The 11 Best & Fun Things To Do In Santa Monica, California

A coastal city located by California's South Coast, Santa Monica is brimming with idyllic beaches, lively farmers markets, staggering state parks, and an array of family-friendly attractions.

When visiting this luscious Californian getaway, don’t pass up the chance to take in views of the Pacific Ocean from the famous Santa Monica Pier, soak up the sun on Santa Monica Beach, or enjoy some retail therapy on Third Street Promenade.

Of one thing we're sure: you'll never run out of fun things to do in this luminous coastal city.

Read on to discover the 11 amazing things to do in Santa Monica, California.

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The 11 Best & Fun Things To Do In Santa Monica, CA

Santa Monica Pier, Pacific Park, and Heal The Bay Aquarium

Start off your Santa Monica trip by walking down the Santa Monica Pier. This vibrant, double-jointed pier overlooks the sun-kissed Santa Monica Beach and offers a whirlwind of family-friendly activities.

Here, visit Pacific Park, an amusement park famous for its thrilling roller coaster, and a giant Ferris wheel offering showstopping views of the Pacific Ocean.

Under the Santa Monica Pier, the Heal The Bay Aquarium (formerly known as Santa Monica Pier Aquarium) is home to over 100 local marine animals, including sharks, sea urchins, stingrays, octopuses, and anemones.

Santa Monica State Beach

After a fun-filled day at Santa Monica Pier, head over to the 3-mile-long Santa Monica State Beach (aka Santa Monica Beach). Following the edge of the Pacific Coast Highway, this beach lies on either side of the famous Santa Monica Pier and offers visitors the opportunity to enjoy an array of activities.

The beach has soft, sandy shores, which are ideal for sunbathing, jogging, and walking. There are also beach volleyball courts, picnic areas, and playgrounds.

Santa Monica Beach is also home to the Original Muscle Beach, a designated area featuring gymnastics equipment, such as parallel bars, rings, swings, and ropes available for kids and adults.

Around Santa Monica Beach you’ll find a delightful range of oceanfront resorts, breezy cafes, and restaurants.

Downtown Santa Monica and Third Street Promenade

East of the Santa Monica Pier, in Downtown Santa Monica, is located one of the most coveted shopping areas in the city: the Third Street Promenade. This open-air, pedestrianized area is home to a wide variety of stores — from fresh farmers' market produce to designer fashion —, as well as an upscale mall named Santa Monica Place.

This outdoor shopping mall features an array of Santa Monica’s best shops including Nordstrom, Louis Vuitton, Tiffany & Co., Nike, Hugo Boss, Uniqlo, Rolex, and Tory Burch.

Marvin Braude Bike Trail

One of the best ways of taking in Santa Monica’s allure is by exploring the Marvin Braude Bike Trail. Spanning along the glittering shoreline of Santa Monica Bay, this 22-mile paved bicycle path will reward you with some of the most spectacular views of the California coast.

Regarded as Los Angeles’ “most popular bike path”, the Marvin Braude Bike Trail also allows you to discover some of the top beaches in California.

Santa Monica Farmers Market

Taking place on Wednesdays and Saturdays in Downtown Santa Monica, the colorful Santa Monica Farmers Market is the ultimate destination for shopping locally grown products like fresh fruits and vegetables, dairy, and meat.

On Saturdays, this quintessential Santa Monica farmer’s market offers the largest percentage of certified-organic growers of any market in the city. Not by chance, it’s a favorite destination for award-winning chefs.

Santa Monica Looff Hippodrome and Carousel

The Santa Monica Looff Hippodrome is an architectural gem in Santa Monica. Located on the Newcomb Pier adjacent to the Santa Monica Pier, the hippodrome was designed in 1916 by Charles I.D. Looff to house a whimsical carousel.

Built in 1922, the hippodrome’s original carousel was sold and dismantled long ago. Today, the hippodrome houses a more recent carousel, which was built by the prestigious Philadelphia Toboggan Company and boasts ts hand-carved wooden horses, an artfully painted upper rim, and 1,100 electric lights.

