Free Family and Outdoor Activities
in Santa Monica

1.  Grab a towel, sun block and a good book and head out to enjoy the Southern California scenery with picturesque Santa Monica Beaches, which stretch for 3.5 miles between Venice and Malibu.

2.  Take a stroll on Santa Monica Pier, hailed as the oldest pier on the West Coast of the United States. Featured in the Oscar‐winning movie, “Forrest Gump,” the Pier is open year‐round and is the perfect spot for viewing a sunset or taking a romantic walk under the stars.

3.  Catch a glimpse of the new 9‐story Ferris wheel at Pacific Park. It is the only solarpowered Ferris wheel in the world and has been seen by millions in the opening shots of NBC's Tonight Show with Jay Leno, American Idol, and ABC's Private Practice.

4.  Pay a visit to the 3rd Street Promenade by evening. Street performers and entertainers light up this pedestrian‐only boulevard with the sound of drums, acoustic guitars, and tambourines. Stop to watch the acrobats, dancers, psychic cats, mimes and bubble blowers, just to name a few.

5.  Celebrate the Christmas season with a stroll along the nativity exhibits set up every December along Ocean Avenue in Pacific Park.

6.  Take the kids to enjoy the duck pond, reflective pools and streams of Douglas Park in Santa Monica’s midtown area. Make a day of it with the shady picnic tables and sandy play area. The California Park & Recreation Society has honored Douglas Park for its excellence in design.

7.  Window shop along Montana Avenue, a 10‐block open‐air, retail destination frequented by discerning visitors and affluent Angelinos. Lined with boutiques, celebrities come to get coffee, lunch with friends, or shop for the latest in furnishings and skin care.

8.  Get a unique view into the ocean world just outside its doors – The Santa Monica Pier Aquarium is home to dozens of species of marine animals and plants. Children under 12 get in free when accompanied by an adult (suggested donation).

9.  Let the kid’s cool off at the splash pad in Virginia Park (May‐September). This park is also known as a great place for pick‐up basketball games.

10.  Stop by one of the Santa Monica Visitor Centers to chat with trained travel counselors and get free maps, brochures, and insider tips on local restaurants, hotels and entertainment. (1920 Main Street, 1400 Ocean Avenue, 322 Santa Monica Pier and 1300 Block of Third Street Promenade)

11.  Walk down Main Street to discover quintessential beach life with a hip, urban edge. Peruse the lively and eclectic boutiques, chic clothing stores and design showrooms. On Sundays visit the Farmers Market for free music and great people watching.

12.  Check mate at the International Chess Park, the city’s seaside chess center that offers 80 player seats and plenty of local character.

13.  Photo buff? Capture that quintessential “Southern California setting” as you take in the varied landscapes and natural beauty with your camera.

14.  Sway to the tunes at the Twilight Dance Series on the Santa Monica Pier featuring free evening concerts Thursday nights in the summer from some of your favorite musicians.

15.  Cheer‐on the professional and student artists during a free flying trapeze show on the Santa Monica Pier.

16.  Make it a movie night under the stars on the Santa Monica Pier. In a series of four Friday evenings in September‐October, movies are projected onto a huge screen in the open air.

17.  Stroll among the vibrant stalls of Santa Monica’s weekly farmers markets. Three locations: Arizona at Third St, Pico Boulevard and Main Street.

18.  Watch the quintessential California sunset from one of the many wonderful vantage points along the sand or from cliff level in Palisades Park.

19.  Indulge your ears with “Jazz on the Lawn” at Santa Monica City Hall on Sundays in August, the best way to spend a hot summer afternoon. Talented jazz artists bring their own flavor to the genre.

20.  Watch the grunion spawning runs from Santa Monica beach (Open Season: March, June‐Aug – check schedules)

21.  Surf, Internet style! The City of Santa Monica offers free Wi‐Fi at selected locations throughout the city for your wireless needs (pick up a map from the Visitor Center or City Hall)

22.  Take the kids to enjoy the aeronautical themed play activities at Clover Park.

23.  Enjoy gardens, public art, exhibitions, volleyball, beach tennis, and a playground at the newly unveiled Annenberg Community Beach House, the only public beach house in the United States.

24.  Enjoy watching the comings and going of private jets at Santa Monica airport. Rich with history dating back to 1919, the airport has two free and easily accessible viewing areas where the public is invited to watch aircraft activity.

25.  Pay your respects at the Arlington West Memorial, a project of Veterans For Peace, which offers visitors a graceful, visually and emotionally powerful place for reflection. Every Sunday from sunrise to sunset, a temporary memorial is created on the beach just north of the world famous pier in Santa Monica.

