Queen Mary

Address:Long Beach, California

If you're a nautical buff or just curious about how the upper crust traveled before commercial passenger jets, then the Queen Mary, in Long Beach, California, is for you! Built together with her sister ship, the Queen Elizabeth, in the late 1930s to compete with European intercontinental super liners, the Queen Mary held the record for the world's fastest intercontinental trip for 14 years. For.many years, the Queen Mary was renowned as a luxury ship without compare. During World War II, she was refitted as a warship and became known as "the grey ghost." One of the fastest and largest troop ships in the war, the Queen Mary even took part in the D-Day invasion before returning to regular cruise ship duties until her retirement in late 1967.

Today, decades removed from her days of skimming over the waters bearing the cream of U.S. and European society, including famous actors Charlie Chaplin and Clark Gable, and the pride of the British military, the Queen Mary has been converted into a combined hotel and tourist attraction. The ship offers several touring options. Take a self-guided ship walk tour of the entire boat, or take the standard tour that covers the ship's history. For the adventurous traveler, there's the "Ghosts and Legends of the Queen Mary" tour, which recounts paranormal and historic events associated with the ship over the years. Whichever option you choose and whether you come just for an hour or two or to stay and sleep in one of the luxury cabins of yesteryear, the Queen Mary is not to be missed!

The Queen Mary is docked in the Long Beach Harbor, along Queen's Highway, just off the 710 Freeway. The 405 Freeway brings you conveniently to the 710. Have fun exploring this glorious ship from a bygone era!