Belmont Shore(Belmont Shore,Claremont Beach,Granada Beach,Rosie's Dog Beach)

Located in the neighborhood of Belmont Shore in the city of Long Beach, Belmont Shore Beach – also known as Claremont Beach - is a large south-facing beach that has light brown sand.  This beach is located between the Belmont Veterans Memorial Pier and a street named 55th Place.  A portion of this beach is called Granada Beach – this portion recieved this name because it is located near Granada Avenue.  In addition, another portion of this beach is also named Rosie’s Dog Beach.  Belmont Shore Beach offers many amenities including lifeguards, restrooms, showers, concession stands, volleyball courts, a boat launch area, and a bike path.  It is important to note that dogs are allowed off-leash between 6 am and 8 pm in a specific part of Belmont Shore Beach and named Rosie’s Dog Beach – this portion is located along Ocean Boulevard between its intersections with Argonne Avenue and Roycroft Avenue.  It is also important to note that dogs are not allowed in other portions of the Belmont Shore Beach.

Belmont Shore Beach offers many fun activities including swimming, volleyball, paddle boarding, kayaking, canoeing, wildlife watching, fishing, bodyboarding, bodysurfing, kitesurfing, surfing, windsurfing, boating, jet skiing, parasailing, surf-skiing, beachcombing, and sunbathing.  Belmont Shore Beach is ideal for beginner swimmers because the water here is usually and occasionally has very mild waves – the water here is usually calm because a nearby breakwater named Long Beach Breakwater prevents large waves from forming here.  The beach frequently experiences steady onshore winds and this makes it ideal for  sail boating, kite surfing, and parasailing. 

If you like sailing or are interested in learning about it, the United States Sailing Center offers sailing lessons and it also provides boats on charter.  If you are planning to swim, sail, kayak, or windsurf near Belmont Shore Beach, we recommend being careful because the water here can have unpredictable rip currents.  Depending on the time of the year, you can see many kinds of animals in the water near Belmont Shore Beach including migrating whales, seals, dolphins, and sea lions.  Please note that seals, sea lions, dolphins, and whales are protected under a law named the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 and harming them can result in a civil penalty of up to $11,000 and possible imprisonment.  Rosie’s Dog Beach is popular with pet lovers because it is one of the few beaches in Long Beach that allows pets to roam off leash.  The Belmont Veteran’s Memorial Pier – that is located near the intersection between East Allin Road and Termino Avenue and is easily accessible from Ocean Boulevard - offers a great view of the Pacific Ocean and it also offers nearby bait shops.  In addition, this pier is also popular with fishermen – if you are planning to fish near Long Beach, please follow the local fishing regulations that can be found on the website of California Department of Fish and Wildlife.  If you like volleyball, there are volleyball courts near this pier that offer a fun volleyball experience.

 There is also a biking path near the Veteran’s Memorial Pier - this path offers an amazing oceanfront biking experience and it also leads to another nearby beach named Long Beach City Beach.  In addition, if you like rollerskating or skateboarding, a part of an adjacent road named Bay Shore Avenue is closed to cars during summers and this makes it a popular biking and skating site during this time – if you are planning to bike, rollerskate, or skateboard  here, please note that only the portion of Bay Shore Avenue that is located to the south of its intersection with 2nd Street is closed to cars during this time.

A variety of events are held in Belmont Shore Beach and the surrounding areas.  Every year in April, Belmont Shore Beach hosts an international sailing competition known as the Congressional Cup - this competetion is a grade-one sailing regatta.  The neighborhood of Belmont Shore also hosts a huge annual car show named Belmont Shore Car Show during September on 2nd Street present near the beach.  As a part of the annual Long Beach Sea Festival, fun events including movie screenings, sandcastle building competitions, and boat racing competitions are held throughout June to September at various places in the city of Long Beach.

Getting to Belmont Shore Beach is easy - it is located near 4000 East Olympic Plaza.  There is a large paid parking lot at Bennett Avenue and free street parking is available along Ocean Boulevard.  In addition, there is also a free parking lot near the intersection between Ocean Plaza and La Verne Avenue.

