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This one\u2019s a no-brainer, which is why it’s the first place we thought of. This escape from the city has three paths to walk: a quarter-mile, a one-mile and a two-mile, all skirting a lake and winding through native foliage and the occasional wild-ish animal. You\u2019ll find egrets, herons, maybe something more exotic. Can you find serenity and quiet next to the 605 Freeway? You can at the Nature Center. Before you embark on your walk, you might want to swing by the center\u2019s museum to get a feel\u2014literally\u2014for some of the creatures that call the place home, though that\u2019s for extra credit because International Museum Day isn\u2019t until May 18. Let\u2019s not get ahead of ourselves here.<\/p>\n
El Dorado Nature Center is at 7550 E. Spring St. Trail hours Tuesday-Sunday 8 a.m.-5 p.m.; Museum hours Tuesday-Sunday 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Vehicle entrance fee is $6 weekdays, $8 weekends, $9 holidays. Free for pedestrians and cyclists.<\/i><\/p>\n You can walk all day in this 388.2-acre grandaddy of Long Beach parks\u2014or at least until they pull the plug at 8 p.m. The sprawling park is interlaced with paths and trails so you can walk as little or as much as you feel like it. If you want to pace yourself, grab a seat and watch pooches frolic in the dog park, radio-controlled gliders soaring over Glider Field, archers arching on the archery range and drones and RC helicopters zipping around at the drone pad. The view is always great as you wind your way among the park\u2019s four lakes and their connecting creeks and if you want some bonus exercise, try your legs at paddle boating.<\/p>\n El Dorado Regional Park East is at 7550 E. Spring St. Hours 7 a.m.-8 p.m. every day. Vehicle entrance fee is $6 weekdays, $8 weekends, $9 holidays. Free for pedestrians and cyclists.<\/i><\/p>\n This North Long Beach oasis was a former tangle of non-native plants and other overgrown vegetation until a massive clean-up made it the jewel of J-Town. Your walk will take you over the nearly-50-acre site as you stroll over bridges spanning\u00a0 freshwater wetlands with interpretive signage giving you a bit of an education of the flora and fauna along the route. Let the kids download the Agents of Discovery App to add some extra fun to the walk<\/p>\n DeForest Park and Wetlands is at 6255 DeForest Ave. Hours are every day from dawn till dusk.<\/i><\/p>\n It\u2019s nothing short of a miracle how this beautiful stretch of parkland escaped the greedy clutches of developers. Now, it\u2019s as sacred and untouchable as New York\u2019s Central Park if for no other reason than any sort of development along the bluff would infuriate the owners of the billions of dollars worth of mansions that line Ocean Boulevard across the street from the park.<\/p>\n The narrow 13.2-acre stretch runs along Ocean from 20th to 36th Place and it is definitely one of the most attractive walks in the park you can get, with expensive views of the Pacific along the entire length, along with brisk breezes from the sea. It\u2019s also excellent for people-watching as folks flock to Bluff Park for yoga, tightroping, juggling and kicking soccer balls around. If you feel like it, you can take the stairs down to the beach and walk along the beach path for a while, though you\u2019re not getting Walk in the Park points for that. And don\u2019t miss a chance to pause at the Lone Sailor monument. It was placed on the bluff on Ocean Boulevard at Paloma Avenue on Oct. 13, 2004, the 229th anniversary of the creation of the United States Navy. You can add another park on your scorecard by crossing Ocean at Cherry Avenue and take a walk through Bixby Park.<\/p>\n Bluff Park is on Ocean Boulevard between 20th and 36th Place<\/i>.<\/p>\n An easy walk through this historic park in the Willmore\/Drake Park neighborhood is made especially attractive by the old (by Long Beach standards) and elaborate architecture in this area where the first monied residents of the young city built stately Victorian and Queen Anne mansions, most of which been restored and preserved by their proud owners. Your highlight is a stop at the Bembridge House, an 18-room Queen Anne that has been\u00a0 preserved with its original high ceilings, hand-carved woodwork, stained and leaded glass including a beveled Tiffany window. You can\u2019t tour the home on Walk in the Park Day, but it\u2019s lovely to look at from the outside. The home is now owned and operated by Long Beach Heritage.<\/p>\n Drake Park is at 951 Maine Ave.<\/i><\/p>\nEl Dorado Regional Park East<\/h5>\n
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DeForest Park and Wetlands<\/h5>\n
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Bluff Park<\/h5>\n
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Drake Park<\/h5>\n
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