Los Angeles: A Day at Santa Monica Pier

Santa Monica is where we swam in the ocean, checked out sea life at an aquarium, and rode the rides at Santa Monica Pier!

(We did a summer trip to Las Vegas and then drove to Los Angeles and back. This drive allowed us to see both places out West!)

We spent three days in the Los Angeles area while my husband was at a conference.

How we got there

We took the Metro E Line from downtown Los Angeles to the pier. You can also pay to park in downtown Santa Monica or by the beach. Our hotel was in a suburb of Los Angeles so we took a commuter rail or Metrolink to downtown. Then from Union Station, we took the Metro B line to a connecting station for the Metro E line.

The Metro E line starts out underground and then goes above ground stopping along traffic in places and then going above some streets. It is a slow line so allow plenty of time to get to the beach.

*Easy to find the pier fronted by a large sign.*

Next, we headed to the pier.

Seaside on the Pier

We first had seafood at Seaside on the Pier.

Hours: 11 a.m. – 7 p.m., Monday-Thursday; 11 a.m. – 9 p.m., Friday-Sunday

Address: 250 Santa Monica Pier, Santa Monica, CA 90401

After an early lunch, we headed to the Aquarium.

Heal the Bay Aquarium

Our first stop for the day after lunch was Heal the Bay Aquarium after lunch. Operated by the non-profit Heal the Bay.

A small aquarium that has a mission to provide marine education, advocacy, and community science.

Andrew touched young sharks in a touch tank. Nearby is a shark nursery where baby sharks are growing.

A larger tank held a California Moray Eel.

Another touch tank allows you to touch sea cucumbers, different starfish, and lots of other marine life.

An octopus swims to the top of a tank.

Andrew was amazed by seeing the mouth of a starfish pressed up next to the glass.

A tank with a lot of aquatic life. — *A tank with a lot of aquatic life*

Another tank had colorful marine fish to look at.

We were looking at one of the mollusk shells that had a colorful inside. The aquarium worker told us that the inside of the sea snail we were looking at was once widely used for ashtrays and that they are endangered.

Most of all the aquarium had a lot of information for my son to learn about the need to protect aquatic life.

Hours: 12 p.m. – 4 p.m., Tuesday- Sunday, Closed Mondays

Admission: $10, Adults and kids 13 plus. Kids 12 and under are free with adult admission. Free, Military. $2 off Ticket Price — Students/Senior Citizens

Address: 1600 Ocean Front Walk, Santa Monica, CA 90401

Santa Monica Beach

Next, we went to the beach next to the pier and aquarium. Restrooms are available at the front of the beach and on the pier.

Andrew first looked for small crabs.

Then he became more used to the waves and I had to watch him as he kept wanting to go out further to catch the waves.

We swam for a while. I only had one towel and bought a rollup mat from one of the vendors along the beach. A man with an ice cream cart also came by and we enjoyed some ice cream bars.

After the beach, we went back to the pier to do some amusement ridges.

Santa Monica Pier: Pacific Park

Pacific Park is an admission-free amusement park meaning you can come and go as you, please. Priced individually are rides and attractions, and range in price from $5-12. Save more and ride all day with an Unlimited Ride Wristband, which we bought. You can purchase tickets online or directly at the ticket booth.

I didn’t ride the rides but let Andrew do it. For him, it was $25 for unlimited rides. Adults and eight and over it is $45. The higher cost for older kids is based on height and being able to ride more of them.

12 RIDES TOTAL

Older Kids and Adult Rides:

Santa Monica West Coaster– A steel roller coaster that goes at speeds of 35 miles per hour.

Inkie’s Scrambler– a 12-car scrambler

Sea Dragon- a pirate ship with a 180-degree swing

Pacific Plunge- a 45-foot drop tower

Shark Frenzy– a shark-themed twist on a Tilt-a-Whirl. My son enjoyed this ride a lot.

Pacific Wheel– is the world’s first and only solar-powered Ferris wheel

Children’s Rides

Inkie’s Frog Hopper, a scaled-down version of a drop tower

The Inkie’s Wave Jumper – a ride with little boats that go up and down

Inkie’s Air Lift – is like the well-known Disney Tea Cup ride that spins around and goes up and down

Seaside Swing — a two-sided bench that sways back and forth at a 45-degree angle.

Inkie’s Sig Alert– bumper cars

Along with rides are carnival games that you pay for the possibility of winning a prize.

MORE INFORMATION

Look for a ticketing booth at the front of the rides. Also, note, that the Merry Go Round at the front of the pier is separate from these attractions.

Hours: 11 a.m. – 10 p.m., Daily

Address: 380 Santa Monica Pier, Santa Monica, CA 90401