Things to do with kids in Santa Monica
An hour's drive from the San Gabriel Valley, Santa Monica is best done by parking once and staying half a day: the hillside slides of Tongva Park, the century-old carousel and the beach at the pier, and the children's room at the Main Library are all within a 10-minute walk, in sea air 15 degrees cooler than the Valley.
For a 2-year-old: slides and splash pad at Tongva Park, over the bridge to the pier for the carousel, then north to the Annenberg Beach House for sand and a shower; or south to Mother's Beach in Marina del Rey for water with no waves. For bigger kids: the Pacific Park Ferris wheel and the little aquarium under the pier, then a stretch of the beach bike path. If fog or rain rolls in, retreat to the Main Library, or drive 15 minutes up the hill to the free Getty Center and Noah's Ark at the Skirball.
- 6 places
- 5 free
- 6 stroller-friendly
- closest is 5 min away
6 places
Drive times from Santa Monica
Tongva Park
5.0Santa Monica · 5 min drive
1.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Civic Center garage or the downtown Santa Monica garages, first 90 minutes free (check current rules)
Santa Monica Main Library Children's Area
5.0Santa Monica · 5 min drive
1.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Library garage, first 30 minutes free, hourly after that (check current rates)
Santa Monica Pier and Carousel
4.0Santa Monica · 5 min drive
2.5 h · stroller-friendly
$ · Parking: Pier deck lot and beach lots about $15/day, arrive before 11am on summer weekends; or park in a downtown garage and walk
Mother's Beach (Marina del Rey)
5.0Marina del Rey · 10 min drive
3 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: County lot off Admiralty Way, hourly (about $1–2/hour), arrive in the morning on summer weekends
Annenberg Community Beach House
5.0Santa Monica · 10 min drive
3 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Beach House lot charges by the hour (about $3/hour, summer day rate about $12), full before noon on summer weekends
Getty Center
4.0Los Angeles · 15 min drive
3 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Lot at the bottom of the hill about $25 per car (about $15 after 3pm), then the free tram up
💡 Good to know
- Beach parking is pricey and full by 11 in summer: the downtown garages give 90 free minutes (check current rules) and Annenberg charges by the hour. From the Valley, the 10 freeway is easiest before 9am on weekends.