1 / 3Annenberg Community Beach House
📍 North of Montana, CA
Historic beachfront facility with a swimming pool, splash pad, playground, beach volleyball courts, and on-site café — a less-crowded alternative to the main Santa Monica beach with subsidised parking rates.
Easy parking lot. There are 2 areas to park. The first one is near the Back On The Beach restaurant, and the other one is closer to the Marion Davies Guest House, so there is plenty of parking! Bottom line, if the first lot is full, do not worry, just swing back to the entrance and turn left towards the Marion Davies House parking lot. The pool is open to the public: $10 for adults, $4 for kids and $5 for seniors. Summer hours for 2025: 12noon-6pm( Monday -Thurs) Friday-Sunday ( 10am-6pm). Check the website to be sure. Playground is great for little kids and places for adults to sit nearby. You can buy food at Back on the Beach TO GO and bring it outside and pick one of the nice patio tables to eat. Bathroom facilities are clean, by the playground with an outdoor shower to rinse off your feet. Marion Davies Guest House has free docent tours 12noon-2pm to learn about the history of the only remaining building of what was once a 100+ room Beach House. Family friendly!
🏆 Family Action Verdict
Families with toddlers through primary-age kids who want beach access without the Main Beach crowds will find this the most relaxed Santa Monica option. The pool is an easy alternative to ocean swimming for younger children, and the playground suits toddlers well.
ℹ️ What to Know Before You Go
💬 What Families Are Saying
View all reviews →1,900 Google reviews
eriko p
8 months ago
“Easy parking lot. There are 2 areas to park. The first one is near the Back On The Beach restaurant, and the other one is closer to the Marion Davies Guest House, so there is plenty of parking! Bottom line, if the first lot is full, do not worry, just swing back to the entrance and turn left towards the Marion Davies House parking lot. The pool is open to the public: $10 for adults, $4 for kids and $5 for seniors. Summer hours for 2025: 12noon-6pm( Monday -Thurs) Friday-Sunday ( 10am-6pm). Check the website to be sure. Playground is great for little kids and places for adults to sit nearby. You can buy food at Back on the Beach TO GO and bring it outside and pick one of the nice patio tables to eat. Bathroom facilities are clean, by the playground with an outdoor shower to rinse off your feet. Marion Davies Guest House has free docent tours 12noon-2pm to learn about the history of the only remaining building of what was once a 100+ room Beach House. Family friendly!”
Nicole Zapata
9 months ago
“I don't want to tell everybody about this place. This is my secret location where I come to the beach and it's so private and so beautiful, so clean. It has a walkway through the sand the parking is good. It's economical. There's a restaurant on it. There's volleyball chords. There's a pool that you can go swimming on Mondays. Really do I have to tell everybody about this place? They're gonna give me like a $1000 for this review if you're looking for a nice quiet clean beach with clean bathrooms and place a pl ayground for your kids to play. This is definitely a spot. Just don't tell everybody about it. Everything else is already overcrowded.”
Ben Irving
8 years ago
“This is a great place to go spend a day at the pool, have a private event or meeting, or to go and take a tour of the Marion Davies House. The tour of the house is awesome and very historical. The tour guides were great and gave a lot of fantastic information about the historical significance of the house and the area. Come check it out and spend some time in the sun at the beach. You can not go wrong!”
Dr Mohina S kulkarni
8 months ago
“A very convenient location for parking and beach access away from tourist crowd...clean walkways..convenient restrooms..a great cafe to watch the sunsets. Soft playarea for kids...cheap parking rates as the parking rates are very high in santa monica beach and pier”
Reviews from Google
Overview
The Annenberg Community Beach House occupies a historic Marion Davies estate on the Santa Monica waterfront. The outdoor pool runs seasonal hours with separate shallow areas suited to younger children. A splash pad and soft-surface playground sit adjacent. Families can tour the restored Guest House, eat at Back on the Beach Café, and bring food to the patio seating. Two parking lots serve the site — if the first is full, the second near the Marion Davies House is usually available.



