5 things to do in Long Beach this weekend if you want to avoid the Grand Prix

Do the math, even though math is hard. You get about 180,000 people going to the Grand Prix each year. Figure, generously, and to make the math easier, that 100,000 are from Long Beach. Last time we counted, there were 470,000 people living in Long Beach. That means 370,000 Long Beachers aren’t attending this year’s Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach. If you’re among the majority, here are five alteatives to spend part of Grand Prix weekend.

1. See a play. No, we’re not kidding. Jules Vee’s madcap “Around the World in Eighty Days,” is being staged at the Long Beach Playhouse. Race fans think their sport is thrilling? Does the Grand Prix have stampeding elephants, runaway trains and crazy slapstick? It does not. It has cars going around the track. The zany jouey of Phileas Fogg has everything else. Showtimes are 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday. Call 562-494-1014. Fun fact: An IndyCar, speeding at 230 mph on a smooth equatorial track, could go around the world in four days and 12 hours.

2. Go watch whales. This is the time in the Califoia grey whales’ migration when the females are headed north with their calves. Cutest thing you’ve ever seen. It’s tough to get a boat out of Long Beach during the race weekend, but you’re better off anyway catching one out of San Pedro for a short jaunt out to the tip of the Palos Verdes Peninsula where the whales come close to the coast. Check out www.sanpedro.com for a list of cruises. Fun fact: When a grey whale is bo it weighs almost the same as an IndyCar; a tad over 1,500 pounds. Adults reach a crushing 40 tons.

3. Ruminate on your life thus far. The polar opposite of attending the Grand Prix is visiting the Earl Bus Miller Japanese Garden on Earl Warren Drive on the campus of Cal State Long Beach. You don’t do a thing other than enjoy the quite and the koi. It’s closed Saturday, but you can visit from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Friday and from noon to 4 p.m. Sunday. Admission is free. Fun fact: Takuma Sato became the first Japanese driver to win the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach with his victory in 2013.

4. Get back to nature. Grand Prix Sunday clashes with Bolsa Chica Earth Day Festival at the fabulous Bolsa Chica Wetlands. From 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, visitors can do a bit of snake-handling, count migrating birds, lea about pollution and enjoy food along with taking a guided tour of the reserve. To make things a bit more enjoyable, download the Bolsa Chica app from iTunes, which will dial you in to info on the wetlands’ majestic Great Blue Heron and other wildlife.

Fun fact: The oldest known Great Blue Heron lived to the age of 24, which was the age at which six-time Toyota Grand Prix Long Beach wier Al Unser, Jr. was when he won his first 24 Hours of Daytona race in 1986!

5. Buy some old stuff: Grand Prix officials foolishly booked the race on the same Sunday as Long Beach’s popular Antique Market at Vets Stadium.

While racegoers are fighting crowds to get to the turkey-leg vendor, you can instead be fighting crowds to get to the singing Elvis clock. Hours are 6:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Admission is $6.

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Fun fact: You can buy an antique Indy race car on eBay right now for $299.

Contact Tim Grobaty at 562-714-2116, [email protected], @grobaty on Twitter.