pacific park

As many have said, you can't beat the views from the rides at Pacific Park. When we went (Friday afternoon in March), the lines were surprisingly short. Despite this, we had to wait almost 10 minutes to get on a ride. It seems that there aren't enough staff for each ride, so they are "shared" among the rides. So we had to wait until the ride operator was done operating two other rides before we had a chance to ride ours. Perhaps they increase the number of staff during busier times? I hope so, because this would make for a VERY long wait if staff are shared at all hours.

We came here right from the airport on a Saturday in late February. I had purchased a Groupon for an unlimited ride wristband (which I recommend if you want to ride more than a couple rides).Pros:+ A lot of people here but not an annoying amount of people- we never waited more than a few minutes for a ride. And GREAT place for people watching+ Rides were fun even for adults (me)- fun roller coaster, dragon ride, etc. If you get the unlimited wrist band you'd probably ride each ride 1-3 times before you got tired of them.+ Views from the ferris wheel are AMAZING- this is literally ON the pier so you're looking out onto the ocean+ Relatively clean considering how many people come here+ Lots of food options+ Decent bathrooms!!Cons:+ Noisy- lots of children (to be expected)+ If I didn't have the Groupon, I'd say the attractions were a little pricey.Overall:Go here if you want to spend some time at the beach and kill a few hours having fun! If you don't like rides, you can spend some time souvenir shopping, watching street performers, and chowing down on some good food!

This is a good green space where you can see all the way to the water and over the pier in Santa Monica. We came up here after we spent time at the Pier..Its a good place to hangout, sit on a bench, and enjoy some views.

I used to live in Los Angeles but never had the chance to visit Pacific Park. Finally I had my chance at the insistence of my kid.We came on the afternoon of a weekday. There were very few people so no wait at all. We did all the kiddie stuff first then did a few more dangerous rides. My kid loves it but I was kinda scared.The Ferris wheel was definitely the highlight for me. The view is amazing on a clear sunny warm February day. I kept thinking iron man was going to fly by... I suppose these types of carnivals/fun fairs on a seaside broad walk is classical American. At pacific park, it is augmented to another level because of the famous ocean view. A must if you are visiting Santa Monica.

A must see if you have not seen it ,or if you are planing to visit southern California! The grass is always green, and the skies are blue. The Ocean is always there and the views change with the times. Plenty of parking( just don't forget to feed the meter , no forgiveness in Santa Monica) benches every where to sit and take the view in. Bring a good Camera, and the one you love, because you would want to share it with some one dear. Palm trees all along, and the Pier across the waters with its Farris wheel .

This was included on our Go LA card, unlimited rides. We had great fun and enjoyed the views from the solar powered Ferris wheel.

what more can you want? you're right on the pier above the breaking surf of the ocean. parking can be tough, and the crowds of course, but a very fun place to walk around and a heaven for kids.

We enjoyed walking around Pacific Park while we were visiting Santa Monica Pier. We were here to watch the sunset. When it started getting dark, the lights of Pacific Park were gorgeous. The ferris wheel and roller coaster were especially lit up in many pretty colors (see pics). The bright lights and the screams of joy from riders made me feel like a kid at a carnival again. We didn't ride any of the rides so I'm not sure about prices. The lines actually scared us away since we had a limited amount of time. There were several options for food and several of the restaurants smelled really good even though we had just finished dinner. There's no fee to walk around the park! This would definitely be a place I'd return to if I am back in California some day.

We got the unlimited ride wristband as a part of the GO Los Angeles card. If not for that, the wristband is too expensive for the amount and quality of rides available. On a busy Saturday night, the roller coaster had the longest line. Ride operators let you go around twice to make the ride worth it. Other typical boardwalk/state fair type rides available. Workers here are friendly and seem to enjoy their jobs. Enough rides to pass a couple of hours..