Palisades Park

Located along a 1.6-mile section of Ocean Avenue, on top of a coastal sandstone bluff, Palisades Park is a stunning coastal bluff park that offers sweeping views of Santa Monica Bay. On a clear day, you can see all the way to Malibu.

This dreamy park occupies over 26 acres and features beautifully manicured lawns, scenic pathways, and towering palm trees. Some of the tried-and-true activities here include jogging and biking.

Palisades Park is also home to the Santa Monica Camera Obscura, built in 1898 by Robert F. Jones, and given to the city in 1907. This quirky artifact has a pinhole camera that captures images from outside and projects them in a darkened room.

Annenberg Community Beach House

The Annenberg Community Beach House is a public recreational destination that features an array of leisure facilities. Built on the site of the now-demolished 110-room mansion of actress Marion Davies, the beach house features sweeping views of the ocean, a swimming pool, volleyball courts, a playground for the kids, and other fun attractions. Here, you’ll also find a varied schedule of cultural programs that change according to each season.

Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area

The Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area offers visitors the chance to experience nature in a unique setting. Located adjacent to the city of Los Angeles, this area comprises several parks, open space preserves, more than 500 miles of trails, and idyllic Malibu beaches.

Some of the worth-exploring sites here include Point Mugu State Park, famous for 5 miles of ocean shoreline with rocky bluffs, beaches, sandy dunes, and rugged hills, and the Topanga State Park, which boasts 36 miles of trails through open grassland, live oaks and staggering views of the Pacific Ocean.

Known for its bountiful wildlife, the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation area preserves one of the best examples of a Mediterranean climate ecosystem in the world. In this area, that are over 1,000 plant species that provide habitat for approximately 500 mammal, bird, reptile, and amphibian species.

Santa Monica Stairs

Active adventurers who love working out must visit the Santa Monica Stairs. Considered a mecca for fitness enthusiasts, these two outdoor staircases — one wooden (170 steps) and one cement (199 steps) — are surrounded by greenery and provide an incredible setting for an outdoor workout session.

The stairs are tucked into a serene residential neighborhood less than a mile from the ocean. And while they were once a hidden gem within the local community, they became popular among those who visit Santa Monica.

Santa Monica Museums

Santa Monica is as much about world-class as it is about beaches. Located inside the Santa Monica Airport, the kid-friendly Museum of Flying takes visitors to uncover one of the largest air and space collections in the US. Highlights of this stellar museum include jet-age crafts, a replica Wright flyer, and the nosepiece of a Boeing 727.

In the California Heritage Museum, beautifully set within the 1894 Historic Landmark Roy Jones house, expect to learn about the rich history of California's heritage through precious artifacts.

Art lovers can’t pass up the opportunity to check out the Bergamot Station Arts Center. Located on eight acres in the heart of Santa Monica, the museum takes visitors to discover and interact with dazzling arts environments including fine art galleries, monumental scale installations, live performances, video art, music, educational programs, poetry, comedy, and theater performances.

Tongva Park

Are you visiting Santa Monica with the kids? Then, be sure to take them to Tongva Park. Located within walking distance of the Santa Monica Pier, this 6-acre park is divided into 4 main sections: Observation Hill, Discovery Hill, Garden Hill, and Gathering Hill.

Within the park’s areas, you’ll come across rolling hills, walking paths, and native plants that change subtly with the seasons.

Free Things to Do in Santa Monica

Santa Monica is not cheap, but there are genuinely free things worth doing.

Santa Monica State Beach. Free entry. No parking on the beach itself, but street parking is available on Ocean Avenue and nearby side streets. The beach runs for 3.5 miles. The water is cleaner than most LA beaches due to the beach's distance from storm drain outlets.

Palisades Park. Free. A narrow park running along the bluffs above the Pacific Coast Highway with unobstructed ocean views from 100 feet above sea level. On Saturday afternoons, the Jazz Cliffhangers — a local jazz band — play free outdoor concerts here. Shows are casual, family-friendly, and popular with residents. Check santamonica.gov for the schedule.

