|
|
|
|
| | California | los angeles | Santa Monica & Beach Tns | |||
Santa Monica |
|||
 |
 |
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 just watching the locals fishing. | |
 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. |
|||
| Old-time carousel – Kids can ride a carousel that's been here since
1916, with 44 beautiful hand-carved animals. |
|||
| 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. |
|||
| 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. |
|||
| Santa
Monica Pier has free concerts on the Pier, Sundays and evening concerts in the summer. |
|||
|
Palisades Park – 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. |
||
 |
|
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 on the pier, and rent boogie boards. Fly kites on the beach too – stop into the toy stores at Santa Monica Place to buy an inexpensive kite. | |
|
|||
| South
Bay Bike 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 at Santa Monica Pier and at stands all along
the beach front walk. |
|||
| 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. |
|||
|
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. |
||
|
Third Street Promenade – This pedestrian-only shopping street is the place to wander, shop, and eat. 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 | ||
|
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. | ||
|
 |
 |
||
| Travel
for Kids has lots offun 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: |
|||
 |
Santa Monica and Marina del Rey family hotels | ||
 |
     |
|