4 with deals

Things to do in Santa Monica

Museums, tours & cruises and family fun — 20 places to go in Santa Monica, California. 1 free to enter · most admission $5 to $22. 4 have a verified saving right now.

Santa Monica offers a remarkable mix of attractions where virtual reality experiences dominate the scene. Player One VR World features full-body tracking technology and 5K immersion, while THE CUBE VR Immersive Park puts visitors into virtual worlds using advanced VR technology and motion simulators. VR HOUR offers virtual reality escape room experiences where players use VR headsets and controllers to solve puzzles and explore immersive environments. Beyond the digital realm, families discover hands-on learning at Cayton Children's Museum, where children explore ideas through play and open-ended discovery, or the Heal the Bay Aquarium, which displays over 100 local marine species in exhibits focused on protecting bay wildlife. The Santa Monica Pier itself extends into the Pacific Ocean and hosts Pacific Park, an amusement park featuring the Pacific Wheel and the Sea Dragon. Museum of Illusions immerses visitors in perspective-changing rooms and optical illusions that play tricks on perception. For outdoor adventurers, LifeRush Adventures operates guided tours using premium electric mountain bikes, while Malibu Discovery offers guided tours exploring the Los Angeles area without requiring visitors to drive themselves.

What this list covers

Santa Monica has 20 places to go, mostly museums (6), tours & cruises (4), family fun (4).

13 of them publish an admission price, 11 publish opening hours, 4 are running a verified saving.

Every figure here was read on the attraction’s own website, most recently on September 19, 2026.

How we know these are real

Savings here are quoted from the attraction’s own website, word for word. This one, for example:

“EBT (cardholder): $6.00”

Quoted from healthebay.org · checked on

Museums in Santa Monica6

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Tours & cruises in Santa Monica4

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Family fun in Santa Monica4

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Adventure in Santa Monica2

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Zoos & aquariums in Santa Monica1

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Escape rooms in Santa Monica1

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Ice & roller skating in Santa Monica1

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Theme parks in Santa Monica1

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Free in Santa Monica

One attraction in Santa Monica gets you in for nothing, in the venue’s own words.

  • Santa Monica Pier

    The venue says: “can't-believe-it's-free" experiences on the Pier”

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Common questions

How many attractions in Santa Monica are running a deal?
4 of the 20 attractions in Santa Monica currently have a verified saving, covering 10 offers in total. Each is quoted from the attraction’s own website.
How much do things to do in Santa Monica cost?
Most admission in Santa Monica runs $5 to $22 per person, and 1 place is free to enter. Published prices run from $39 to $45 — $39 at Surf City Tours, $45 at Player One VR World, across 2 attractions in Santa Monica that publish their own. Each figure is that venue’s own price line for what it names, which is not always plain admission, and each attraction’s page carries the rest of its rates.
Is there anything free to do in Santa Monica?
1 attraction in Santa Monica says on its own website that admission is free. We only say free when the venue does, unqualified — a child rate priced at nothing is not a free attraction.
What kinds of attractions are included?
museums (6), tours & cruises (4), family fun (4), adventure (2), zoos & aquariums (1), escape rooms (1), ice & roller skating (1), theme parks (1).
Are these deals guaranteed to still be available?
No. Every deal here carries the date it was last checked on the attraction’s own website and a link straight to the page it came from, so you can confirm it before you travel. Prices and offers change without notice.
What suits a rainy afternoon with young children?
Cayton Children's Museum offers hands-on exploration through play and open-ended discovery. The Heal the Bay Aquarium, located beneath the Santa Monica Pier, displays over 100 local marine species in exhibits focused on protecting bay wildlife. Museum of Illusions immerses visitors in perspective-changing rooms and optical illusions that play tricks on perception.
What can teenagers do for several hours?
Player One VR World features free-roam virtual reality with full-body tracking and 5K immersion. THE CUBE VR Immersive Park puts visitors into virtual worlds using advanced VR technology and motion simulators. VR HOUR offers virtual reality escape room experiences where players solve puzzles and explore immersive environments using VR headsets and controllers.
What outdoor activities don't require driving a car?
Pacific Park on the Santa Monica Pier features the Pacific Wheel, a solar-powered Ferris wheel with over 174,000 LED lights visible from 130 feet above the pier, and the Sea Dragon, a swinging ship with 40-foot drops. Pickle Pop is a pickleball facility located on the Santa Monica Promenade. The Santa Monica Pier extends into the Pacific Ocean.