Fun Things to do At Santa Monica Pier, California

Better to see something once, than to hear about it a thousand times.

My partner and I planned to stay and spend our first couple of days at Santa Monica, California before meeting our friends and relatives. She booked Santa Monica because she knows I love the beach. Our hotel is only 5 minutes away by bus to Santa Monica beach. We spent the whole day here and we had so much fun.

Santa Monica Pier was constructed at 1909 and it was the first concrete pier on the West Coast. It became so popular to the locals instantly as the best fishing location.

There are so many fun things you can do here and made it more fun for me because I’m with my partner.

Here are the fun things you can do at Santa Monica Pier

1. Santa Monica Yacht Harbor- This is the entrance to the famous Santa Monica Pier. This iconic sign stands between the land and the sea. You can either walk down to the bridge or drive and park (you have to pay for the parking) to get to the pier. There were street performers at the pavement which was blocking the way of the pedestrians. From here, you can already see the iconic Ferris wheel of Santa Monica Pier and you will definitely feel that you have arrived in Santa Monica.

2. Santa Monica Pier Santa Monica pier is a large double-jointed pier at the foot of Colorado Avenue in Santa Monica, California. There are plenty of things to see and do here. There are restaurants, bars, cafes and souvenir shops that you can stop by and rest for a while.

3. Pacific Park Fun Fair The best part of Santa Monica Pier is the fun-fair. Who doesn’t like fun-fair? Even though my partner is not a fan of loops and drops, I love rollercoaster rides. You can find the famous Santa Monica Pier Ferris wheel here and I was shocked to know that the Ferris wheel is solar-powered which make it so unique. Anyway, I didn’t get a chance to try even one ride because my partner and I wanted to take more photos together and we didn’t want to be separated even a second.

4. Santa Monica Beach The 3.5 miles long beach is located along Pacific Coast Highway in Santa Monica. It has parks, playgrounds, picnic areas, toilets and even lifeguard station where reliable lifeguards watch the public. There’s a bike path and you can rent either a bike or scooter to explore the beach from Santa Monica beach to Venice beach. Also a wooden pathway for warmer days and beachgoers with disabilities. There are so many activities you can do here such as volleyball, surfing, stand up paddleboarding and swimming. Just be aware that smoking at the beach is prohibited.

5. Rent a bike- Another wonderful way to see and explore along beachfront of Santa Monica is biking. There’s plenty of bike rental shop everywhere in Santa Monica beach and we rented a tandem bike. We pedalled from Santa Monica Pier to Venice beach and saw a lot of beautiful sceneries. We did some stopovers too to take photos and to rest our legs from pedalling.

6. Rent an electric scooter- Another way to explore Santa Monica is by electric scooter. How cool are these scooters called BIRD, they are dockless, smart scooters that you can see everywhere in Santa Monica? It cost from $1 to $2 per ride. HOW IT WORKS; download the bird app on app store. Find a Bird near you and tap the button to unlock (using the app). Stand on Bird, push-off, then push throttle button with the thumb to ride. Place both feet on footboard while riding. Ride in bike lanes, no riding on sidewalks. Squeeze brake with the left hand to slow down. Don’t block public pathways. Park by bike racks when available. End your ride by tapping the button with the app.

7. Visit the muscle gym- Muscle Beach refers to the exclusive Santa Monica location of the birthplace of the physical fitness boom in the United States during the 20th century, started in 1934 with predominantly gymnastics activities on the south side of the Santa Monica Pier. It’s not free to use this outdoor gym, you need to pay for a day pass is $10, for a week pass is $50 and $170 for an annual gym membership. The machines are quite old and rusty already but this gym is very popular amongst local and some tourists too.

8. Visit Venice beach- Venice beach is known for its bohemian spirit and is a buzzing beach town with the posh feel of commercial and residential pockets. I really loved the structure of the houses that we saw. There were plenty of shops, bars and restaurants right off the beach too. We pedalled to the boardwalk and enjoyed the sea breeze. We saw a lot of street performers too.

We had Mexican food for our dinner in one of the restaurants on the pier. The restaurant was located at the very end of the pier. We wanted to dine outside the restaurant to see the sunset but it was very windy and cold already. So, we stayed inside the restaurant and enjoyed our meal.

One day was not enough to explore Santa Monica. However, we really had an amazing time. I really recommend visiting Santa Monica if you wanna go to California. You won’t run out of activities to do and things to see.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read my blog post, until next time again.

Love,

Rainne xxx