About This Guide
How we research, write, and maintain the most useful Santa Monica visitor guide.
Who Operates This Website
Things To Do Santa Monica is an independent visitor guide dedicated to helping travelers plan their time in Santa Monica, California. We are not affiliated with the City of Santa Monica, Visit Santa Monica (the official tourism board), or any municipal agency. Our editorial team researches, writes, and maintains every page on this site. We live in and around Santa Monica and visit the locations we write about regularly.
Why This Guide Exists
Most Santa Monica travel content online is either scraped from business directories, generated by AI, or written by people who have never set foot in the city. We built this guide because we kept finding inaccurate, outdated, or generic information when searching for things to do in our own neighborhood. Our goal is to be the most practically useful Santa Monica resource on the web — one that answers the question "what should I actually do when I'm there?" better than any other site.
How Attractions Are Selected
We include an attraction, beach, or activity on this site if it meets at least one of these criteria:
- It is a genuinely popular destination that visitors consistently ask about.
- It offers a unique experience that cannot be found elsewhere in Santa Monica.
- It is free or low-cost and adds value for budget-conscious travelers.
- It is historically or culturally significant to Santa Monica specifically.
We do not include an attraction simply because a business pays for placement. We do not list every business in Santa Monica — we list the ones that are genuinely useful for visitors to know about.
How Information Is Researched
Our research process for each page includes:
- 1. Visiting the location in person whenever possible.
- 2. Checking the official website of the attraction, business, or City of Santa Monica for hours, prices, and policies.
- 3. Cross-referencing with Google Maps for address accuracy and current status.
- 4. Reviewing official City of Santa Monica resources (santamonica.gov) for park rules, beach conditions, and municipal facilities.
- 5. Verifying event information against official event calendars and organizer websites.
When we cannot verify a piece of information (for example, a business's seasonal hours), we either state the information with a caveat or omit it rather than guessing. We never fabricate prices, hours, or other details.
How Often Listings Are Verified
Our verification schedule:
- Major attractions (Pier, Palisades Park, beaches): reviewed quarterly.
- Restaurants: verified when listed, then spot-checked every 6 months.
- Events: checked weekly against official source calendars.
- Guides (nightlife, budget, weekend): reviewed every 6 months.
Each guide page displays a "Last updated" and "Sources verified" date so you can see when the information was last checked.
How to Submit Corrections
We welcome corrections from visitors, business owners, and local residents. If you spot outdated or incorrect information on any page, use the "Report outdated information" button at the bottom of that page. You can also email us directly at corrections@thingstodosantamonica.com.
Every report is reviewed by our editorial team. We prioritize corrections about business closures, safety issues, and significant price changes. Most corrections are published within 5 business days.
How Sponsored & Featured Listings Are Handled
Some listings on this site may be featured or sponsored. When a listing is sponsored, we clearly label it with a "Featured" or "Sponsored" badge. Sponsored listings do not receive preferential editorial treatment — we only feature businesses we would recommend regardless of sponsorship. A sponsored listing cannot buy a positive review or have negative information removed. Our editorial content and our advertising relationships are kept separate.
The SureStay Hotel by Best Western is currently a featured hotel partner. This partnership helps fund the operation of this website. SureStay's featured status does not affect our coverage of other hotels, our budget guide recommendations, or our editorial independence.
How Restaurant Recommendations Are Selected
Our restaurant directory includes establishments from a comprehensive local business database, supplemented by editorial curation. We do not assign star ratings or scores. Instead, we provide factual information — cuisine type, neighborhood, price range, and whether they accept reservations — so you can make your own decision. In our guides (budget, nightlife, weekend), we recommend specific restaurants based on first-hand visits, local reputation, and value for the specific guide's audience. We do not accept payment for restaurant recommendations in our guides.
How Hotel Recommendations Are Selected
Our hotel guide covers the main neighborhoods in Santa Monica and explains which area suits which type of traveler. We highlight the SureStay Hotel by Best Western as our featured partner because it offers good value for budget-conscious travelers and helps fund this website. We also mention other hotel categories (beachfront, boutique, budget) to help you understand your options. We do not assign hotel ratings or claim to have stayed at every hotel in Santa Monica — we provide neighborhood context and practical booking information so you can choose what fits your needs and budget.