World Kite Museum & Hall-Fame

This is a must see museum! You think you know about kites and then you find this place! Ha! Very nice knowledgeable folks. The kite mojo is strong with these costal communities, the Seaside Kite Fest is huge and I can’t wait to see it next summer. Kite flying and design is a truly ancient art and craft!

There were so many cool kites you could look at. There were also many cool souvenirs and the lady working there was super nice! 10/10 would recommend and would definitely come back :)

If you love kites, this is for you, but perhaps not a must see in town. Really just one big room. It took us quite a while to get tickets and admitted by the staff (we were the only ones there). Come at least 45 min before close, or you may not be allowed in.

Lovely little museum. Loads of kites and information about them. The ladies there were very helpful and pleasant. And once you finish exploring the museum you can check out the gift shop to find your own kite to fly.

very rude experience buying kites from here. when my friend and i first came here we were told by a nice woman that the kites with yellow stickers were 75% off. the next day we came in to get more and that lady was gone and there was a different lady, dark brown hair, older. when checking out, my friend, who is poc was buying the kites and the woman was looking at me instead of my friend and only addressing me instead of my friend who was buying the kites. she asked me if i wanted the receipt even tho i was not buying. when i looked at the receipt she had applied a 10% discount instead of the 75% one. i brought it up that the woman the day before told us it was 75% discount she said i was wrong. we did not feel welcome, especially my friend. i would not come back here for a kite.

It was a great break from the beach. I enjoyed all the different types of kites. The docent was truly a nice individual who knew everything about kites. I never knew there were so many kite contests and things that happened in the kite flying world.

Amazing. Did you know they are a WW11 section that has kites they used to pass messages and to move supplies. They also have a huge horse and a dragon. 5 bucks super cheap entrance fee, so with it. Ladies working there were very knowledgeable.

Awesome museum, most of which is upstairs (elevator available). They sell kites downstairs.

We walked in here after visiting the neighboring free museum under the impression this would be the same kind of deal but obviously just about kites. No. $6 dollars per adult. Which we might have done but as soon as we walked in the door it was like piranhas telling us what kites they sold and types etc. this aisle is this that aisle is that..we were not there to buy a kite. We just wanted to look. It made us feel very uncomfortable and we followed the footsteps on the floor directing us to the exit door and left as they whispered.

Wow!! I expected a small area with a few kites. This place is amazing. Beautiful kites and a wonderful history. Definitely worth the very minimal entrance fee. The whole family will love this place. Very nice and knowledgeable staff.

Just when you think there's not much to know about kites, the World Kite Museum proves you wrong. My favorite part about the museum was the staff's enthusiasm about what they had to offer! For a mere $5, you get to hear all about Long Beach's annual kite festival (and see every poster dating back decades), view kites from WWII, other countries, and learn about how kites influenced the engineering of the first planes. It's short and sweet, and you can probably get through it in an hour or less, but if you read everything they have, it would take a few hours. They also have a very nice kite store with kites in every price range, from kid kites to sport kites. They have almost every kite they sell there also on display, which is very helpful! We purchased two, and they both worked and looked great and provided several hours of fun before we left town. A nice surprise at the end is that they gave each of our kids a small plastic kite as a souvenir. While these kites likely won't hold up for many uses, it was definitely a nice touch. We will be repeat customers!

Super fun place! Lots of cool kites to see, and there's also a lot of kites to purchase!

This place is great! Lots of cool kites. Very informative staff and exhibits. As entertaining as a museum can be. Affordable to. I would recommend anyone who is in town go to check this place out. Whether or not you are interested in kites. You will leave with a new appreciation for them.

This is a neat place to visit. They have so many different types of kites on display. Worth a visit.

Fun and unusual stop on our exploratory walk around Long Beach. The women were super friendly & had lots of good information to share. We had no idea about the history or variety of kites around the world! We browsed around for about an hour & watched the videos to get an idea about the kite festival & the mechanics of kite flying. Of course we had to visit the gift shop for some mementos from the trip!

I bought a kite from this place and it wouldn't fly. Went online to look at the manufacturer specs on the kite and realized this shop had sold me the kite with a replacement piece and didn't tell me. The replacement was flimsy and ineffective. Going back to the shop was a real treat. I had to explain the situation to one of the shopkeepers. How I had gone to the beach and watched the kite not fly. Then after investigating found the problem was with that faulty kite repair they had done. Even showed them on their wall an example of the same kite I had purchased and how the pieces didn't match which was why it couldn't fly. Their response "well that doesn't make sense" "what do you want us to do!?" In a snarky tone. Pointing at other kites in their shop, trying to get me to purchase one of those. I wanted nothing to do with this janky shop and got a return. If you shop here, check your kite before you leave. Put it together just outside. Check all the pieces. And always keep your receipt just in case it doesn't fly.

It's pretty small but has lots of interesting kites. The price ($5) was just right for the size. The kite making part was great and the kites really flew later on the beach.

