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| | California | los angeles | Santa Monica & Beach Towns | |||
| Santa Monica | |||
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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. | |
 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. | |||
| 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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| Travel
for Kids has so many fun things to do with kids in Santa Monica, but you'll
need a fun place to stay.
Here's our own Travel for Kids hand-picked list of family hotels in Santa Monica, all styles and price ranges, in neighborhoods that are comfortable for families, and near to places you'll want to explore: |
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Santa Monica and Marina del Rey family hotels | ||
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