Santa Monica Beach

Santa Monica beach is one of the most popular family beaches around Los Angeles and generally one of the busiest beaches in the area.

Thanks to the slow sloping shoreline and of course the Santa Monica Pier, you'll be sure to see families with little ones testing out the waters here. Young familes having picnics on the sand and buliding sand castles.

The Santa Monica beach area is also home to the Original Muscle Beach as an added bonus.

Not including the pier, the actual beach is a locals beach and offers 3.5 miles of sand. Santa Monica is widely known as one of the more "family friendly" areas of Los Angeles and the beach reflects that. The city of Santa Monica cleans and rakes the sand daily, so while it is certainly cleaner than some of the others considering how much traffic it gets, stray trash isn't uncommon. Please help out and pick up after yourself when you visit.

Since Santa Monica beach isn't rocky, it is a good place to dig up Pacific sand crabs! Their size and amount depends on the season. The ones shown above are tiny ones from early summer, but we've caught ones that almost two inches long in peak season. You wait until a wave comes up on the sand, then dig your hands down into the stirred up sand and then lift them out, carefully sifting out the crabs. Hours and hours of fun for kids who like to catch them and put them in a bucket with water. These little buggers are also called Mole Crabs, they tickle when you pick them up - they don't have pinchers or claws.

While it is mostly a mellow family beach, there is also surfing, fishing, biking and volleyball nets. The surf is calm and the beach is great for boogie boarding. Keep in mind that surfing is only allowed in certain areas depending on the time of year - between lifegaurd stations 18 & 20 and 28 & 29 in summer for example. Check with the gaurds before surfing.

The Santa Monica Pier is a destination in and of itself, although it is fun to do both on the same day. The pier is an "amusement pier" and offers rides, junk food, restaurants, games and a whole lot of tourist souveniers. People also fish off the end and it is fun to go watch the serious fishers - the guys that camp out there every day.

Fishing - you can rent rods and bait and no fishing license is required here! The best spots are grabbed early by the pros but there the pier is large and always room for more. I've seen people (accidentally) catch huge crabs in their line and several small fish. I admit I've never seen anyone catch anything remarkable but it must happen, otherwise those pros wouldn't be there, right? Josh used to go fishing here as a kid with his dad and the scene hasn't changed since the 70s.

You can find parking all along Santa Monica beach but the local secret is to park in the Santa Monica Place Mall lot which is free for three hours until 5pm. Entrance is at the corner of 4th & Broadway and also 2nd Street and Colorado. Many other city lots are free for the first two hours as well. Lots right on the beach and next to the pier range in price from $5 - $8 depending on the day and season. For super detailed parking info, the city (in true Santa Monica form) has their own Santa Monica Parking website! Warning: This area is strict on parking ticketing. I swear within 60 seconds of a meter running out you'll get a ticket. Can't say I didn't warn you!

PS - for those of you confused, yes indeed, Santa Monica is its own city, but it is completely surrounded by Los Angeles on three sides (the fourth side being the ocean) so everyone (besides Santa Monica people, lol) consider it part of LA.

Just a couple blocks away is the Santa Monica Promenade, which is a pedestrian only shopping street, filled to the brim with stores and restaurants and street performers.