Bruce's Beach

It was a wonderful beach, wonderful people and the atmosphere was great and the waves were big. Great for surfing. No racial tension. I went on the 4th of July and it was packed. I've been here before earlier this year it wasn't packed. There is limited parking so pack lightly and you're gonna have to walk a distance. There is no food vendors just a beach ⛱️ I still recommend this beach for people who wanna ride bikes and play beach volleyball and walk the beach or get in the water.

Bruce’s Beach is a historic landmark and a popular gathering spot for those looking for a getaway in the beach cities. The area features controlled parking and offers stunning vistas. You can relax on the grassy knoll or head down to the beach. No matter where you are in the Bruce’s Beach area, you’ll find yourself in a beautiful oasis.

Park seems like a good place to watch the sun set. We were looking for basketball courts and this park has hoops but they’re on a sidewalk so not enough space for a game but you can shoot there.

So much history on this land . Land Stolen and at least The City tried to do the right thing. I wish the family would have leased it back to the city and collected Generational Wealth for generations to come .

Pretty jam packed during summer, so good luck with parking. Carpooling is key. . Super cozy 🐸 vibes afternoon and evening hours . . Paid parking closes at 8, so make sure you're parked on street, etc. Enjoy the Sunsets or Sunrises!

Bruce’s Beach is much more than a pretty overlook of the Pacific—it’s a historic landmark and a tribute to Willa and Charles Bruce’s legacy. With panoramic coastal views, lush lawns, and a quietly moving commemorative story, it’s perfect for artful photos, cultural reflection, or a peaceful afternoon by the sea. If you’re sightseeing in Manhattan Beach, make it a stop.

Great history, happy to hear the city is building systems in place to give the land back to original owners. Beautiful plaque that describes the history in detail

Black owned beach. The land was returned to the descendants of Charles and Willa Bruce with the help of the NAACP in 2022. It was violently seized from the family in 1924. Willa Bruce bought the first two lots in 1912. What incredible history! The beach is not busy at all. It’s nestled in a neighborhood, no mass commercial retailers or nick nack shops. Just stunning views😀. 🌊

Can't wait to go back beautiful beach , nice to have a picnic, nice people it just a beautiful relaxing water amazing .

This was a very clean and peaceful park. There's parking surrounding the park but it was full even at 6:30am. It's located across from the Strand in Manhattan Beach where there is a lifeguard station with a public parking lot with meters. There's also a couple of basketball hoops. Dogs are allowed on the grass in the lower part of the park. On the upper level, there's benches to enjoy the lovely view of the beach (where dogs are not allowed). I would definitely come back to visit and bring a snack to have a picnic on the beautiful lawn.

People like to throw their parties here and not clean up after themselves... Used to be lovely neighborhood park. Trash bins are always beyond capacity.

Took Luna, our jack Russell terrier. She loved it. There were people playing tennis, biking, roller blading, others celebrating a bday, and reg beach loungers. life guards were around. Parking is tight but we were able to find a spot by the park and walk down

So not sure if everyone know the story of this plot of land. It originally belonged to Willa and Charles Bruce in 1912. It was a thriving resort run by African Americans and was taken from them by eminent domain by city counsel. After the land sat vacant for many years a park and a life guard station were placed on the property. In 2006 the city named the park Bruce Beach. It is a beautiful piece of land in Manhattan Beach directly across for the ocean. Fast forward to 2021. The decedents of the Bruce family have been awarded seventy four million dollars for property that was illegally taken. A right to a grievous wrong. It is a truly quaint little place to relax and watch the ocean and appreciate nature.

NEWS Update 4/10/21 from KTLA 5 & Assoc. Press: Los Angeles County plans to return prime beachfront property to descendants of a Black couple who built a seaside resort for African Americans but suffered racist harassment and were stripped of it by local city leaders a century ago, a county official said Friday. "It is the county's intention to return this property," Janice Hahn, a member of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, told a news conference at what was known as Bruce's Beach in the city of Manhattan Beach.

