The sign is famous. The view from the end of the pier is very nice. The rest resembles what you might find on a busy boardwalk at the Jersey Shore.

Historic, beautiful Merry-Go-Round, great Ferris Wheel and fun amusement-park type rides for the kids. The pier itself draws a very touristy (and often seedy, ghetto-y) crowd, but still worth a visit. Not nearly as seedy as the Venice Boardwalk! Pay a visit to the SM Pier Aquarium run by local beach advocacy group Heal The Bay and support their efforts!

I love going to Santa Monica Pier when I feel like I need to chill out and relax and just escape. It is nice and beautiful.

A taste of the ocean combined with a small theme park and stalls. It might be crowded though, on a good weather, and parking might be expensive due to that.

We parked about 1/2 mile north of the pier...if you're lucky you can park on the cliffside above for $1/hr on the side of the road... or $8-12 per entry just off ocean drive adjacent to the beachs. The pier was very busy on a sunny saturday..to be expected. A few local artists and crafts being sold. There are 1-2... More

It's nice and all, but when it's cold and rainy, stay away. Cliche rides and food. Nothing special, but the view is really something!

The pier is worth a visit and has a fun arcade. But one trip was enough for us.

Worth a visit. A bit like Pier 39 in San Francisco on a smaller scale. We enjoyed a stroll along the pier with a beer at "Bubba Gumps". It was a beautiful day which made it all the better.

Santa Monica is well worth the trip and is a nice change to Hollywood. There are plenty of restaurants and sights at the pier to keep you busy. If you feel like a walk, you can also stroll down to Venice Beach, which has a different feel again (think Nimbin on steroids)