If you ever feel like going back to one of those classic amusement parks from the early 20th century, but don’t happen to own a time machine, Santa Monica Pier is tailor-made for you. It even still operates its 1922 carousel with 42 painted horses in perfect detail.
Opened in 1909 at the foot of Colorado Avenue in Los Angeles, and stretching out over the Pacific Ocean, Santa Monica Pier, known as a “pleasure pier” as it does not serve as a commercial wharf, is home to a surprisingly large number of varied entertainments, despite its limited space.
Try your hand at the high-tech arcade. Take a ride on the roller coaster or solar-powered ferris wheel. Test your skills at all the games. Learn how to really be a swinger at the trapeze school. Go downstairs, below the pier, and see what’s swimming in the aquarium. Not sure what you should do? Go ask the fortune teller!
There is a terrific range of places to eat on Santa Monica Pier, and if you eat too much, just hop down onto the sand at Muscle Beach and work it off at the famous (free!) outdoor gym.
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