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Santa Monica, sunny and strict
Its own city, its own rules, and the most postcard-ready pier in LA. Here's how to spend a day here and where the sesh fits in.
Santa Monica is the clean, sunny cousin of Venice. Same ocean, fewer drum circles, way more joggers. It's its own city, not part of LA, and it runs a tighter ship.
That matters for you, because the rules on smoking are different here than in West Hollywood. The short answer: there's no lounge in town, the beach is off limits, and the good stuff happens at home base. The long answer is below, plus the food, the pier and the best bike ride in the county.
Santa Monica in a nutshell: the pier and a little history
The Santa Monica Pier opened on September 9, 1909, and at first it had no rides at all. Its job was carrying sewer pipes out past the breakers. The fun showed up in 1916, when Charles Looff and his son Arthur built a pleasure pier right next to it.
The Looff Hippodrome still stands and still houses a 1922 carousel listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Pacific Park, the little amusement park on the pier, opened in 1996 and is famous for its solar-powered Ferris wheel.
Up the bluff, Palisades Park dates back to 1892, when city founders Arcadia Bandini de Baker and John P. Jones gave the first piece of it to the city. Downtown, Third Street became a pedestrian mall in 1965 and was reborn as the Third Street Promenade in 1989.
Things to do in Santa Monica
Almost everything here is within walking or biking distance of the pier. Plan your day around the ocean and you can't really mess it up.
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Santa Monica
Santa Monica Pier and Pacific Park
200 Santa Monica Pier, Santa Monica, CA 90401Walk to the end, ride the Ferris wheel, play a couple of rigged arcade games. Underneath, the Heal the Bay Aquarium shows off more than 100 local species. Go at night when the wheel lights up. The crowds thin and the whole thing glows.
TipNight beats day here. Every time.
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Santa Monica
Looff Hippodrome carousel
200 Santa Monica Pier, Santa Monica, CA 90401The old carousel building at the foot of the pier, with a hand-carved 1922 carousel inside. It's the oldest-feeling thing on the pier and the most relaxing ride in Santa Monica.
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Original Muscle Beach
Just south of the pier, where the WPA installed exercise gear on the sand in 1934. This is where the Muscle Beach thing started before Venice took the name. Now it's rings, parallel bars and gymnasts flipping around on weekends.
TipWeekends are when the acrobats show up. Watch the rings.
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Marvin Braude Bike Trail
About 22 miles of flat paved path along the sand, from Will Rogers State Beach down to Torrance. Locals just call it the beach path. Rent a bike, roll south, and you're in Venice in about 15 minutes.
TipKeep right and watch for walkers who think it's a sidewalk.
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Palisades Park
A skinny 1.6-mile park along the top of the bluffs on Ocean Avenue, running north from the pier. Ocean on one side, mountains up the coast, benches everywhere. The north end is calmer than the stretch by the pier.
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Santa Monica Camera Obscura
An old optical device in Palisades Park that projects a live image of the outside world onto a table in a dark room. It's weird and old-school, and it's even better if you're in a mellow mood.
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Third Street Promenade
Three blocks of pedestrian-only shopping downtown with street performers and the dinosaur topiary fountains by the French artists Les Lalanne. It's chain stores mostly, but the dinosaurs alone are worth a slow walk.
TipFind the dinosaurs. They spit water.
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Aero Theatre
1328 Montana Ave, Santa Monica, CA 90403A single-screen movie house that opened in 1940. Aviation guy Donald Douglas had it built for his aircraft workers. Now the American Cinematheque runs it, showing classics and indie films in a gorgeous old room.
TipCheck the calendar for repertory nights. Seeing an old favorite here hits different.
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Santa Monica
Main Street
The heart of the Ocean Park neighborhood, running south toward Venice. It got a makeover in the 1980s and now it's a long, walkable strip of shops, bars and some of the best restaurants in town. More neighborhood, less tourist.
TipMain Street is where locals actually hang out.
Where to eat in Santa Monica
Santa Monica's food is better than its reputation. Here's what's worth the trip, all open as of 2026.
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Santa Monica
Bay Cities Italian Deli
1517 Lincoln Blvd, Santa Monica, CA 90401Around since 1925 and still the sandwich every Westsider swears by. Order the Godmother with the works: cured meats, provolone, hot peppers, all of it on crusty bread. Let it sit a bit so the bread soaks it up.
TipOrder online. Skip the line, it is not worth it.
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Father's Office
1018 Montana Ave, Santa Monica, CA 90403A Montana Avenue bar famous for the Office burger. Get it with the fries and a beer. That's the whole plan.
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Heavy Handed
2912 Main St, Santa Monica, CA 90405Smashburger spot on Main Street. Get the double short rib smashburger and the beef tallow fries. Pure munchie fuel.
TipDouble. Not single.
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Hot Dog on a Stick
1633 Ocean Front Walk, Santa Monica, CA 90401The corn dog stand on Ocean Front Walk near the pier. Classic corn dog, fresh lemonade. Zero pretense.
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Breakfast by Salt's Cure
714 Montana Ave, Santa Monica, CA 90403The breakfast spot known for its oatmeal griddle cakes. Big, fluffy, and the right way to start a beach day.
TipGet the griddle cakes. That's why you're there.
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Chez Jay
1657 Ocean Ave, Santa Monica, CA 90401A checkered-tablecloth dive that's been around for decades, tucked in by Tongva Park a short walk from the pier. Dark, cozy, and the opposite of everything shiny around it.
A perfect day in Santa Monica
Start with griddle cakes at Breakfast by Salt's Cure, and check the Aero's calendar for a movie later. Head down to Ocean Avenue and walk Palisades Park south toward the pier, stopping at the Camera Obscura on the way.
Rent a bike near the pier and ride the beach path south to Venice and back. Swing by the Original Muscle Beach to watch the ring crowd, then grab a Godmother from Bay Cities, ordered online so it's waiting for you.
Wander Main Street in the late afternoon and get a double at Heavy Handed. Come back to the pier after dark to ride the Ferris wheel when it's lit, then end at Chez Jay. Smoke back at your place, and let somebody else drive.
Nearby neighborhoods
Venice is right next door, and the beach path gets you there in minutes. For a licensed lounge, head east to West Hollywood. Need more food ideas? Check eat, and for movie nights see watch. The rest of the city is on neighborhoods.
Questions about Santa Monica
Are there weed lounges in Santa Monica?
Not that we can find. Santa Monica is its own city, and it hasn't set up rules for consumption lounges. The closest licensed lounges are in West Hollywood.
Can you smoke weed on Santa Monica Beach or the pier?
No. Both are public places, and smoking cannabis in public is a ticket in California. Save it for a private spot where the owner says yes.
Is Santa Monica part of Los Angeles?
No, it's a separate city with its own city council and rules. That's why its cannabis rules can differ from LA's or West Hollywood's.
How long is the Santa Monica beach bike path?
The Marvin Braude Bike Trail runs about 22 miles, from Will Rogers State Beach down to Torrance. Riding from Santa Monica to Venice takes about 15 minutes.
What's the difference between Muscle Beach in Santa Monica and Venice?
The original Muscle Beach is just south of the Santa Monica Pier, where exercise gear went in back in 1934. Today it's mostly rings, bars and gymnastics. The Venice one is the outdoor weight pen.
When did the Santa Monica Pier open?
The municipal pier opened on September 9, 1909. The pleasure pier next to it, built by the Looff family, came in 1916.