Design District packed with 40+ vintage and antique dealers — furniture, records, mid-century decor, the works. It’s a full afternoon of browsing without ever stepping back outside, and infinitely more interesting than another lap around a mall.
Catch a Matinee, Old-School
The Art Theatre — 2025 E 4th St, Long Beach, CA 90814 A full two hours of blissful dark and cold — indie films, a restored 1925 theater, and zero UV exposure. Pair it with dinner nearby and you’ve knocked out a whole evening without breaking a sweat.
Go Full Arcade Kid
Dave & Buster’s — 7515 Carson Blvd, Long Beach, CA 90808, (562) 384-5550 A full sensory-overload, ice-cold escape — games, food, and zero sun. Hours: Sun 10am–midnight, Mon–Thu 11am–midnight, Fri 11am–1am, Sat 10am–1am. Go ahead, blow $20 on Skee-Ball. You’re winning either way — it’s not 95° in there.
The Real Talk
Long Beach is dealing with a lot right now between the city budget crunch and library hour cuts, so double-check hours before you head anywhere — some of our usual go-tos are running leaner schedules these days. But the heat wave doesn’t care about any of that, so use this list, support a local museum, brewery, or small business while you’re at it, and let the beach crowd have their sunburns. We’ll be inside, thanks.
Stay cool, LBC.
Photo by Dylan Andersen on Unsplash
FAQs
How long is the heat wave supposed to last?
The Extreme Heat Warning is in effect from 10am Tuesday through 8pm Friday, with highs in the LBC pushing close to 95°. Always double check the National Weather Service before heading out, since these things can shift.
Are the museums and galleries on this list free?
Some are, some aren’t. The Kleefeld Contemporary at CSULB is free every day it’s open. MOLAA is free on Sundays, and LBMA offers half-price admission on Fridays. Loiter Galleries, Hellada Gallery, and most of the smaller local galleries are free to walk through, though donations are always appreciated.
Is Dave & Buster’s kid-friendly?
Yes — it’s family-friendly during the day, though the vibe shifts a bit more adult in the evening with the bar area open later. Check their site for any age restrictions on specific games.
Can I bring my dog to any of these spots?
Most of the breweries (Beachwood, Altar Society, Trademark) allow leashed dogs in their outdoor patio areas, but the museums, galleries, and Dave & Buster’s are indoor-only, no pets. If you’re bringing a pup along, plan your brewery stop as an outdoor supplement rather than your main AC refuge.
Do I need reservations anywhere?
Generally no for casual visits, but the Aquarium of the Pacific gets busy on hot days when everyone has the same idea you do, so buying tickets online ahead of time is smart. The Art Theatre also sells tickets online if you want to lock in a matinee slot.
What if a place I want to visit has reduced hours?
With the city’s ongoing budget cuts affecting library hours and some public services, it’s worth calling ahead or checking a business’s Instagram/website before you drive over — especially for the smaller galleries, which often only open a few days a week to begin with.
Is it actually cooler at these spots than at the beach?
Definitely — indoor, air-conditioned spaces hold steady regardless of what’s happening outside, while beach heat is affected by sun exposure, reflected heat off sand, and (this week) crowds. Indoors just wins.