A major vibe!! Plus, everyone else visiting was chill and stayed to themselves. Which is a good thing when you're coming for some peace of mind. Bruce's Beach is definitely now my new favorite beach! Just be sure to make time to find parking. It gets crowded on the weekend

Enjoyed the last Sunday of Black History Month 2022 at Bruce's Beach. Brought my blanket, snacks and enjoyed the good vibes from lively crowd just before sunset. The view of the water from the grassy knoll of Bruce's Beach is breathtaking. So happy the Bruce's have had their land returned to their family - legacy!

Great park with an ocean view with plenty of grass! I like to park by Bruce's beach and walk down the beach for a run.

There are fairly few places in Manhattan Beach where you can get a unobstructed view of the ocean from the shore. Bruce's Beach is one of those places. The Park is fairly under developed (a few bench, a basket ball hoop, and some green space). From the top of the hill you can look down and see the crystal clear waters of the Pacific Ocean. As you sit on the vista, you can reflect on this historical significance of the location. The property was originally owned by Willa and Charles Bruce and the location served as a beach resort for the African American community starting in the early 1910's. The property was taken from the family in 1927 by MB due to racial tensions and the resort was removed. After years of advocacy, the land was returned to the family in 2021.

Such a nice place to have a picnic. I had a little picnic here with my girls. We went on a Wednesday and there was barely anyone there except for a group of people doing yoga and some people walking their dogs. Although, I've passed by here on my strolls along the beach and have seen this place get pretty busy during the weekends. A plus to this place is the designated parking lot nearby. If I remember right, you pay around $2 per hour for a max of 4 hours through the parking meter and can pay with card. Moreover, this park overlooks the ocean and is only a 2 minute walk down to the beach. A great hangout and date spot. I will definitely be coming back here!

The history of Bruce'a beach is quite fascinating. It's amazing to see that the governor has given the land back to the original owners. This park has a great view of the crystal clear ocean and clean beaches. I recommend this as an outdoor spot to practice yoga since the wind pushes east. I love the San Francisco shaped hills and the children taking advantage of them.

Beautiful excellent beach! I would recommend to anyone around great water and weather. Bring coins for the meter in the parking lot!

Oh my God I love this park I love it because it has the ground like little mountain, it's very beautiful because it also have just the perfect view to the beach me and my sister like to go and work out and is very beautiful and calm. Perfect for a picnics or just to have a wonderful peaceful nap. I cannot wait to go back.

A nice beach, not too crowded with good sand and lots to watch: surfers, sail boats, sand volleyball and happy families. Parking is available but close in gets filled in pretty quickly. Beach kept clean, bicycling trail on inland border and lots of nearby restaurants and bars.

Beautiful park finally back on the right side history. God bless the Bruce family . Do not miss the display down on the Strand walkway that details the history of the land through present day. It's way more detailed than the monument plaque at the top of the park. Also, there is more FREE PUBLIC parking in the neighborhood ABOVE (east) of Highland Ave in the "400 block". You can park and walk down. Surfers and beach goers park there all the time.

Lots of grassy area by the beach to lounge on and also a calisthenics area. On Saturdays and Sundays a good truck that serves breakfast crepes comes around.

My absolute favorite spot to get away and watch all the surveys from and ages! It's very siren. They have meter parking which I like, You may have to circle around a few times before getting a park but I guarantee you, It's definitely worth it all.

Lovely and historic beach with a great view of the ocean. Parking isn't the best, so you may want to plan ahead in advance.

I absolutely love Bruce's Beach! Not only due to the historical value, but also because it really is a nice beach. The option of grass or sand is a plus, because I enjoy them both!

Proud that the descendants of Bruce family got their parcel of land back after the city ran them out back in the 1920s. It's a stunning piece of land, free of trash, & with beautiful views. I hope to see more of my black and brown brothers and sisters enjoy this space more often now.

