The Santa Monica Pier is not one of the secret gems of Los Angeles. It is one of the top landmarks to photograph in Los Angeles and is overrun with tourists and families alike on any typical Saturday in July. Yet, despite its popularity, the pier still holds its attraction to visit with children, and the difference between an enjoyable day at the Santa Monica Pier and an exhausting one boils down to a few simple choices: when you visit, how you get there and what exactly you are going to do once there.
This guide offers you the whole package - times, parking, attractions, events, and our assessment of what works best with the little ones.
Santa Monica Pier Los Angeles - The Basics Before You Go
The Santa Monica Pier address is 200 Santa Monica Pier, Santa Monica, CA 90401 at the intersection of Ocean Avenue and Colorado - the Santa Monica Pier Santa Monica CA USA listing you will find on any map service. Knowing precisely where the entrance to the Santa Monica Pier CA is located is crucial, as the pier is approached from above, and the descent ramp might be hard to notice at first visit.
Santa Monica Pier hours are 6 AM to 10 PM daily, throughout the year. Entrance to the pier is completely free and accessible. Individual attractions on the pier have their own opening hours, which is the main disappointment of the visitors. Arriving at 9 AM gets you an almost empty pier and none of the attractions working.
One current detail to remember: the historic Pier Bridge is being replaced, with the project running through the end of 2027. However, the pier is entirely open during the construction period, detours are possible and a temporary replica of the famous Santa Monica Pier sign is located in the southeast entrance of Pacific Park.
In case anyone wonders where is Santa Monica Pier in respect to the rest of the city, the Los Angeles Santa Monica Pier connection is straightforward: the Santa Monica Pier Los Angeles California positioning puts it at the westernmost point of the coast of Los Angeles County, approximately fifteen miles west from the downtown of the city, and marks the endpoint of Metro E Line.
Santa Monica Pier in California - What Is On The Deck
The Santa Monica Pier in California has been functioning since 1909, and a century is plenty of time to accumulate quite an eclectic number of attractions there.
Pacific Park is the amusement park located at the westernmost end of the pier - there are twelve rides available, including the Pacific Wheel and the West Coaster, a roller coaster running 55 feet above the ocean. Access to the park is free, and you pay for individual rides or a wristband.
The Carousel is the oldest part of the pier and the heart of it. Constructed in 1939, it is housed in the 1920s Looff Hippodrome - the oldest building of the pier and the National Historic Landmark - and provides 44 horses, one rabbit, two sleighs, and a goat. The ticket prices of the ride are traditionally very affordable.
Playland Arcade holds more than 200 arcade games, from skee-ball and pinball to the modern video and photo games. Rain or shine, the place of choice for kids on windy days.
Heal the Bay Aquarium sits at the bottom of the carousel building - a small educational facility that provides interactive touch tanks with the local marine life.
Trapeze School New York operates at the Santa Monica Pier, offering classes on flying trapeze and aerial silks for everyone over the age of six.
Plus the Bait and Tackle shop for fishing off the end of the pier, bike and boogie board rentals, the Pier Shop and Visitor Center inside the merry-go-round building, restaurants and the street entertainers.
Activities to Do at Santa Monica Pier with Children of Various Age Groups
The correct answer to "what to do at Santa Monica Pier" depends entirely on how old your children are.
The carousel, the gentler amusement park rides and the beach below the pier are what suit toddlers and preschoolers best. The pier itself is overcrowded and railed, so the visit can be made only by the means of stroller. Visit duration should be about ninety minutes.
Children of elementary school age will enjoy the greatest variety - rides, arcade games, aquarium, fishing, and even the deck itself. This is the optimal age group to visit the pier, and three hours of visit are comfortable.
Older children and teenagers are more likely to appreciate the trapeze school, rides, arcade games and fishing, or the beach. The visit in the evening, when the Ferris wheel is illuminated is the one that suits this age group better than morning visit.
The things to do on Santa Monica Pier for free are worth mentioning separately, and things to do in Santa Monica Pier terms often boils down to exactly these things: watching the street entertainers, fishing at the end of the pier, walking down to the beach, visiting the maps and advice center of the Visitor Center, and standing at the western end of the pier and watching the Pacific Ocean - which is the thing people actually remember.
Santa Monica Pier Parking and Ways to Avoid Excessive Expenses
Here comes the expensive part. Parking facilities at the Santa Monica Pier differ from each other significantly.
Parking at the Santa Monica Pier itself is the most convenient and the most expensive form. Deck lot is limited to the weekday hours.
Beach Lot 1 North at 1550 Appian Way is situated just a little bit to the north of the pier and is the traditional large parking lot. Beach Lot 4 South at Bicknell and Ocean serves the southern approaches to the pier.
The Downtown Santa Monica parking structures a few blocks inland are recommended by the pier operators themselves, and for good reasons - they are cheaper than beach lots for longer visits and involve only a five to ten minute walk to the pier.
Anyone searching for the Santa Monica Pier parking free options has to reconsider the expectations: there is no free parking at the pier itself. Free parking near Santa Monica Pier on the streets is available in the residential areas inland, but with the strict limits imposed and significant walk.
The best way to approach parking at Santa Monica Pier would be not to search for a parking at all. The closest subway station for Santa Monica Pier is Downtown Santa Monica station of Metro E Line, a fifteen-minute walk from the pier. There is also a bike path connecting Venice to the pier. Operators of the pier encourage using transit, biking and ride sharing services.
