Playland Arcade and the Santa Monica Pier Aquarium

There's nothing better than having a couple of happy hour drinks on the Promenade or Rusty's and then coming down to Playland for a little nostalgia. With all types of 80's and 90's games, this place is like heaven for your inner child. With a few coins in your pocket, you are in for some fun. 

For those of us who grew up in the 1980s and '90s, arcades were an integral part of our childhood and adolescence. They existed inside malls and in shopping centers, waiting for us to fill up the storefronts after school and on weekends. Occasionally, we would have to stand in line waiting behind players who were genuinely skilled at the hot game of the moment. We challenged our friends to games like true fighters.

Sometimes we were actually good. Other times, we proudly sucked. Either way, we vented out our teenage frustrations with joysticks and attack buttons and, in the end, we left exhilarated and broke.

Located inside Pacific Park on Santa Monica Pier, Playland Arcade is the sort of arcade that you'll want to visit every day. Traffic can be a bit of a mess around here but parking is easy. If you are planning on a day at the beach, though, it's a solid, diverse arcade to visit. There are a handful of redemption games here. I'm partial to Skee-Ball. 

There are also a handful of classic and relatively recent arcade games. This is by far the busiest arcade I saw while crisscrossing the county in search of video games. With its mix of locals and tourists, it's also a good place for people-watching. 

Meet the Locals at the Santa Monica Pier Aquarium. More than 100 species of marine life are on exhibit at the Aquarium - and all are from the Santa Monica Bay. Each year, the Aquarium educates nearly 15,000 students from Los Angeles County and beyond and welcomes 70,000 visitors during public hours. Visitors, young and old, enjoy hands-on exploration at the touch tanks, which are home to dozens of different species of animals - visitors on Tuesday and Friday afternoons are invited to help feed the sea stars. 

Popular shark-themed Sundays include a 3:30 p.m. weekly presentation and feeding at the shark exhibit. Mention Buy Local and receive a free Heal the Bay wristband and bumper sticker while supplies last. The Santa Monica Pier Aquarium has numerous exhibits featuring marine life native to the Santa Monica Bay, including Shark / Ray Tank, Octopus Tank, 3 Touch TanksCrustacean, TankPhylum , Discovery TankRocky Reef Tank, Pier Tank (Under the pier environment), Kelp Forest Tank, Sandy Bottom Tank, etc, enough for you and your family to spend the better part of the day to enjoy. This facility offers educational programs, activities, and special events dedicated to marine conservation, pollution prevention, and environmental education.

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