Bixby Park, Long Beach, Guide du visiteur et quoi faire à proximité

Bixby Park is a public park on the bluffs above the beach along Ocean Boulevard in Long Beach, California. It gives locals a green, open place beside the Pacific and gives visitors a relaxed stop between the beach and the neighborhoods of the city's east side.

The story behind it

The park takes its name from the Bixby family, whose ranching holdings shaped much of the Long Beach area in its early days. That link to the city's rural past is easy to forget today, as the park now sits among apartment buildings, shops and streets that fill the coastal bluff.

What has lasted is the setting. The bluff gives the park its drama, with grass and trees on top and the shoreline stretched out below. For generations residents have come here to picnic, to listen to music outdoors and to look at the water.

What to look for

• The view from the bluff edge, where on a clear day you can look out over the Pacific and the long curve of the Long Beach shoreline.
• The mix of open lawns and mature trees, which makes the park feel like a shaded pause above a busy coastal boulevard.
• The way the park links the bluff top with the beach below, so you can see how the city climbs up from the water.
• The everyday life of the park, from families and dog walkers to people exercising, which shows how much locals use it.

Tips for your visit

• Plan on 30 to 45 minutes if you want to walk the grass, take in the view and sit for a while.
• Late afternoon is a pleasant time to come, when the light over the ocean is softer and the bluff catches the breeze.
• It is an outdoor public space, so there is no building to enter. Check current details for any events or facilities before you go.
• Combine it with a walk along the bluff and down to the beach, and wear comfortable shoes for the slopes and steps.

See it on a quest

The Oz Escape in Long Beach is a good way to see Bixby Park as one stop on a longer walk through the area. The app tells you about each place as you arrive, and you solve a puzzle on the spot. One ticket covers the whole group.

Murder Mystery: Death in the Shadows in Long Beach takes you on foot past the park as part of a mystery route through the neighborhood. You start whenever you like, with no guide and no group to join, and one ticket covers everyone you play with.

Long Beach Detective Mystery: Infiltrate a Secret Society. is a detective-themed route that passes the park. You reach it on foot, hear about the place from the app, and work out a puzzle from what is in front of you. One ticket covers the whole group.