Santa Monica Pier Playground and Places Where Kids Can Actually Run Around
Here is the gap in the pier experience that surprises families. There is no Santa Monica Pier playground on the deck itself. The pier is a wooden deck over the water, crowded and fenced, so kids cannot run around there.
Existing alternatives:
The beach below the pier is the obvious solution, and on a calm day it is the best playground of Los Angeles. The Original Muscle Beach with the rings and bars is situated a little bit south of the pier. Tongva Park is a few blocks inland and has a traditional playground and a seasonal splash pad. Chess Park along the Ocean Front Walk has been rearranged and turned into a flexible beachfront area, chess tables have been moved to Palisades Park.
However, on a windy day, on a foggy morning or when the beach is not an option, families need something indoors - and it is exactly what we offer you. Fun Play World at 828 Pico Blvd in Santa Monica is located about ten minutes inland from the pier, providing walk-in Open Play with no reservation required, on weekdays from 10 AM and on Sundays from 9 AM. There are multi-level climbing structures, the floors zoned according to the challenge level, soft surface everywhere and seating area where parents can actually sit down after three hours on a pier deck. Price of the first child is $35 for a two-hour session, $25 for the second sibling and $20 for the third. Our Los Angeles location at 10672 West Pico Blvd is intended for the families returning to the east. Monthly membership for $200 is what regulars opt for.
Sequence that families follow: visit the pier in the morning when the lighting is good and the crowds are minimal, have lunch, then indoor play in the afternoon when the pier becomes overcrowded.
Santa Monica Pier Events and the Free Programs That Most Visitors Fail to Find
The Santa Monica Pier events schedule is organized by the Santa Monica Pier Corporation, a non-profit company, and surprisingly many of them are free.
The Third Thursdays program takes place from September to May - it is the free community night with local DJs, music bands, art, kids activities and classic car show. This is the most local program on the pier and one of the best free evenings in LA.
Free walking tours operate every Saturday and Sunday at 10 AM, and on Monday evenings at 6 PM with a focus on historical landmarks that shaped the pier.
The free one-hour storytelling takes place on the last Thursday of the month, telling the stories of the pier and followed by Q&A.
Seasonal programs cover the rest: Día de los Muertos on November 1 with the art installations, mariachi, ballet folklorico and procession; holiday program in December; and Youth Day, where the Santa Monica Pier Corporation brings the underserved children of LA County to have fun on the pier for free.
Anyone checking for an event at Santa Monica Pier today or looking for Santa Monica Pier events this weekend, should refer to the official happenings page of santamonicapier.org, as the calendar is changed depending on the season and not all of the free programs are advertised elsewhere.
Santa Monica Pier Reviews and the Feedback Most Visitors Leave
Reviews for Santa Monica Pier across all platforms reach thousands and revolve around predictable topics.
Praise: the views, Ferris wheel at night, historic charm of the carousel, free access to the deck, street entertainers and the particular joy of being above the ocean at the sunset time. Families with elementary-age kids like it greatly and consistently.
Criticism: crowds, costs and the tourist trap prices of the food and souvenirs. Weekend afternoons in the summer receive the most negative feedback, and complaints about the parking appear in almost every negative review.
The pattern is straightforward enough to act upon. Visit on weekdays or early in the morning, use transit or park inland, have lunch at some other place and the reviews describing magical experience are the one you can relate to. Come at 2 PM on a July Saturday, having driven and paid for beach parking, and you will relate to the other set.
Things to Do Near Santa Monica Pier If The Pier Becomes Crowded
The correct action in case the pier fills up is to use it as a base rather than a destination. Things to do near Santa Monica Pier within walking distance are really interesting.
The Third Street Promenade is just a ten-minute walk inland - there are shops, restaurants and street entertainers, as well as Santa Monica Place with the Cayton Children's Museum on its third floor. Palisades Park runs parallel to the bluff north of the pier with walking paths and ocean views, and houses the relocated chess tables. The Camera Obscura Art Lab is located in the Palisades Park at 1450 Ocean Ave. Tongva Park is a few blocks south with the playground and splash pad. Also, there is the beach bike path that runs in both directions for miles.
Things to do around Santa Monica Pier with the short drive provide more options: Abbot Kinney Blvd in Venice, the Venice Canals and Virginia Avenue Park in the Pico district.
The things to do by Santa Monica Pier in the evening are oriented to the dinner on Main Street or Ocean Avenue and walking back for the illuminated Ferris wheel. Fun things to do at Santa Monica Pier in the evening are really different from the daytime visit - fewer families, more atmosphere and better pictures.
Santa Monica Pier Map and Orientations
Short introduction is necessary, as the Santa Monica Pier map plays an important role in the experience on such a long structure.
After the entrance from the Ocean Avenue side, the first section includes the Carousel and the Hippodrome building on the right, with the access to the Visitor Center and Heal the Bay Aquarium from there. Further west, restaurants and shops are located on both sides of the pier, with Playland Arcade situated midway. Pacific Park is situated on the westernmost section. At the very end of the pier fishing takes place, beyond the amusement park, which is the least crowded part of the entire pier.
Locating the Santa Monica Pier on a map is an easy task - it is the only pier at the end of Colorado Avenue - but the walk back to the Ocean Avenue from the western tip of the pier is longer than it seems with tired kids. Plan the return route.
In the Santa Monica Pier what to do lists that are circulating on the web, one thing is omitted every time: things to do Santa Monica Pier regulars know: the western end of the pier, beyond the rides, with the crowds thinning out and the full view of the ocean. Worth the additional two hundred meters walk.
