3 Best Sights in Orange County and Catalina Island, California

Sea lions, zebra sharks, and penguins—oh my! This aquarium focuses on creatures of the Pacific Ocean and is home to more than 12,000 animals. The main exhibits include large tanks of sharks, stingrays, and ethereal sea dragons, which the aquarium has successfully bred in captivity. The museum's first major expansion in years, Pacific Visions, features a 29,000-square-foot multisensory experience in which attendees can immerse themselves in humankind's relationship with the natural world through video projections, soundscapes, tactile exhibits, a touchscreen wall, interactive game tables, rumbling theater seats, and more. The aquarium focuses on its local environment in its refreshed Southern California Gallery, where you'll explore kelp forests, learn about local species, and learn about the aquarium's conservation efforts. Special events for kids, teens, and families abound; if you're interested in offsetting your travels with some local eco efforts, the whole family can join in local wetlands habitat restoration efforts held by the aquarium. Whale-watching trips on Harbor Breeze Cruises depart from the dock adjacent to the aquarium; summer sightings of blue whales are an unforgettable thrill.

The beautifully preserved art deco–style ocean liner, the Queen Mary, was launched in 1936 and made 1,001 transatlantic crossings before finally berthing in Long Beach in 1967. Today, it is a unique and historic hotel, one of Long Beach's top tour attractions, and an impressive example of 20th-century cruise ship opulence. 

Take one of several daily themed tours such as the informative Glory Days historical walk, a traipse into the boiler rooms on the Steam and Steel Tour, or the downright spooky Haunted Encounters tour. (Spirits have reportedly been spotted in the pool and engine room.) You can add on a Winston Churchill exhibit and other holiday and special events, from a haunted Halloween experience to an annual Scottish festival. Stay for dinner at one of the ship's restaurants (call ahead to reserve), then listen to live jazz or order a cocktail in the Observation Bar (the sumptuous original first-class lounge). Even better, plan to spend the night in one of the 347 wood-paneled cabins. The ship's neighbor, a geodesic dome originally built to house Howard Hughes's Spruce Goose aircraft, now serves as a terminal for Carnival Cruise Lines, making the Queen Mary the perfect pit stop before or after a cruise. 

For those seeking a more rough-hewn alternative or counterpoint to the genteel Queen Mary, the battleship USS Iowa in nearby San Pedro lets visitors of all ages clamber through hatches, peer through portholes, and climb into the seat of an antiaircraft gun, envisioning the past. The Iowa, the only such tourable battleship on the West Coast, was commissioned in 1943 as the lead of its class and served in World War II, Korea, and the Cold War. Volunteer "crew members," many of whom once served on the ship, happily offer their personal stories to kids and adults alike.

You're bound to be hungry after such an intrepid expedition. While many people might return to Long Beach or L.A., the nearby pedestrian-friendly, old-timey Downtown San Pedro strip, which centers on 6th and 7th Streets, boasts some outstanding dining options, from a British pub to killer Mediterranean and Italian options. There's also the tiny Little Fish Theatre.