Zeppelin Tours Over South Bay Available from Long Beach Through June 2010

Airship Ventures, the Zeppelin tour company, is bringing the airship Eureka back to Southern California today, January 7.

The ship's last few visits were sell-out events, so Airship Ventures plans to fly the Zeppelin to Long Beach monthly through June 2010 to give adventurous guests a birds-eye view of the California coast.

The local tour dates will include many weekends and several holidays, including Valentine's Day, Memorial Day and Grand Prix weekend. Mark your calendar and call early for tickets - especially if you're angling for a holiday flight. LA travel dates and flightseeing tours are as follows:

• January 7-18 (holidays include Martin Luther King Day/Jan. 18)
• February 4-15 (holidays include Valentine's Day/Feb. 14 and President's Day/Feb. 15)
• March 26-28, 31 (no holidays)
• April 1-6, 15-27 (holidays/events include Easter, Long Beach Grand Prix, Earth Day)
• May 6-18 (holidays include Mother's Day/May 9, Memorial Day/May 31)
• June 24-27, 30 through July 5 (Independence Day Weekend)

The Zeppelin features six different types of flight tours:

Taste of Zeppelin: A tour over the Long Beach Harbor and the fascinating business of the Port of Long Beach. See the Queen Mary from above as you cruise around Downtown Long Beach. $199 per person (30-minutes).

Long Beach Tour: Enjoy a relaxing extended route over the Long Beach Harbor and the Port of Long Beach before heading towards the beautiful Rancho Palos Verdes Peninsula or southbound over the coastline and wildlife areas. $495 per person (1-hour).

 Eureka lands at Long Beach Airport. Photo by Gary Robbins, The Register

Hollywood Studios Tour: This flight travels over the vast Los Angeles Basin and Downtown LA. Pass Dodger Stadium and Equestrian Center as a warm-up to a flyover of all the major Hollywood studios - Disney, Dreamworks, NBC, Paramount, Sony, Universal and Warner Brothers. The Hollywood Bowl and Hollywood Sign remind you to look out for Grauman's Chinese Theater and the Walk of Fame before you spot Museum Row and the La Brea Tar Pits. The beautiful landscapes of Beverly Hills, Century City and Bel Air provide many intriguing sights, and then we'll request permission to cross over midfield at LAX, one of the busiest in the world, to see the East side of Palos Verdes, San Pedro and finally back to Long Beach. $950 per person (2-hours).

Coastal Tour: Start in Long Beach for a flight that follows Pacific Coast Highway south along the varied vistas of the Seal, Huntington and Newport Beach areas. Depending on the weather and season, you might see kite surfers, kayaks, dolphins and/or whales. Next up, the inspiring dunes and wetlands of the wilderness parks and Crystal Cove state park with the lovely Laguna Hills in the distance. Dana Point marks the turning point for our journey back to Long Beach. $950 per person (2-hours).

Zeppelin Sunset Flights: See the city by day and by night on a sunset flight. Ask about scheduling one of the above one- or two-hour tours around the sunset to get the best of both worlds. An unforgettable and romantic experience, from $495 per person.

Transit Flights: For those seeking the ultimate Zeppelin experience, tours are available on the transit flights between Long Beach and the San Francisco Bay Area. Soaring above the California Coastline and Central Valley, these 8-hour cruises follow Highway 1 as the Zeppelin travels to and from Long Beach from her homebase at Moffett Field near San Francisco. $1500 (plus taxes) one-way, $2500 (plus taxes) round-trip, per person. Available Jan 6 and 19th. Inquire for future dates.

For information, to view a detailed flight schedule, and to purchase tickets visit: www.airshipventures.com or call 650-969-8100 x111.