While both Rockaway Beach and Long Beach have excellent dining and staying options, Rockaway Beach has fewer crowds. The atmosphere on this beach is cool, wet, and relatively humid atmosphere. On the other hand, Long Beach delivers a crowdy, sunny, and warm atmosphere. The peak season is from May to June at Rockaway Beach and April to June and August to October at Long Beach.
Along with all these pieces of information, you’ll need additional details to differentiate Rockaway Beach Vs Long Beach. Keep reading till the end!
Rockaway Beach Vs Long Beach: A Quick Overview
Before heading into the details, a glance at the differentiating factors will help you a lot. The chart below has all the key factors that set Rockaway Beach apart from Long Beach, much like Santa Monica and Venice Beach. Give it a read:
| Factors | Rockaway Beach | Long Beach |
| Location | Rockaway Peninsula, Queens, New York City | Nassau County, Long Island, New York |
| Atmosphere | Cool and wet, relatively humid | Sunny and warm, moderately humid |
| Beach Activities | Surfing, fishing, volleyball, rock climbing | Swimming, rock climbing, parasailing, surfing |
| Crowd | Less crowded and quieter | Crowded and more lively |
| Dining and Restaurants | Tacoway Beach, Rippers, Caracas Arepa Bar | Grotta Di Fuoco, Lost at Sea, LB Social |
| Where to Stay | San Remo Hotel, Holiday Inn | Long Beach Hotel, Allegria Hotel |
| Events | Green Future Huke, Kite Festival, Artisans Market | Arts and Crafts Festival, Fall Festival, Fireworks Extravaganza |
| Best Time to Visit | May through June | April to June, August to October |
Now you’re ready to know all the important pieces of information regarding these factors. Keep reading.
Rockaway Beach Vs Long Beach: Detailed Comparison
Let’s dive into the detailed comparison between Rockaway Beach and Long Beach!
Location
Both Long Beach and Rockaway Beach are on Long Island in New York. Rockaway Beach is in Rockaway Peninsula in Queens, New York City whereas Long Beach is in Nassau County just north of Rockaway Beach.
Rockaway Beach is the city’s only legal surfing beach. These beaches are only 9.7 miles apart. This situation is similar to Cocoa Beach and Clearwater Beach as well.
Atmosphere
The atmosphere of Rockaway Beach is cool and wet, whereas the atmosphere of Long Beach is sunny and warm.
In the winter months, the temperature of Rockaway Beach can dip below the freezing point. Rockaway Beach is moderately humid average humidity is around 83%.
On the contrary, Long Beach is relatively humid, warm, and sunny, as it gets 168 sunny days per year. The average annual humidity at Long Beach is around 63% and it’s quite windy on this beach.
Beach Activities
In terms of beach activities, Long Beach offers better experiences such as better surfing, when compared to Rockaway Beach.
Rockaway Beach has many beach activities like fishing, volleyball, rock climbing, and surfing. You can also enjoy pickleball and roller hockey, and it also has a skate park.
Similarly, Long Beach offers a handful of beach activities as well. You can do rock climbing, parasailing, surfing, and play volleyball at the Blue and Gold Beach Camp. Remember that you can only swim when a lifeguard is on duty.
However, Long Beach provides a better surfing experience when compared to Rockaway Beach.
Crowd
The crowd at Rockaway Beach is quiet and less crowded in comparison to Long Beach.
Rockaway Beach is less crowded and quieter than Long Beach. This beach is mostly crowded in the summer.
Long Beach is almost always crowded and more lively in comparison. But you can find some spots at the beach featuring less crowd, the beach itself is huge!
Dining and Restaurants
Both Rockaway Beach and Long Beach offer a variety of foods and cuisines from all over the world.
At Rockaway Beach, you will find:
- Tacoway Beach: Tacoway Beach offers the same beloved fish, chorizo, and black bean tacos with added seating.
- Rippers: Here you can enjoy a selection of beach burgers, including cheese and veggie options, along with fries, ice cream, beer, and wine, all conveniently located on the boardwalk
- Caracas Arepa Bar: Along with refreshing drinks, the Caracas Arepa Bar also offers homemade Venezuelan food!
Long Beach offers a lot of options when it comes to dining as well. Long Beach is known for having great Italian restaurants. Here are a few popular restaurants and bars in Long Beach:
- Grotta Di Fuoco: The Grotta Di Fuoco provides an industrial and rustic place, and offers delicious dishes like Branzino and Octopus.
- Lost at Sea: Lost at Sea is known for being one of the best seafood restaurants on the beach. You can also enjoy the cocktail bars on the side.
- LB Social: This bar is quite renowned around Long Beach and offers drinks, appetizers, wines, and cocktails.
Where to Stay
Rockaway Beach offers more hotels and rentals within the area when compared to Long Beach.
At Long Beach, you can choose from Allegria Hotel and Long Beach Hotel, which are close to the beach. You can also choose Hotel Mint JFK Airport and Five Towns Inn, but these hotels are far from the Beach.
Rockaway offers high-quality hotels like San Remo Hotel and Quality Inn. Fortunately, these hotels are very close to the beach. You can interchange between Quality Inn and Days Inn hotel if you wish to.
Events
Both Rockaway Beach and Long Beach host several events regarding culture and sports.
At Long Beach, you will get to enjoy the Arts and Crafts Festival, the infamous Fall Festival, the Fireworks Extravaganza, races, parades, etc. These events uphold the cultural aspects of New York.
Similarly, Rockaway Beach also instigates events such as the Green Future Hike, Artisans Market, and Kite Festival. From children to adults, everyone can participate in these events and have fun.
Best Time to Visit
The best time to visit Rockaway Beach is from May through June whereas it’s June through October for Long Beach.
May to June is the peak season at Rockaway Beach because it’s the best season to check out the best aspects of the beach. You can visit Rockaway Beach early to mid-morning since it’s the perfect time to go to any beach.
On the other hand, you can enjoy the warm water and hints of the winter when you go to Long Beach between April to June or August to October. If you’re lucky, you might even catch one of the events at the beach.
Which One Should You Choose Between Rockaway Beach Vs Long Beach?
The vast amount of details about Rockaway Beach and Long Beach can get you further confused. But don’t worry, because I will sum up all the differences right here.
If you’re looking for a chill beach with less crowd and lots of beach activities, Rockaway Beach is for you. Rockaway Beach also has more options regarding staying at hotels and rentals.
The atmosphere on this beach is on the cool, wet, and humid side. Although, you will need to visit the beach between May and June.
On the other hand, Long Beach is the better option if you want to enjoy your beach time in the summer, preferably from April to June or August to October.
This beach is warm, sunny, and crowded most of the time and provides better beach activities in comparison
Conclusion
That’s everything you need to know to differentiate between Rockaway Beach and Long Beach. Make sure to consider your priorities before you decide where to go. After that, choose your destination.