There are many attractions near Belmont Shore Beach.  Knott’s Berry Farm is a popular amusement park that has many fun features including roller coasters, a replica of a ghost town, a museum, and water rides – this park also offers a thrilling haunted house-themed event around Halloween named Knott’s Scary Farm.  As an interesting fact, this amusement park was founded by Walter Knott, who was a successful farmer who used the amusement park’s current site for initially selling berries - Knott eventually converted this site into an amusement park in the 1950s.   The Long Beach Lifeguard Museum is a museum that has interesting memoribilia, photos, and antique lifeguard equipments – this museum also offers an interesting insight into the history of the local lifeguard service and it is open from 5:30 pm to 9 pm on Thursdays between the last Thursday in June and the Thursday after Labor Day.  

If you like watersports, Marine Stadium (also known as the Long Beach Marine Stadium) is a historic watersports venue that formerly hosted rowing events in the 1932 Summer Olympics and it currently offers many fun watersports including rowing, water-skiing, and jet-skiing – the venue also hosts an annual powerboat race series named “The Long Beach Sprint Nationals” that are held in August.  The stadium has a beach named Marine Stadium Beach and it is also a great site for picnicking.  Aquarium of the Pacific is a public aquarium that has a collection of over 11,000 animals belonging to over 500 species including otters, Japanese spider crabs, jellyfish, tiger sharks, and penguins – the aquarium seeks to display the vibrant biodiversity of the Pacific Ocean and it sees more than one-and-a-half million visitors per year.  This aquarium has a gift shop and it also offers many interesting events including educational programs, academic lectures, and fun festivals including the Moompetam Festival and the Pacific Islander Festival.

If you get hungry, there are many great restaurants near Belmont Shore Beach within an 18-minute drive.  Michael’s On Naples is an upscale Italian restaurant that serves a variety of delicious Italian dishes including vitello tonnato, a variety of delicious pastas, pizzas, and Italian-style seafood.  This restaurant has been praised by many publications including Los Angeles Times, ZAGAT, and the OC Weeklynewspaper.  Sir Winston’s Restaurant & Lounge is another upscale restaurant that is set within the iconic luxury ship the RMS Queen Mary and is known for serving delectable steaks and seafood.  Saint & Second is a New American restaurant that offers excellent dishes for lunch and dinner that are prepared using seasonal and locally-sourced ingredients – the restaurant offers many amazing dishes including pastas, salads, seafood, sandwiches, burgers, and fries.  If you are looking for another good and affordable restaurant near Belmont Shore Beach, the modestly priced Chuck’s Coffee Shop has a retro diner ambiance and offers great breakfast dishes.  Another affordable and family friendly option is the El Burrito Grill that serves great fajitas and burritos.  Panama Joe’s Cantina is a popular restaurant and sports bar that features a variety of outstanding Mexican dishes including tacos, tostadas, burritos, and enchiladas – it has offers a hip and lively ambiance and is a great place to watch your favorite game.

If you are looking for a place to stay near Belmont Shore Beach, there are many great options nearby.  The upscale 4-Star Hyatt Regency Long Beach offers many amenities including a fitness center, a pool, a sundeck, a fire pit, a 24/7 fitness center, a lounge, and a restaurant.  Another upscale hotel is the 4-Star The Westin Long Beach that offers many amenities including a restaurant, a bar, a pool, a convenience store, a gift shop, dry cleaning service, a fitness center, and a hot tub.  A more affordable hotel is Belmont Shore Inn that offers a grocery store – in addition, this hotel is also located conveniently close to some of the major attractions in Long Beach.  Another moderately priced hotel is the 3-Star Courtyard by Marriott Long Beach Downtown that offers many amenities including a restaurant, a pool, a fitness center, laundry service, and dry cleaning service.  Another good and affordable option is the modestly priced 2-Star Long Beach Motel that offers laundry facility and vending machines – this hotel also has a bright decor and a casual ambiance.