Santa Monica Pier

I only went there because it was the halfway point of my cross country and back road trip and the end of Route 66.
I have traveled all throughout the country, except for the most northern states, and I'm just not fond of California.
The pier is just a pier with restaurants, a few rides and a lot of very overpriced souvenir shops. I get that marijuana is legal for recreational use there, but if no one can smoke cigarettes on the pier, no one should be smoking joints either. I swear I ran into at least a half dozen people smoking joints while I went to the end and back. And then there was some guy dressed as a superhero trying to get in every picture I tried to take of the sign at the beginning of the pier. I just didn't like the whole experience.

My kid's were excited to go so I took them there on our first stop from LAX. My husband and I used to live in LA and never bothered to go as it was a tourist spot, too busy with Rock n Roll on Sunset Strip but I digress. They were so excited and it was nice and quiet as it was Thursday morning. The Sun was shining and a slight breeze and we were off to the end of the pier stopping to see the different venders selling their over priced wears and the entertainers singing off key and slagging off the bums who were also begging for money. the arcade got $20 out of me and that was worth it for the smiles on the kids faces but there were flies everywhere. GROSS. The rides were extortionate prices so my 2 girls got to choose 1 ride . They'd make buckets more dollars if they gave a better deal on the rides . Glad we did it just to say we did it but had just as much fun swinging on the free swings on the beach.

Fun, historic stop at the over 100 year old pier with amusement park. Look at the ocean. Listen to music. Watch the fishermen and artists. Dine at restaurants.

You can pay per ride (~$9 - $11/ride) or buy an unlimited pass ($42). The small roller coaster (no loops), Ferris wheel, swinging gondola ride, and chair drop for the adults and even more for small children. Amusement arcade. Artists to get your name printed with pictures.

Fast food, funnel cake, ice cream (outside the amusement park) and sit down restaurants are available.

Parking lot looked small, so it would be better to come during the week day. Pier opens at 6 am but amusement park open at 12 pm during the weekdays.

Located on the beach, so bring your blanket or rent a bike and enjoy your time there.

5 minute walk to the Loews hotel with a really good Happy Hour 5:00 - 6:00 pm with 50% off drinks and appetizers. Fireplace tables overlooking the beach.

Got to experience the pier on a recent business trip to southern California. We are from New England so wanted to see what the pier was like. Not much there to necessitate a return visit but it was still worth a quick stop. Lots of street performers requesting pretty large amounts of cash for their acts. Food was lacking as well.We did about a half hour walk through and left.

It's just appear at a public beach what's the typical way too expensive crappy restaurant at the end. It has a few carnival-type rides the Entertainer kids that aren't interested in seeing the natural beauty surrounding them. Stop by once to say you were there and then get out. Walk along the beach where it's enjoyable

This pier is full of people any time of the year or any time of the day. But you will enjoy the vibe and the atmosphere near the beach with people doing random things on the street. You can find pretty good restaurants with good enough food. Buba shrimp is a favourite. Listen to random music by random street musicians. Breathtaking view of the sunset and the nice breeze of the ocean. Parking Charges are sky high!

Boy, was this place busy!
We did a walk the full length of the pier, took in the views, ate funnel cake / ice cream and watched some of the street acts.

It is great to say that you have been on SM pier - it has featured in so many TV shows & movies, but we were there for just under 2hrs (including sit down funnel cake eating time!), which is plenty long enough unless you want to go on the rides (we didn't - we'd been to 6Flags and were 'coastered out!).

Worth a visit? Yes, absolutely. Would i go back? Probably not, it's very, very touristy

Great sea views, with a small outdoor theme park (Pacific Park, which looks old btw), huge beach (too cold though for beach activities and it doesn’t look very clean with the very many birds, seagulls flying around), little touristy cart stalls along the stretch of the pier, restaurants and many talented buskers from singing to dancing to drawing.

Overall a small place and can be covered in less than an hour if you don't go into the theme park. Could have been even faster if not for the 2 Korean girls taking their time to take countless photos at the Route 66 sign keeping many others like me, rolling our eyes in queue.

We had a beautiful December day to visit. We went in the morning and had lunch before we left. It was the perfect time to go as the crowd started arriving around 11. If you have a warmer day I highly suggest going early. Carousel, Ferris Wheel and most eateries open at 11:00. You must stop in and see the carousel. It's simply beautiful. There is an area where you can watch trapeze artists, but none were there when we were. If you're in the area, it's definitely worth a visit. You can feel the nostalgia as you walk down the pier.

My friend and I were staying in downtown LA. We decided to take a morning drive to Santa Monica to go for brunch and catch a ride on the world's only solar-powered Ferris wheel. We went on a Monday morning to avoid the major weekend crowds. The pier with Pacific Park is a very typical pier setting, great for families and kids.

The day we went, the sky was clear and hot. I thought riding the ferris wheel would be extremely hot, but once we were on it and it started moving it was nice with a cool breeze. Maybe the time and day we went, it was not crowded, we got our own cart which has a covered top to help with shade. We also went around serval times which was really nice. The view was wonderful. It was worth the very reasonable price of a ride at only $8. To note: no selfie sticks.

Worth the ride with a view!