Best Places in Long Beach for Summer Fun!
For New York families looking to skip town for some summer fun, Long Beach is a great fit for an easy, beachy escape. In about an hour, you can arrive to enjoy the recently renovated boardwalk and beach and choose to soak in some vitamin D, surf in the waves, bike on the boardwalk or grab a local treat. Easily accessible by the LIRR or a short car ride, the beach town will feel millions of miles away from the concrete jungle. Here is the scoop for a weekend of fun for the whole family.
Looking for places to eat in the city that are great for the whole family? Check out 12 Best Kid-Friendly Restaurants in New York City!
Hit the Beach and Catch a Wave
Stroll down the boardwalk and take in this cute beach town! Along the boardwalk are beachy outdoor restaurants, water playgrounds, food trucks, ice cream shops and more. The beach is open to the public and swimming is allowed when lifeguards are on duty 9am to 6pm daily in the summer. Make sure to have a beach pass for entry.
Looking to try a new summer Olympic sport? Get ready for the ultimate summer adventure learning to surf with Skudin Surf School. The family-run business offers surf camp and surf lessons. Kids of all ages will love the thrill and fun of surfing and parents will love that all surf lessons are taught by professional certified instructors. Skudin specializes in teaching all levels from beginner lessons for first timers to coaching for the experienced surfer. Skudin Surf is a short walk from the LIRR and offers kids and adult camps, group and private lessons plus birthday parties and corporate events.
Summer Sweets
BAKED by the Ocean is a whimsical, happy place of a pastry shop with innovative and artistic designs that are almost too cute to eat. The design element is off the charts so much that it will feel like part pastry shop and part museum. Everything is out of this world but the most popular treats are the rainbow bar, chocolate chip rainbow cookie (with rainbow cookie on top and actual cookie pieces in the cookie!), and the beach inspired cupcakes topped with colorful and rich buttercream. Plus, you cannot go wrong with any of the assorted tarts, cookies, and cupcakes.
Ralph’s Famous Italian Ices is a must-try on any beach weekend. Don’t miss their water or cream ices. With lots of fruit flavors and other special flavors like Oreo, spumoni, reeses, and rainbow cookie, each bite has a piece of its name inside (cherry has pieces of cherry and the rainbow cookie has pieces of cookies, etc.) and it’s oh so good!
Marvel Frozen Dairy is a local favorite for the best soft serve in fun flavors and flavor combos. Located a few miles down the road in Lido Beach, Marvel helps beat the heat and conquers kids of all ages’ appetite for a cold, soft serve treat on a hot, beach day.
Dough Hut is where the locals know to go for the best, fresh and decadent donuts. The owner Tim and his friendly staff will greet you at the door and tell you their favorite donuts but encourage you try them all. So we did. The favorites were the Nutella, Cannoli, S’mores, and French Toast donut. There are oh so many delicious varieties to choose from but these small donuts pack a big punch so be sure to savor every bite.
Summer Eats
Beach Bagel in the west end hand rolls and bakes their bagels and pastries and has a bagel for everyone. From rainbow bagels to French toast bagels for kids and egg sandwiches and more hearty options for adults, this is the one stop shop that’s open 24/7 for a quick bite on the way to or from the beach any time of day or night.
Sorrento’s of Long Beach is ever-popular for the best pizza and Italian. While their restaurant is temporarily closed and recovering from a fire, support this ever-popular local establishment by ordering their pizza online and taking it out or enjoying it at the New York Beach Club on select evenings.
Shoregasboard Food Truck Market along the boardwalk has enough delicious variety for the whole family. From smoothies to tacos and from deli to a Cuban sandwich, there is a tasty bite for all types of taste buds.