Santa Monica Pier. Free to walk on. The pier itself charges nothing. Pacific Park, the amusement park at the end, does charge for rides. Walking out to the end of the pier for the ocean view and watching pelicans and anglers costs nothing. The pier is lit up at night and is worth a late evening walk.

Third Street Promenade. Free to walk. Three blocks of pedestrian shopping from Broadway to Wilshire Boulevard. Street performers run regularly in the evenings. Farmers market here on Wednesdays (10am-2pm) and Saturdays (8am-1pm). Free.

Venice Beach and Boardwalk. Technically Venice, not Santa Monica, but 15 minutes south on foot along the beach. The Venice Boardwalk has the most concentrated street performer culture in California: skateboarders, bodybuilders at Muscle Beach, artists, fortune tellers. Free to walk.

Annenberg Community Beach House. Free entry (pool access is paid). The historic Marion Davies guest house grounds are open to the public. The pool is open in summer for a small fee; the grounds and ocean view are free year-round. Santa Monica hotels on CuddlyNest from $99/night.

Santa Monica With Kids and Couples

The pier and beach work for everyone, but each group has better-suited options beyond the obvious.

With kids: Pacific Park on the pier (small amusement park, open daily in summer), the Heal the Bay Aquarium at the end of the pier (touch tanks with sea creatures, $8 entry for ages 2 and up), and the Santa Monica Stairs on 4th Street (a free outdoor staircase popular with fitness locals, but kids enjoy running it). The beach itself has lifeguards on duty from Memorial Day through Labor Day.

With kids under 5: Tongva Park at Main Street and Olympic has a sprayground open in summer (free), gentle grassy areas, and no roads nearby. The best calm family beach in Santa Monica is the stretch south of the pier near the lifeguard headquarters: shallow, protected from wind, and with bathrooms.

For couples: Sunset at Palisades Park or the pier deck is reliably good March through October. The Getty Villa in nearby Pacific Palisades (15 minutes north) is a Roman villa museum with one of the best courtyard views in Southern California. Entry is free but requires advance reservation. After, dinner on Main Street in Santa Monica's southern end, which has smaller independent restaurants than the tourist-heavy pier area.

Santa Monica at night: The pier is lit and open until 11pm most evenings in summer. Third Street Promenade has restaurants and bars that run until midnight. Bergamot Station Arts Center in the east part of the city runs evening openings during gallery shows. For nightlife, Santa Monica is quieter than West Hollywood or downtown LA. The bar scene concentrates on Main Street and Wilshire Boulevard near downtown Santa Monica. Los Angeles hotels on CuddlyNest from $79/night.

Frequently Asked Questions About Santa Monica

Is Santa Monica worth visiting?

Yes, for most visitors to Los Angeles. Santa Monica is one of the few areas in LA that is walkable: the beach, pier, Palisades Park, Third Street Promenade, and Main Street are all reachable on foot from a central hotel. It is cleaner and safer than Venice Beach while being more accessible than Malibu. The combination of a working amusement pier, long beach, restaurants, and ocean-view parks makes it the most complete beach destination in the Los Angeles area.

How much time do you need in Santa Monica?

One full day covers the highlights: the pier and Pacific Park (2 hours), beach walk and Palisades Park (1 hour), Third Street Promenade for lunch or shopping (1-2 hours), and Venice Boardwalk in the afternoon (1-2 hours). A second day allows for the Getty Villa, a longer beach day, and dinner on Main Street. Santa Monica works as a day trip from LA, but staying one or two nights keeps you away from LA traffic and on the beach at golden hour.

What are free things to do in Santa Monica?

Santa Monica State Beach (free), Palisades Park (free, jazz concerts on Saturdays), Third Street Promenade (free), walking the Santa Monica Pier (free), Venice Boardwalk (free), Annenberg Community Beach House grounds (free), and the farmers markets on Wednesday and Saturday (free to walk). The main paid attractions are Pacific Park rides ($5-10 per ride), Heal the Bay Aquarium ($8), and the Getty Villa (free but reservation required).