Pacific Park

I take my kids here a couple of times a year and they love it.
The only drawback is the parking, if you are not on the pier it is a huge problem trying to get out onto PCH, but it is great fun.
Oh the aquarium located at the east end under the pier is great.

Pacific Park is an amusement park located on the Santa Monica pier. There are a dozen or so rides as well as old fashioned games where you can try your hand at winning stuffed animals. It can be very crowded (especially on summer weekends) and the cost of tickets is fairly high (you can also get an unlimited ride wristband) however you can't beat the view from the top of the ferris wheel on a clear day.

I like Pacific Park for the atmosphere, the arcade, the food, and the prize games. But NOT the rides. The rides are WAY too expensive and they aren't even that great. $20 gets you about 4 rides. It was only enough for my kids to ride the coaster 1 time and for my husband and I to ride the ferris wheel 1 time. After that it's just too much of a rip-off and my kids would rather play the prize games anyway. By the way, if you have a fear of heights, don't ride the ferris wheel at night! I was shaking the whole time because everything is black and you feel like you're going to plunge into the ocean - it goes so high and it was a bit scary. It was romantic also, but I was just too scared to notice lol

Pacific Park is located on the Santa Monica pier and is a great place to go for amusement rides. They do not have an admission fee, you just buy tickets for whatever ride you want to ride on. They have a roller coaster, ferris wheel, tower drop as well as several little kiddie rides to choose from. They also have carnival-like games where you can win prizes. Just a fun place for the entire family.

This is a cool place on the weekends when there is a lot of people and kids. The day pass for the amusement &rides is pricey, but it is a nice place to take the kids for fun and food. Spend the rest of the day in the beach.its like a 2 in one place(Beach and Amusement park in one day)

We love going to the Pier - Pacific Park for some good family fun. The kids like to spend hours on each ride and especially in the arcade. The best part is the ferries wheel - the best view of Santa Monica and the ocean.

PROS: Great entertainment, nice variety and small and contained
CONS: Pricey and too crowded on the weekends.