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Santa Monica Pier – Santa Monica Pier has year-round
entertainment for kids. Built in 1908, it's the oldest "pleasure park"
on the west coast. There's lots of choices – from eating cotton candy
to taking a whirl on the carousel to henna handpainting to renting a
fishing pole and hanging out with the locals waiting for a bite. |
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 The Looff Hippodrome has an old-time carousel that's been here since
1916, with 44 beautiful hand-carved animals kids can ride for just 25 cents. |
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Carousel
Park – Next to the carousel is a playground with a sea dragon,
your own wooden ship to climb on, sand to play in, swings to swing on, all
with a view of the Pacific Ocean. |
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Santa
Monica Pier Aquarium, underneath the Carousel, is an aquarium and learning
center oriented completely towards kids. It's well worth the time you'll
spend exploring interactive displays (such as touch-tanks) about Santa Monica
Bay. There are weekly special events on everything from whales to jellyfish. |
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Pacific
Park amusement park – Soar five stories above the waves on the
rollercoaster. For little ones, the 9-story tall ferris wheel or the mini-submarine
may be a better bet. The Playland Arcade has video games, and there's lots
of snack stands for hot dogs, pizza and cotton candy. If you love the rides,
get an all-day unlimited ticket. |
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Tip: Get an unlimited ride wristband with the Go Los Angeles Card. |
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Santa
Monica Pier has free concerts on the Pier, Sundays from 2:00- 4:00pm,
and evening concerts in the summer. |
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Palisades Park – You might want to make this your first stop,
since this is where the Visitor Center is located (ask for free
maps in English, French, Spanish, German and Japanese, and a copy of Kidscape,
the calendar of family events). The long narrow Park sits right on the
cliffs over looking the Pacific, with one of the best views you
can find in Los Angeles County: from Palos Verdes in the south to Malibu
in the north. It's a great place for a picnic or taking a stroll with
the kids. From the park, there are pedestrian walkways to the beach below. |
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Santa Monica State Beach – Santa Monica has miles
of sandy beach that's good for swimming – little kids can jump
in the waves here. Lifeguards are on duty during the summer. Pick up towels
and beach toys at Marlene's Beachcomber on the Pier, or rent boogie boards,
chairs and umbrellas at Perry's Beach Cafe and Rentals on Ocean Front Walk
(near Ocean Park Blvd.) Fly kites on the beach too – stop into
the toy stores at Santa Monica Place to buy an inexpensive kite. |
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South
Bay Bicycle Trail – This wide concrete bike trail goes for miles,
all the way from Will Rogers State Beach (just north of Santa Monica) down
to Torrance. Rent bikes, or roller blades at Blazing Saddles
at Santa Monica Pier, Perry's Beach Cafe and Rentals, or at stands all along
the beach front walk. |
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Beach
Parks – Along the Ocean Ave. are several beach parks with picnic
tables, swings and slides, grassy areas, and some have barbeques. Bay
Park (at Bay St.) is a small but nice area with swings, including baby
swings, and gymnastic bars. Ocean Park (Barnard Way) has a large
playground, with swings and gymnastics bars and rings. |
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International Chess Park at Ocean Front Walk is where everyone
from beginners to masters meets for a pick-up game. There are lots of
players on any given day, and everyone's welcome to play! |
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Third Street Promenade – This pedestrian-only
shopping street is the place to wander, shop, and eat. Kids will enjoy the
ivy covered dinosaur fountains. There are dozens of street performers here,
many of them aiming to please kids. You'll hear a different style of music
on every block, as well as jugglers, dancers, and probably a few talents
you didn't know existed. |
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Museum of Flying – Zoom over to the
Museum of Flying at the Santa Monica Municipal Airport. It has vintage Douglas
and World War II era aircraft, (including the Douglas World Cruiseter: first
plane to fly around the world) as well as tons of aviation artifacts and
photography. In the AirVenture part of the Museum you'll find interactive
exhibits and a flight simulator. The museum is closed Mondays and Tuesdays. |
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Clover
Park – At Clover Park, near the Museum of Flying, the children's
playground has an aviation theme, with an Observation Tower, Flight Seat,
Telephone Tubes, and flight graphics. It's also where the Santa Monica
holds many of its big festivals so you may find an art fair, or baseball
game game, or folk festival (sometimes all at the same time…) |
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Parks – Had enough surf
and sand? Santa Monica has some great parks away from the beach. |
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Douglas
Park – Head for the four acres of Douglas Park, there's a great big playground (including a water park),
two public tennis courts. All in all, a great place for playing, strolling, and picnicking
(lots of tables, or just stretch out on the grass.) |
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Ozone
Park – If you're looking for an oasis for really little kids, the
one acre Ozone Park has two playgrounds (but only one picnic table) and
is a favorite with local tots. |
