Seeing Santa Monica Pier and La Brea Tar Pits

[CapnJacksGirl]

We have two partial days on our upcoming DLR trip and consensus among my hubby and kids is that they want to see Santa Monica pier and the Tar Pits. I found a thread here that discusses the Tar Pits and suggests an hour or two tops to see everything there is to see there without progressing into boredom.

How much time should we allot for Santa Monica pier? Obviously, that's a subjective question since no one could know what all we'd want to do there, but I'm guessing someone could give us a rough idea of how long we should plan to be there to get a feel for it.

Can anyone offer some advice? Thanks in advance for the help!

 

[WebmasterMaryJo]

Can you do the La Brea Tarpits and Santa Monica Pier on the same day? I think you can probably spend 2 hours at the Tarpits & 1-2 hours at Santa Monica Pier, depending on what you want to do. In addition, near the La Brea Tarpits is The Grove/Farmers Market, and that is another place to visit on the same day. Did you know that Route 66 ends at Santa Monica Pier?

 

[CapnJacksGirl]

Thanks, Mary Jo!

Here's what we've got going....we are arriving on Saturday Oct 10 and get into LAX at about noon. I was thinking we would get our rental car and, after an obligatory first stop at In-N-Out, head to Santa Monica Pier. We are looking for a leisurely couple of hours before heading to our hotel (Ramada Wilshire Center). We have plans with friends all day Sunday and then will have some time on Monday before heading to Disneyland for the rest of the week. Our hotel isn't far from the Tarpits so we thought we'd get breakfast, check out of the hotel, and head over. With a couple of hours there, we should be done and on our way to Mickey's place around noon or so. We'll need a quick stop for a few breakfast and snack items on the way to PPH but that should put us in our room by mid-afternoon, which is perfect because we want to be at DTD and boarding the monorail around 4 pm.

Do you see any flaws in that plan? Or ways to make it better?

 

[WebmasterMaryJo]

Your plan sounds great. Pacific Palisades (if you saw "It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World" (the original), it's where the 'Big W' was located) is right there, and you can walk up on the bluff overlooking the Pacific, or wander the pier and out to the ocean on the beach. You'll probably run into some street performers, and they are aggressive (not threatening, so don't worry) about people pitching in $, so go with a thick skin unless you're impressed by a performer. After you check in to your hotel, if you want to go someplace to eat, I still recommend Farmers Market, with a walk along The Grove, too, especially if the night is warm. Your plan to stop at La Brea Tar Pits before heading over to Disneyland is a good one.

Let us know if you have any other questions/plans. There are a lot of locals.

 

[CapnJacksGirl]

Thanks, Mary Jo! I have become quite co-dependent in my planning so a little reinforcement that my ideas are good really helps!! I will definitely take your recommendation and check out Farmers Market. Sounds like a great way to end our first day in California!

 

[Disney Kidd]

Sounds like a good plan! Do you plan on going to the Page Museum or just walking the grounds of the tar pits? Without the museum, I think thirty minutes would be more than enough time to see the grounds. I was just there a few weeks ago and there were a ton of food trucks across the street, but going to the Grove/Farmers Market is also a great idea. You'll find something for everyone there. If you have a daughter, I recommend going to the American Girl Doll store there. It's huge and really cool! Next to the tar pits is the LA County Museum of Art. They have sculptures outside that are really cool to look at like the one below:

There is parking along the beach near the Santa Monica Pier, but another option would be to park at one of the parking structures near the third street promenade. This is a nice area with shops and restaurants and parking is free for the first 90 minutes and $1 for the next hour. It's also only a few blocks from the beach and would be an easy walk to the pier.