Santa Monica for your California Summer Vacation

Santa Monica Beach is a great destination for your California summer vacation not only is it a great seaside resort but a bustling busy city with great shops and lots of things to do. Santa Monica is also very close to Los Angeles so makes a great base to explore Southern California.

Santa Monica has great beach facilities which make it one of the best resorts in California. The 3.5 miles of clean and tidy beaches cater for all beach activities including Swimming, Surfing, Fishing, Volleyball and Cycling these activities are available all year round and with over 340 days of sun-shine per year, what more could you ask for. Safety is paramount and all the lifeguard stations are fully manned during daylight hours and the lifeguard headquarters also provides 24/7 assistance to anyone who needs it.

photo credit: sashapo

At over 100 years of age the Santa Monica Pier is a must see attraction. One the pier is an amusement park called Pacific Park which caters for the whole family with rides such as the West Coaster roller coaster and a nine storey Ferris wheel plus the only over the water miniature golf coarse. There is a Trapeze school which offers anyone of any age or experience a chance to learn to Trapeze, two hour lessons are available to thrill seekers. Under the pier is the Santa Monica Aquarium which offers hands on presentations and lots of interactive displays.

South of the pier are the Volleyball courts and nearby the Famous Muscle Beach which was popularized in the 1950’s and has been seen in lots of films based around the beaches. It has been made famous by lots of body builders and has been refurbished and includes a Gym, a jungle gym for kids, parallel bars, chinning bars and rings.

The ocean front walk is full of shops and restaurants which invites you in to sample great food and fashion. The children will love the concrete Viking ship and the Dragon looming out of the grass. The Chess park is also situated here which includes permanent chess boards and a human sized chess board, you can either play or just watch. The farmers market has a great range of fresh fruit, vegetables, bread, cheeses and much more including great music and food sampling which makes this a must visit attraction.

photo credit: nikijulian

One of the best things about Santa Monica Beach is there’s lots of free things to do as well. Such as  bike trails, twilight dance series at the pier, Santa Monica drive-in,  Camera Obscura,  Santa Monica civic auditorium and the city hall. All these places have shows and activities free of charge. All of this makes Santa Monica a great place for inexpensive summer vacations in California and with all the activities available you will not be bored.

Tagged with: California Summer Vacation • California Summer Vacations • inexpensive summer vacations in california • santa monica • summer vacations in california

Filed under: California Summer Vacation

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