Santa Monica Pier, Los Angeles: history, the carousel, how to get there and hours

Santa Monica Pier runs out into the Pacific from the corner of Ocean Avenue and Colorado Avenue in the city of Santa Monica, on the western edge of greater Los Angeles. Walking onto the pier is free, and its site says it is open daily from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. You will find a carousel in a 1916 building, the Pacific Park rides with a Ferris wheel, a small aquarium, fishing and the symbolic end of Route 66. The bridge from Ocean Avenue is being replaced, but the city says the pier itself stays open. More places in the region are on our Los Angeles city page.

Santa Monica Pier history: two piers side by side

There were really two piers. The first was the city's Municipal Pier, which the pier's own site and the City of Santa Monica date to 1909; the NPS nomination for the Hippodrome gives 1905. The pier's site says it was built as a public utility, not for fun. The National Park Service (NPS) puts its length at about 1,000 feet and says it was advertised as the "largest concrete pier in the world."

The fun came from the Looff family. Charles Looff and his son Arthur built carousels and roller coasters and ran amusement parks. NPS says Charles started at Coney Island in 1876, and on the West Coast the Looffs worked from a factory in Long Beach. In 1915 and 1916 they built their own Looff Pleasure Pier next to the city's. It held the Hippodrome with a carousel of their own making (1916), the Blue Streak roller coaster (about 1917), a giant rotating swing called the Aeroscope and the La Monica Ballroom (1924), which held 5,000 dancers.

In 1921 the city pier was rebuilt, widened and extended to nearly 1,600 feet. Looff sold his interests in 1924. NPS dates the peak of the amusement pier's popularity from 1924 through World War II. The Blue Streak lasted only until 1931, and the ballroom came down in 1968. City of Santa Monica articles say the Great Depression closed Looff's pier for good, and by 1953 the city had taken over the pier and leased it to a private operator.

In 1983 two storms destroyed nearly a third of the pier, according to the city. Rebuilding finished in 1990, and in 1996 an amusement park, Pacific Park, came back to the pier. The National Park Service lists the Hippodrome building as a National Historic Landmark; the pier's site calls the whole pier one, but the NPS list names only the Hippodrome.

What to see on the pier

The Hippodrome. A two-story wooden building from 1916 with octagonal corner towers and arched windows. NPS calls it a rare intact example of a building made to shelter a carousel, one of only two left on the West Coast. Its giant tent-like roof ends in a clerestory capped by a bulbous tower that the NPS nomination likens to the onion-shaped dome common on Russian churches.

The carousel. The original Looff carousel left in 1939. The one inside now, Philadelphia Toboggan Company #62, dates from 1922, began its career at Cumberland Park in Nashville and has been in the Hippodrome since 1947. Local carousel fans restored it, finishing in 1981. NPS notes it appeared in the film "The Sting," other films and many TV episodes.

Pacific Park. The amusement park on the pier. Its site lists 12 rides, including the West Coaster and the Pacific Wheel, which the park calls the first solar-powered Ferris wheel.

Heal the Bay Aquarium. A small marine education center under the carousel building, with over 100 local species, touch tanks, a kelp forest, moray eels and a shark nursery.

Route 66 and more. On the pier, where Route 66 "ends at the sea," in the words of the pier's site, is a small shop called 66 to Cali. There is also the Playland Arcade, the Oatman Rockshop (on the pier since 1965), restaurants and street performers. The pier's blue sign has stood at the entrance since 1941; the city says it was taken down in fall 2026 to be restored during the bridge work.

Fishing. Fishing from the pier is allowed, and Pier Bait and Tackle sells bait and gear.

How to get to Santa Monica Pier

Train. Metro's E Line (still called the Expo Line on the pier's site) runs from 7th St/Metro Center in downtown Los Angeles to Downtown Santa Monica Station. A ride at Metro fares costs $1.75 with free transfers for two hours, and you never pay more than $5 a day.

Bus. Big Blue Bus route 8 (Downtown Santa Monica - UCLA) stops at Ocean and Colorado. A Big Blue Bus ride is $1.25 with a card or TAP, or $1.50 in exact cash. Metro bus 534 also stops at Colorado and Ocean.

Bike. The Marvin Braude Bike Trail (The Strand) runs along the beach. Bikes are allowed on the pier, and rentals are on site.

Car. The beach lot, Lot 1 North, is at 1550 Appian Way. From I-10 West take exit 1-A to 4th and 5th Streets, turn right on 4th Street, make the first left on Colorado, turn left on Ocean Avenue, right on Seaside Terrace and right on Appian Way to Lot 1 North. The Pier Deck parking is open Monday to Thursday, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. The pier's site gives no parking rates.

The 1939 bridge is being replaced. The pier's site warns of altered traffic patterns and some limits on parking and expects the work to finish by the end of 2027; the city says it will be done before the 2028 Summer Olympics. When the city closes Appian Way, Lot 1 North stays reachable from Pacific Coast Highway. Construction news is on the project page.

Hours and tickets

The pier is free. You pay for rides, games and food.

Hours and prices checked November 5, 2026, on santamonicapier.org, pacpark.com and healthebay.org. The Pacific Park site gives the pier's hours as 6 a.m. to 11 p.m., so check before you go. Ride tickets are sold at tickets.pacpark.com. The park says some rides may be closed or on rotation based on conditions and crowds.

Tips before you go

• Dogs. Leashed dogs are welcome on the pier, but not on the beach.
• Smoking. Not allowed on the pier.
• No lockers. There is no storage on the pier.
• Access. Accessible parking is in Beach Lot 1 North. A public elevator at Bubba Gump Shrimp Company runs during the restaurant's hours.
• Lost and found. Call the Harbor Guard Office at 310-458-8695 or the police substation at 310-458-8450.
• Recurring events. A walking tour of pier history runs on weekends at 10 a.m., and a sunset tour on Mondays at 7 p.m.; tickets are $25. From September to May, Locals' Night is every third Thursday, 3:30 to 7:30 p.m.

For more sights, see what to see in Los Angeles.

Questions people ask

Does it cost anything to walk onto Santa Monica Pier?

No. The pier is free and open daily from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., according to the pier's own site. You pay for the Pacific Park rides, games, food and parking. Ride tickets are sold on the park's website, and Pacific Park's hours change from day to day.

How do I get to Santa Monica Pier by train?

Take Metro's E Line from 7th St/Metro Center in downtown Los Angeles to Downtown Santa Monica Station. A ride costs $1.75 with free transfers for two hours. Big Blue Bus route 8 also stops at Ocean and Colorado.

Is the pier open during the bridge work?

Yes. The city says the pier stays open, with its restaurants, shops and attractions, while the bridge from Ocean Avenue is replaced. The pier's site expects the work to finish by the end of 2027, the city before the 2028 Olympics, and until then there may be altered traffic patterns and limits on parking.

How old is the carousel on Santa Monica Pier?

Charles and Arthur Looff built the Hippodrome building in 1916. The carousel inside now is a Philadelphia Toboggan Company machine from 1922, installed there in 1947; its restoration was finished in 1981. The original Looff carousel was removed in 1939.