26.  Visit the location of Bay Watch! Accessible at the northern end of the bike path, Will Rogers State Beach offers great swimming, beach activities and headquarters for the LA County Lifeguards.

27.  Explore the eclectic Pico Boulevard neighborhood at the southern end of Santa Monica.

28.  Tour the Natural Resource Defense Council building in downtown Santa Monica and learn about this environmental watchdogs efforts to protect the planet.

29.  Cast your line of the end of the pier and enjoy a days fishing in our local waters – no permit required.

30.  Stretch your artistic skills and let your imagination flow with a family sand castle competition on the beach.

31.  Strolling through Palisades Park, take in the many historic monuments that stand testament to the city’s history and culture.

32.  Marvel at the magnificent 100 year old Moreton Bay Fig Tree at the Fairmont Hotel – annual holiday gathering at the beginning of December with holiday treats, a gingerbread city and seasonal entertainment.

33.  Visit the new DC‐3 monument recently unveiled to commemorate the legendary aircraft built here at Clover Field in the 1930s‐40s.

34.  Flex your muscles at the original Muscle Beach, which beckons visitors to test their strength and work on their beach body in an open‐air gym. Test out the fully restored areas featuring chinning bars, parallel bars, rings and small jungle gyms for children. Celebrities such as Jack LaLanne, Jayne Mansfield, and Mae West were frequent visitors at Muscle Beach, helping to establish Southern California as a body builder’s paradise.

35.  Pay your respects to stars like Glenn Ford and Ingrid Bergman at City of Santa Monica’s Woodlawn Cemetery, an old‐fashioned cemetery with a sea of large, tall headstones ‐ a somewhat unusual sight in Hollywood where "lawn parks" are in the majority. Enjoy the natural beauty and pick up a map for a walking tour.

36.  Hunt for Santa Monica’s many green‐friendly businesses. City partners have joined together to implement the Santa Monica Certified Green Business program. Look for these decals in storefronts showing that they meet the “green” requirements.

37.  Pack a picnic and your favorite non‐alcoholic beverage and spread out on the lawn at Palisades Park.

38.  Where historic Route 66 ends! Visit the spot that is home to the plaque of the original US highway that ran from Chicago to Los Angeles at Santa Monica Blvd. and Ocean Avenue.

39.  Peruse Ocean Park Merchants Mart, an eclectic selection of 25 shops, just steps from the beach.

40.  Check out Mid City Santa Monica for the eclectic assortment of businesses that call Santa Monica home, like major film, television and music companies such as Universal Music, MTV and Sony.

41.  Celebrate summer with the city’s “Summer Solstice” celebration on Main Street, which offers a lively scene with many cover performances.

42.  Attend a neighborhood Open House! Every December both Montana Avenue and Main Street are on display with free food, festive and free drinks like eggnog and holiday caroling.

43.  Don’t let limited mobility stop you! Loan a sand wheel chair from Perry’s Rentals and gain access to the water’s edge.

44.  Bring friends and neighbors to celebrate the community’s rich history and environmental resources at the annual Santa Monica Festival, Clover Park(May)

45.  Celebrate summer at the annual Juneteenth Celebration commemorating African American history, with Gospel, Blues and dance entertainment. (June)

46.  Join the parade! Celebrate Independence Day with friends and neighbors at the annual Main Street Parade. (July 4th)

47.  Enjoy fireworks at Santa Monica College in celebration of our nations Independence Day (Saturday before 4th July).

48.  Fire up a family barbecue at one of the many pits in neighborhood parks (Clover, Virginia and Airport Parks)

49.  Take a 30‐minute walk south from Santa Monica to enjoy the colorful ambiance of Venice Beach.

50.  Test your skills at croquet or horseshoe tossing at Emerson Reed Park.

51.  Set up a picnic for the kids by the Ocean Park beach play area – endless of hours of fun for younger kids with climbing structure, swings and scooping toys.

52.  Join the fun of the Winterlit celebrations on 3rd Street Promenade, with ‘snow days’ carolers and seasonal entertainment.

53.  Visit the bronze plaque that acknowledges the 200 ft strip of sand that was segregated in the 1920s to 1950s. Known as Inkwell Beach, it ran between Bay Street and Pico Boulevard.

54.  Keep an eye out for the varied wildlife off the beach, including pelicans, dolphins, and rare sightings of migrating grey whales as they head south to their winter breeding grounds in the warm waters off Mexico.

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