It's a park...not a beach so don't let the name fool you. It's pet friendly (on some parts of it) but leashed dogs only since there are no gates or fences surrounding it. You get a great view of the beach as well. It's near the Lifeguard Training Center and there are restrooms next to it too.

Absolutely love how I feel when I visit this area of the beach. The history is amazing. Thank you ancestors!

Great old historic park in Manhattan Beach. An amazing view. The bottom line it is small but it is nice.

Beautiful views! We were here during sunset and it was beyond amazing. Big grassy area, perfect for picnics! Learning about the history of Bruce's Beach was somewhat maddening knowing that it was once originally owned by a black family and intended for people of color to access the beach but eventually were driven out. Unfortunate that it took so long for this area to be renamed Bruce's beach.

What more could you ask for in a park with grass right by the beach? One with sloped grass seating, amphitheater style, looking directly at the ocean below. To make it even better, there's a mini basketball court for the kids to play but don't expect to be slamming backboards on a full sized court. Plenty of parking around, meters as usual in the area. Great combo of ocean and park!

Nice little park just above the 26th/27th Street beach parking lots. Great view. Perfect place for a picnic. Even has a basketball court but a stray jumpshot or a long rebound could find your ball down the longgg hill. Hahah... So. Be accurate!! Nice grass area and some benches with several trees scattered about for shade. Parking can be a nightmare on weekends so good luck, bring quarters for the lot or hope you get lucky finding a spot on a nearby street that's free. Enjoy the view and the sea breeze.

Nice place and Bruce is a good guy but stinks at basketball. Sometimes I like to sit in the sun here and drink beers with Bruce.

Hopefully the new owners keep it open to the public. So many families have fond memories of this place and having somewhere to enjoy for free.

you can't beat the views at this park, for any beach locale. good history lesson i just recently learned as well... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruce%27s_Beach ... the kiddos love coming here and expending all that energy running up and down and side to side and round and round and ... man, i'm tired. anyway, they have a full size basketball rim as well as a kiddie sized rim between the 2 grassy knolls. so awesome. just a block from the ocean makes it a convenient place to dust the sand off your feet. there's also a workout course at the bottom, right before you get to the sand, with pull up bars, planks and sit up stands. keep your dog on a leash, not just because it's the law, but, the traffic on Highland is fast and furious. oh, and in fairness to people with 4 legged pets, keep an eye your 2 legged companions as well, for the same reason. great spot and will be coming back asap.

Another park review for my ongoing series. Bruce's Beach is not a beach at all, it's a park. A memorial park dedicated to the beach area it watches over. And it turns out that this park site, the oldest in Manhattan Beach in fact, represents quite a powerful history.....namely one of racial discrimination. Yesterday, when I read the story on the commemorative plaque (see photo), I was so saddened that I just stood there for a long time. Just stood there. I was thinking that I have driven past this park a zillion times and never knew the sad history of the surrounding area. Isn't it amazing what we discover when we pause to take a closer look? The park was renamed about a year ago. I recall that Cheri had posted a thread about the dedication, and I found the link on Google (http://www.yelp.com/topic/beverly-hills-bruce-s-beach-in-manhattan-beach). Ah yes, now I recall......... It's about time, I say, that an acknowledgment has taken place. Seems like very little, however, a lot late. The park itself is a beautiful spot, especially for watching sunsets. It's on a steep hill overlooking the sea. It's almost all grassy, and it's laid out in tiers, so there is ample flat land to walk on. Quite unusual. I was humbled not only by the story I just mentioned, but also by a commemorative stone bench shaped like a surfboard (in photos). The plaque on that bench is dedicated to that Manhattan Beach resident who was killed on 9/11. Ah yes, I remember that too. Isn't it amazing what humans are capable of doing to hurt one another? Back to the park itself. It's directly above the Lifeguard Training Center, which sits on the walking path along the beautiful stretch of oceanfront north of Manhattan Beach Pier. I think this is one of LA's best beaches, vast and mostly unpopulated. The homes on the Strand have flower gardens, and there are vintage lamp posts, and old stone stairways leading down to the sand. I often walk here, it reminds me that we live in Paradise. It takes my breath away every single time. Bruce's Beach park has metered parking lots that are also in tiers (see photos). I can tell you that on summer weekends, spaces are at a premium, and the surrounding residential area offers very little if any street parking. It's a densely-populated place. But on a weekday, clear sailing, plenty of room. The park has no playground and no facilities other than the basketball court in the photo. And there is no restroom either, but there are some down on the beach if you walk in either direction. Dogs (on leashes) are allowed in half the park only, the lower half. See photos of the signs. If you drive by Bruce's Beach, stop and pause to reflect on how precious life is, and how fragile it can be. Feelings are precious too, and this park site generates many.

