California Museums

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Queen Mary Museum Tour

The Queen Mary
1126 Queens Highway
Long Beach, California
(800) 437-2934
queenmary.com

Queen Mary Ship in Long Beach, California is an historic vessel that set transatlantic records after it was built in Scotland and launched in 1936. Serving as a luxury oceanliner till WWII when it went into service for the war effort, the regal ship offered the preferred method of travel before airline travel was readily available.

The Queen Mary, a living museum, offers self-guided tour or guided tours options. Explore famous places within the ship such as the haunted swimming pool area, haunted cabins, the grand ballroom and the inner bowels where it's dark & damp. It has been featured on Unsolved Mysteries and has hosted Ghost & Paranormal Festivals.

Among the interesting exhibits you won't want to miss are examples of a cabin where guests slept, displays of WWII artifacts such as shaving kits, combs, brushes and personal items, and photos of troops being transported.

Black & white, life-size pictures of famous dignitaries, kings and queens fill the walkways and halls. Rotating exhibits have featured some of the Queen's notable guests such as actor/comedian Bob Hope (1903-2003) who was onboard the Queen Mary during her final passenger voyage before the start of WWII in 1939.

Other well known guests have included Fred Astaire, Bing Crosby, Elizabeth Taylor, Clark Gable, Greta Garbo, Audrey Hepburn, Lynne Redgrave, Winston Churchill, The Duke & Duchess of Windsor (Edward VII & Wallis Simpson,) General Dwight Eisenhower, Jacqueline Kennedy, Robert Kennedy and countless others.

A Wireless Room contains a modern Amateur Radio Station, W6RO, which is equipped with emergency electrical power for operation in a disaster situation. It is operated by the Associated Radio Amateurs of Long Beach (information about the wireless room may need updating.) It actually doesn't look out of place, and seems to fit right in with the vintage decor of the ship. A glass window allows you to look at the equipment and occasionally watch the action when it is being used.

Included in the National Register of Historic Places, the stately ship contains beautiful wall murals and carvings made of precious and rare woods plus a large, sweeping ballroom with light fixtures and ornamentation befitting a queen.

A Ship Model Gallery, 4D Theater, Steam & Steel Tour, Haunted Encounters, and specialty tours allow you to explore the ship from bow to stern, inside and out, and hear unique stories, facts and insights about the Queen Mary from expert guides. 

Tourists can visit the Queen Mary open daily and pay a fee just to wander around and see the museum exhibits. Or you can dine on board the ship for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Fine dining is Sir Winston's on the Queen Mary ship is held at the elegant upper deck restaurant with an intimate atmosphere, daytime, sunset and evening skyline views of the city, delicious gourmet steaks and fish, and a complete list of cocktails and wines. It is one of Long Beach's top choices for celebrations and dates.

While you can't actually ride the Queen Mary because it is stationary, you can take pleasant harbor trips on the Aqualink, Water Taxi, or Fishing and Whale Watching boats that depart Long Beach Harbor.

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