Surprising and very interesting! I particularly enjoyed the War Room which explains the use of kites during WWII. And the gallery of Kite Festival Posters were also fun to visit. The gift shop is great for a souvenir to take home!

For $5 it's hard to go wrong here...interesting displays of kites of all types, I particularly enjoyed the military pieces and information, and the tiny kites. There are stations to build your own kite or even try some origami. There's a shop on 1st floor where u can buy kites, clothing, pins, patches and posters

Who would have ever thought that you could find buried treasure 2 blocks away from the beach- no need for a metal detector! Just one left turn away from 5000 thousand square feet of your heart soaring from disbelief. Prepare for landing as you see historic kites from war times, other countries, and multiple different animal species flying across the ceiling. My personal favorite was the facts and photos found on the 2nd floor bathroom, a true answer to why this is the only kite museum on the entire continent. Another outstanding aspect was the giant peacock that floated above a 100 inch TV. Anyways, if you want to spend 30 mins and 5 dollars learning some history that should never be forgotten, find your way to the World Kite Museum.

The Kite Museum is a fun little place to go to when you are out and about beachcombing but need a little bit of change of pace and see something different. I didn't know it at the time but apparently Long Beach has a annual kite festival. On the bottom floor of the museum there is a small theater where you can see past kite events at Long Beach and see how it's done! The upper floor of the museum has all kinds of different kite models and two sections of kites from different countries. One room has kites that were used during World War 2. Two other sections had Japanese and Chinese kites were beautiful and reading up on all of the different purposes and contests that these kites are used for is very interesting and fun! There were also two buggys or vehicles if you want to call them that kites pull so you can travel where the wind takes you! There is a really cute gift shop as well that contains various kinds of kites and lawn ornaments that are wind based. We got here a bit late so I'm not sure if the setup was still "ready to go" but you can also make your own kites here as well which is pretty cool! Admission to the kite museum is $5.

Disappointed to find that the one area of the museum we were most interested in seeing - the WWII kites- was inaccessible. Would have liked to know that before paying admission.

Fun way to spend a rainy afternoon! They have some great kites here! The place is run by volunteers, and everyone is really, really nice. The $5 adult admission includes getting to build your own mini-kite, which is fun. They have some great exhibits, and we really learned a lot about how kites have been used through history - including during WWII and to take the first aerial photographs. The gift shop has lots of kites for sale at seemingly-reasonable prices. If you're coming for a weekend, call ahead to see if they're offering any kite demonstrations or classes while you're here.

This place was so cute and fun! Went with my boyfriend and we looked at all the cool kites and watched the videos they had downstairs. $5 entry fee but worth it! We were able to make our own kite and flew it the next day. Recommend coming here if you're ever in Long Beach and want something fast and fun to do.

This was a pleasant surprise. The curator was friendly in explaining what to expect. We were educated on the use of kites within the military and for sport. We enjoyed learning about the intricate designs and their meanings. There's an opportunity to make your own kite. You can also purchase kites in the museum shop to take right down the road and fly on the beach. The admission is reasonable.

Cute museum worth a view and a fun place to stop after a day at the beach. Lots of history and kites decorate the walls. It's great to see so many creative and unique items in their exhibits. The staff are nice and will answer any questions. Their gift shop has lots of books and posters. Long Beach has a kite festival in August so this place is pretty popular. It really is a hall of fame and tracks the records of kite fliers all over the world. Be sure to check the website for more details.

Oh, we had a fabulous time April 2018. and we are VERY much looking forward to another visit this weekend. VERY interesting.

Fun little stop, especially if you have kids. We built kites we flew on the beach later that day :) the videos about kites history are interesting too

WOW, I am impressed. Never did I know that there was so much history involved in kites. This place is small but there is a lot to see inside. Also if you want to buy a kite their prices are better then at the tourist shops in town. We will definitely come back here next time we come thru.

My partner and I were staying at the Adrift hotel which just happens to be down from the World Kite Museum. It was so rainy and windy we did not want to go to the beach. We wandered down to the museum but I was skeptical about actually paying to go in. We asked the woman behind the desk what they had there (so I could gauge if I was willing to pay). She was very nice and described in great detail the exhibits they had, exemplifying kites around the world, highlighting cultural differences in how the kites are used and social meanings, the use of kites in bird conservation efforts, the use of kites in WWII, and more. She convinced us. We spent about 90 minutes wandering around and exclaiming over how amazing and informative the exhibits were. I took a ton of pictures, and came away with a great fondness for kites around the world. All in all a day well spent.

The artistry of the kites was beautiful! It was really interesting to learn about the different kite makers and how kites are used in countries around the world. I was amazed at how small and how huge the kites ranged. Well worth a visit

Didn't know it existed - but my kids did! Apparently you cant go more than a day in Long Beach without being handed a kite. Really neat museum!

A must-see if you are staying on or near the Long Beach peninsula. I visited during the Asian New Year celebration, and the kites were spectacular. Chelsea, the museum's director, is gracious and interesting. We had the opportunity to vote on the 5 submittals for the official poster of this year's kite festival.