Review 300 My 300th review was supposed to be about my dinner tonight at Mastro's that I will be enjoying a much needed steak dinner and great full bodied bottle of Cab for a friends 30th birthday. As I was on my way to my bfast destination I made a quick glance to my left as I drove by and noticed a bench on a grassy park that over looked the beach in Manhattan. After a great 299th review at North End Cafe I decided to make a stop by to take a minute to reflect on this crazy life and take in some me time and gather my thoughts. I want to dedicate my 300th review to a fellow coworker and dear friend of mine Patrick Hillan who was killed by a drunk driver early Sunday morning along with two others on the 101 freeway. We take life for granted sometimes. See, Patrick recently joined me on my last trip to my happy land of Napa. He drove me NUTS one night, and with a full day and half left of our trip, I gave him short bratty pants Ciara from then on. I continued this trend also as we returned to work. He had no clue that I was irritated with him; if he did, I didn't know, as he didn't act any different towards me than he did before the trip. The last time I saw him at work I chatted with him a little more than I had been but was still short. I am beating myself up right now as this chat was the last one I will ever have with him. As I sit on a bench at Bruce's Beach with the sun shining on my back, the crisp feel of the ocean breeze on my face, watching two adorable twin boys give me smiles with their rosy cheeks and chocolate covered faces and the sight of the roaring ocean in front of my eyes I can't help but reflect on the life that I am still able to enjoy. It's the simple and little things in life that matter. It's taking time out of your busy day to just stop for a moment and take in the view of the life around you. My buddy turned me on to Noble Park in Hermosa recently and I easily fell in love. These little beach parks smack in the middle of a busy city are life's simple treasures that are right out in the open for us to enjoy whenever we please but probably never seem to find the time to do so. I am glad I made a stop today to Bruce's Beach after breakfast. It truly is a wonderful spot to sit and enjoy life. A picnic here, with a bottle of my favorite summer wine, on a hot summer day will be in the cards as the weather warms up. RIP Patrick You were taken from this life to soon but out of the 4 years I have had the honor to know you I know that you were the happiest you have ever been in your life.

This place was wild! It has benches, basketball hoops, and views! Volleyball nets are directly at the bottom of the hill (3 min walk). BYOB, bring your own (water) balloons, and play water balloon toss! Hmu if you want to go against the champ. Parking wasn't too bad around 3pm.

I love how it's right by the beach. Such a cute spot to sit and have a picnic. You get the breeze from the beach but don't have to worry about getting all sandy !

This little park has such a great design for viewing the beach ! The terraced grassy hillside with clean concrete benches was a lovely place to sit and relax today while retreating from my busy life.

This is a really cool small park and beach area in Manhattan Beach with a monument and nice view of the water. There are benches and a big grassy area. The monument relates to civil rights issues and is a good reminder of how far we've come, and how there is still work to do.

