Get Your Kicks at Santa Monica Pier: The End of Historic Route 66

While in the USA visiting my kids, I implored my son to take me to Santa Monica Pier. In all the years I had lived in the greater Los Angeles area 30 years ago, I had never been to this USA icon. Blasphemy, I know. After the disappointment of revisiting Venice Beach, I was not expecting much from Santa Monica... but I had to do it. I'm glad we did. I had no idea prior to this that Santa Monica Pier was actually the end to historic Route 66.

My fascination with Route 66 is not new, but my enthusiasm for this part of American history has tripled since we bought our 1966 Mustang and joined the Mustang Club of Sweden. Quite a few members save all year to ship their Mustangs over to the USA and drive Route 66 from Chicago to Los Angeles. I have made most of this drive, but in the opposite direction. I would dearly love to be able to do it in our Mustang one day.

Much to my delight, there is a small kiosk on the Santa Monica Pier dedicated to Route 66. Dan Rice has everything you could possibly want at his booth. I picked up a long-sleeved T-shirt each for my husband and I. His even has a '66 Mustang on it. These are very high quality and ran around 25USD each. They also have clocks, post cards, books, and a newspaper called 'The Route 66 Pulse' that is just chock full of great articles. Dan is very in-the-know about this historic road, and even was instrumental in having the sign marking the end of Route 66 restored to its rightful place on the Santa Monica Pier. Many of the tourist shops here sell Route 66 merchandise, but Dan has the best of it all.

Also along the pier you will find an amazing array of wonderful restaurants such as Bubba Gump Shrimp and Rusty's Surf Ranch. Along with these are also a lot of great little finger-food and fast food places. Pretty much any budget can be accounted for on the pier.

And then there's the thing that everybody thinks of first when you mention the Santa Monica Pier: Pacific Park. You can see the Ferris Wheel from quite a distance. Although the pier itself never really closes, you might want to call ahead (310) 260-8744 for the amusement park hours as they change from time to time. This is not a huge park, having around a dozen rides, but it is a cool park for sure. I mean, it sits on & over the Pacific Ocean so you just cannot beat the view and ambiance here. Also inside the park you can find lots of carnival games and more eateries & shops. If you buy on-line at their website, you can get a wristband for unlimited rides at about 21USD for adults and 15.00 for kids 7 & under.

Wait - what about that other attraction everyone always talks about? Oh my yes... the Carousel. Housed inside a landmark building (The Hippodrome) you will find the vintage carousel, which was began around 1916. Too cool, that. Of course, there is also a gift shop to accompany it.

But that's not all - there is also a marine science aquarium at beach level here. You can find it right under the building that houses the Carousel. This is run by the folks at Heal the Bay and is really awesome. Admission is a minimum of 2.00, but they do take additional donations. I highly recommend you do get up off your wallet and toss in a few bucks extra at the very least. A fiver won't kill you, and will go towards making the area a safer place for the creatures of the sea.

Fishing is allowed at the end of Santa Monica Pier, and you will find lots of locals taking advantage of that. Have a seat to rest a bit and watch all the cool stuff they are pulling out of the Pacific. If you decide to do a bit of fishing yourself, do mind the signs everywhere telling you what cannot be eaten safely here.

All in all, Santa Monica Pier did not disappoint in the slightest. This is a fabulous place to take the family, or visit with friends; even a first date would be an excellent idea. If you find yourself in the Los Angeles area, do stop in and make a day of it... and tell Dan that gal from Sweden said hi.