Went with low expectation but surprisingly my kids (10 and 7 years old) had a fantastic time here, they enjoyed the park more than Disneyland without the crowd and the snaky long queue. Get the all day unlimited ride wristbands, a better deal than just paying for the individual ride. Trust me, the kids loved the rides so much that they got onto it multiple times, making the deal more worthy. Most of the rides are more for kiddies but that doesn't stop the adults from having fun too with the gorgeous beach, dining, stalls and entertainment. Just walking around the pier to soak in the carnival atmosphere is an enjoyable experience, remember to bring sunglasses, hats and sun-block.

Okay, it's not Disney, but our family had a blast here! The setting is beautiful, right on the Santa Monica pier. We bought the all day unlimited ride wristbands, which considering the price of paying for each individual ride, was a great deal. The rides are awesome! And, the views from that gorgeous solar-powered ferris wheel are absolutely breathtaking! The light show on the ferris wheel is equally spectacular!

Fun day for the kids at the Santa Monica pier after entering the park to eat ice cream all the kids scream we need to go on the big wheel and play with the rides so we end up spending around 3 hours inside the park and it's must visit if you got kids in your trip

A pier to enjoy and remember. Fun fun zone, unique Ferris Wheel, if you like to fish or watch someone fish - almost always someone at the end of the pier, diverse vendors - and then there's the Famous Carousel - The Sting. Wide range of dining, games. Nothing like walking on top of the ocean and listening to the waves.

The ambience at night with the lights is awesome. Rides for the little ones as well as the bigger ones. Most of them really weren't for me so I just got a ticket for the rollercoaster and unlimited wrist bands for the kids. Rollercoaster was fun and you get a great view of the pier and the beach, got a second go around as not a busy night. We purchased a ride photo of us on the rollercoaster - great souvenir :) The scrambler looks really fast, but my kids enjoyed it. Big variety of food nearby. Total novelty for us Aussies to be in an amusement park on a pier over the ocean - we don't have anything like this at home :(

Take a whiff of the Pacific Ocean! People are fishing, basking in the sun, building sand castles, flying kites and frolicking in the water right next to you.I've always gone to Santa Monica Pier, it's conveniently located by los angeles, and walking distance of 3rd Street Promenade. It's also festive and great for tourists. In the past, I've walked around the pier numerous times, played some arcade, gone on the ferris wheel and roller coaster. However, it was all too overpriced for what it is. Rides are not cheap. Their arcade selection is mediocre, nothing you can't get at D&Bs. The ferris wheel is awesome and its psychedelic lights are solar powered! Found street parking on Ocean. A good amount of human traffic when we got there, fortunately, lines were not too long. The only one we had to line up for was the ferris wheel the first time, for only about 10 minutes. We went right after dinner and went on Inkie's Scrambler first since it had no line. Very dizzy, made me want to yak. The fact that I was taking photos on the ride contributed to that.Secondly the Pacific Plunge. Not too high of a 9-story drop, but it's not as kiddy as it seems! It does come down a couple times. Played some carnival games after, that's always fun, albeit $$Lined up for the Ferris Wheel, where a women was puking her hearts out before the photos, probably the Inkie Scrambler. So you have been warned! A very cheesy photo, but the Ferris Wheel is great. No windows, just the ocean breeze. Going there during the summer meant it was comfortably cool. Great views of the park and you have the pacific ocean as your backdrop. breathtaking! Definitely regret only going on it twice!The rollercoaster was speedy at 35mph but relatively short of a ride, they let us go on a second time so that was nice of them, and I was snapping away again!The pirate ship could also be nauseating for some. it does rotate nearly 180 degrees when you sit at the top. Not for the faint of heart kids. My butt was airbourne every time we were at the top. Pretty decent ride time, as my boyfriend felt himself getting sick after.***Tip: For the pacific plunge, I really enjoyed the ocean view. Some games offer wristband special. Favourites: Ferris wheel is a must! very photogenic place. Lack of linesDo not want: coffee bean is a little overpriced. Rides and games are overpricedLast words: Take a date, your kids here. Tourists trap but a tourist must!