Beautiful park with a very sad history. Basically, the park was owned by a a black family in 1917 and they created a resort for African American people who were banned from beaches. The family was terrorized by the KKK and moved to South Central. It took Manhattan beach almost 100 years to rename it "Bruce Beach."

Beautiful location. Sacred ground. Great opportunity to put the past behind and join with others to move forward together.

This is a small park that's a stone's throw away from Manhattan Beach. You can see the beach while sitting on one of the park benches. Lots of nice lush green grass to spread out on and relax if that's your speed. Because it faces due West and is elevated, you get an excellent view of the sunsets from here.

The ocean is big, I've yet to find something it can't handle. I ended up here by accident, after a long and aimless drive. I needed to pull over, get a handle on things, think for a minute. The universe stepped in, and bam, all I could see was grass, trees and an unobstructed view of the big blue. Perfection.

First of all, the park is awesome. Grassy area with some basketball courts overlooking the beach. A great place to have a picnic or take a rest on a bike ride. Check it out-it rocks. Enough said about that. But how many times have I ridden past Bruce's Beach, formerly known as Parque Culiacan, and earlier as City Park and Bayview Terrace, and said to myself, "What the heck is this park doing here? It's surrounded by apartments and condos, why did they not keep building here? Did something burn down that the original owner couldn't afford to pay for?" Don't get me wrong-I love parks...but I've always felt that Bruce's Beach looks like it was never intended to be there, like it was something else and was made into a park. One rainy day earlier this week on a bus ride to work I got my answer. An elderly woman sitting next to me who had lived in Manhattan Beach her whole life told me the story of "Bruce's Beach" and how the KKK and eventually the City got rid of an entire African American Community in 1924. The bus driver confirmed this statement. I found it hard to believe so I jumped on the internet. There I found many links including one yelp thread from Cheri A about Bruce's Beach http://www.yelp.com/topic/beverly-hills-bruce-s-beach-in-manhattan-beach and one Wikipedia article http://wikimapia.org/2889867/Bruce-s-Beach-City-Park Bruce's Beach was one of the few beaches in Southern California in the early 1900s that was not off-limits to African Americans.(What?not everyone could go to the beach???) Developer George Peck established the area in 1912 as a beach for African Americans, which was so against the conventional wisdom of the time, when most beaches in Southern California were white only beaches. In 1912 Mrs. Willa Bruce bought one of the first lots on George Peck's site and began to establish a beach resort for African Americans. The local Manhattan Beach Community reacted to the Bruce's arrival with disapproval to say the least. The KKK often harassed African American beach goers, burnt crosses on their property and the Manhattan Beach City Council began to push for the Bruce's removal from the city. Indeed, if you were an African American and you were seen at Manhattan Pier at night, you risked getting arrested or worse. The city eventually declared eminent domain and paid the Bruces $14,500 to leave Manhattan Beach-an amount well below market value. (This left Mrs. Bruce financially ruined.) After the Bruce's left their beach, the cottages were burned to the ground (the KKK actually had tried to burn them to the ground when the Bruces still lived there.) The city then tried to build a whites only resort but the NAACP intervened and fearing negative publicity, the city backed down. For years from the 1930's to the early 1960's the area was just an unused sand dune, a constant desolate reminder of an unresolved past. By 1962 though, the city took a renewed interest in the area calling it Bayview Terrace and a park was built. Later it became known as Parque Culiacan, after Manhattan Beach's sister city in Mexico. By 2006 a renewed interest in the park's roots began to emerge and the Manhattan Beach City Council was forced to dig into the city's not so pretty past. The Council renamed the park 'Bruce's Beach' and eventually celebrated this change in a ceremony on March 31st, 2007 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMDWxDtwE1s . Many have suggested that Interpretive panels and public art should faithfully, completely, and accurately celebrate the proud legacy of Bruce's Beach and African-American Los Angeles so that all who visit it can learn of it's past. Seems to be a reasonable request to me. (I wonder, do the kids of Mira Costa High learn about the history of Bruce's Beach in their History classes?) The City of Manhattan Beach has declared that "Friendship, goodwill, and respect for all begins within our own boundries and extends to the world community." If that is truly the case, why not just give the property back from who they took it from, or at the very least make a better effort to communicate the Park's history and culture?

