5 Amazing Things to Do in Santa Monica

Explore one or all of Santa Monica’s eight neighborhoods, each boasting its own unique identity and experience. Downtown, pedestrian-only Third Street Promenade, four blocks east of the beach, offers big-name brands like Abercrombie & Fitch, H&M, Old Navy, as well as galleries, movie theaters, and comedy shows. On the promenade’s south end is luxurious, open-air Santa Monica Place. 

It’s not all about chains here. On Main Street, peruse handmade accessories and gifts by local artists at Mindfulnest, or shop for unique home goods at Lost and Found. Kids go crazy playing dress-up and just plain playing in the Acorn Store, specializing in wooden toys. 

The promenade keeps things lively too, with entertaining street performers, especially on weekends (permits required, so the bar tends to be higher here than just your average street-corner act).

For another slice of heavenly shopping, stroll along Montana Avenue downtown. If you’re into flea markets, beeline to Rachel Ashwell Shabby Chic Couture. Get your skin “mapped” during a spoil-yourself facial at Dermalogica. And find ultra-hip outfits at Jill Roberts and a flurry of other designer boutiques.

Bright sunshine, stands overflowing with fresh produce, street musicians strumming and singing—Santa Monica’s four city-run farmers markets are like perfect pop-up festivals in the heart of the city. Each of the year-round, rain or shine market locations has its own unique charms, but they all feature only fruits and veggies that were grown without pesticides, and all sourced directly from the farm where it was grown. Live music is also featured at many of the locations; visit the schedule to see where the music’s happening.

The Saturday market in Virginia Avenue Park, called the Pico Market (the park is at the corner of Pico Blvd. and Cloverfield Blvd.), features about 35 farmers selling produce picked the day before, and is open from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. There’s picnicking on the lawn, and prepared food vendors serve coffee and breakfast items.

On Sundays, the Main Street market in Heritage Square has produce but also a very active prepared foods area as well, with such offerings as breakfast burritos, crepes, pancakes, pastries, and other baked goodies. There are bi-weekly cooking demonstrations and activities to keep the kids happy, like face painting and balloon art.

The longest-running of Santa Monica’s markets are the ones held on Wednesdays and Saturdays in Downtown Santa Monica, on Arizona Ave. at 2nd St. First opened in 1981, it’s where area shoppers and chefs go to find both staples and more exotic seasonal items. With around 75 farmers selling, the Wednesday market is one of the largest in Southern California; the Saturday market hosts about 50 farmers selling.

Insider tip: Wednesday Farmers Markets are when many Santa Monica chefs do their produce shopping for the week (after they finish surfing that morning). Coast, Fig, LAGO, and Ocean & Vine, and other fine restaurants typically craft their menus on Wednesdays and Saturdays around what they pick up fresh that day at the market.

With restaurants helmed by both celebrity chefs and rising culinary stars, Santa Monica boasts a sizzling-hot dining scene. Start with a classic, Chinois on Main, where Wolfgang Puck pioneered the fusion style of cooking. There’s also Michael McCarty’s Michael’s restaurant, a landmark for California cuisine since 1979.

Chef Josiah Citrin split his two-Michelin-starred Mélisse restaurant into two in late 2019. Mélisse is now an intimate 14-seater featuring only a tasting menu, and Citrin serves creative variations on caviar and progressive California cuisine in a bistro setting. Sample irresistible creations (don't miss the organic fried chicken sandwich) at all-day breakfast hotspot Huckleberry Bakery & Café, home to James Beard award-winning pastry chef Zoe Nathan. (Her pastries and desserts, like Champagne chocolate tart and sticky toffee pudding, are also served at farm-to-table Rustic Canyon restaurant.)

Even burgers get the special treatment in Santa Monica: Head to gastropub Father’s Office for chef Sang Yoon’s deliciously decadent burger topped with a smoked-bacon and caramelized onions, and gruyére and Maytag blue cheeses. Just don’t ask for ketchup. Yoon doesn’t allow anyone to mess with his masterpieces.

Steps from the Santa Monica Pier Ferris wheel, The Albright features local, sustainable fish dishes on its menu—Lobster rolls, Hawaiian poke, black tiger shrimp taco, and fish-and-chips—in a casual, low-key environment. Parents will appreciate the al fresco dining and the view of the ocean; kids will love the nearby games and rides.

Venice is the ultimate L.A. neighborhood where the surf meets the human circus. Spend a day along Venice’s palm-lined, beachfront boardwalk and you might spot a skateboarding guitarist, a guy juggling chainsaws, bodybuilders, and bikinis. You may also see some of the country’s best pickup basketball games on local outdoor courts, as well as fearless skateboarders on the skate park nestled right in the sands of Venice Beach. Find a bench to watch the passing parade, or become part of it, by renting beach cruiser bikes to follow Venice’s stretch of the 22-mile/35-km Marvin Braude Coastal Bike Trail, linking Santa Monica to Torrance. For a truly wild experience, find something to bang with (an empty soda can and your car keys will do) and join the nightly drum circle out on the beach.

Walk inland away from the beach to discover a different Venice. The town’s most popular street, stroll-able Abbot Kinney Boulevard, is a shopping treasure trove. Browse for designer duds in stylish boutiques that draw Hollywood celebs, and search for home furnishings—from vintage to mid-century. Blend your own scents at Strange Invisible Perfumes. Cafes and food trucks make sure you don’t go hungry while you shop. And yes, there are canals in Venice: Stroll past the original cottages, lush gardens, and modern homes of the Venice Canal Historic District.