A beautiful little serene park overlooking the Pacific Ocean. I had never been here before and was in need of a little rest and relaxation, chillaxing and meditation. This proved to be the perfect spot. Some dogs. But it is an open unfenced park.

John S. and Joan S. hit the nail on the head with their reviews. This beach has a lot of history and the park name Bruce's Beach recognizes the part of the beach that black Americans enjoyed, and the racism that eventually closed down their beach. I applaud the recent decision to rededicate the park and rename it back to it's historical name. On a personal note, I grew up spending entire summers on the sands between 26th and 27th street. Several Manhattan Beach families formed "Club 26" and not only spent summers together, but other family trips and block parties. The grassy park was fun to drag my boogie board on and kick the sand off my feet. The big parking lots and streets provide some of the better parking for beach goers. In 1984, I stood at the top of this park and watched the Olympic torch get carried by a runner down Highland. I don't think I knew the significance at the time. I like this grassy patch and hope they keep it like this for people to enjoy.

On the list of other great places to fly a kite in Los Angeles. You really can't ask for anything better. You have the whole elevated terrain and a lot of open space to let that kite fly high and over the ocean. Since the park is separated in tiers, you can easily roll down one and stop without hurting yourself too much. Which is fun if you just want to roll around on the grass and get all itchy by the end of the day. From here you get to see the nice condos of the MB area as well as a great view of the ocean/beach from a slightly higher place. There's basketball courts there so you can get your B-ball on while the smarter folks are flying their kites on this elevated area. Just be careful not to hit the nearby expensive homes. Parking is also pretty easy. In all, this spot is one of the better secrets that MB hides. It's not known by all and since it's tucked away between all the wonderful homes around here, you can really relax and not be around too many crowds. I used to use this as a starting point to run to the pier and back. A good work out on a sunny day. A great spot for a Sunday afternoon picnic.

Bruce's Beach is a beautiful viewpoint atop Manhattan Beach! If you don't want to get your toes sandy, I recommend coming to this park to view the sunset or to come with a picnic blanket and some food.

A nice little park in Manhattan Beach! It's got a few basketball hoops(the court is not regulation size) and little hills with benches and trees that provide shade and a great shot of the great pacific ocean! It's a perfect spot if you want to relax by the beach without the sand getting all over you. Also can be a bit of a challenge since they only have a two small parking spots and street parking if you're there early! Have fun!

It's a nice area but overall I'm pissed. Why? BECAUSE ITS NOT A FUCKING BEACH. Sure it's just a short walk from the beach. You can see it in the picture I added. But it's not a beach. It's just a grass area with a few basketball goals. I was hoping for a dog friendly beach. And this said it was a beach and dog friendly. But it's not. The grass area is called Bruce's beach. The actual beach is manhattan state beach or city of manhattan beach or something like that. Fuckin' bullshit.

This has become my go to beach after I moved. A direct shot for me down Rosecrans. There are no summer hour restrictions on the street, I believe it's Highland, so once you find parking you are good for the rest of the day. After reading some reviews I realized why I always see people in training. Yes, I guess the Lifeguard Training Center is right smack in the middle of the beach. Which provides a great feeling of security when I tote my nieces and nephews down their. If they get swooped up by a wave all I have to do is flag down one of the many fit trainees. It's generally pretty mellow and calm. A lot of families and active people getting their daily run in. It's also a great spot to start off a bike ride down to Marina del Rey.

I love love love Bruce's beach. Great views, quiet park, nice benches, well kept grass - and it's free! What isn't there to love? Please don't turn it into an obnoxious skating place.