We love this place! It's our favorite Sunday spot! Everything is so amazing about it. Debby who works at the cafe is the best! Can't wait when they open the pool so we can hang out with others big boys I think they have a changing table in each restroom, so it's really a lot to review read more

Annenberg Community Beach House has a great location and concept, but our experience was mixed. I came here with my daughter hoping for a relaxing afternoon of sun and pool time, and while it has potential, there were several limitations that made it less enjoyable than expected. Timing really matters here. It is best to come during off hours if you want any chance of getting a lounge chair to set your belongings down or take a break. When it is busy, seating is very limited and can get crowded quickly. The pool itself is not ideal for young children or anyone expecting a gradual entry. There is no graded or zero-depth entrance. Instead, you enter via a ladder directly into about four feet of water, with a rope separating this area from the deeper section. This setup may be fine for confident swimmers, but it felt less family-friendly than anticipated. Conversely, if you are looking to swim laps, this is not a lap pool. It is purely recreational. The changing and bathroom area is very open, and the showers offer no privacy. The shower water was also quite cold, which was not especially comfortable, particularly for kids. If you are expecting enclosed changing rooms or warm showers, this may be disappointing. Parking is public street parking only, paid at meters, which adds another layer of planning and cost. Overall, while the beach house is in a beautiful spot and can be enjoyable under the right circumstances, the lack of amenities, limited seating, and less-than-ideal pool and changing facilities make it hard to fully relax or recommend, especially for families with young children. read more

Cardboard Yacht Regatta at Annenberg Beach house pool What a delight. You make a cardboard boat and enter contest race at the pool annually read more

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Today was my 2nd time at this beach house, both times was for a wellness summit. Nice views and great weather. Parking is $10 for a full day or $4 per hour. Clean restroom and conference space. read more

Annenberg Community Beach House - View from 2nd floor - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Santa Monica, California

Spent my Memorial Day at the Beach house lounging around the pool for a couple of hours , with the nephew had brunch at the cafe too . Everything thing was nice and clean . This is a place you should experience at least once . I will be back to experience . All day parking is 20.00 and pool entrence is 7 per person and 4. For kids read more

A seamless family outing from start to finish. We arrived just after 10am and had no trouble parking (just note there are separate fees for parking and pool access). Staff at every turn were genuinely helpful, and signage around the property made getting our bearings easy. Pool vibes: Clean, calm, and well laid out. Plenty of lounge chairs already pre-set with umbrellas no racing to snag shade. Water temp was just right. Lifeguards? Incredible. Attentive, kind, and great with kids. Their presence brought real peace of mind. Facilities: Bathrooms and changing rooms were spotless, stocked, and never crowded, even mid-day. Accessibility was excellent flat paths, step-free entrances, and shaded seating that worked for everyone in our party. Food tip: After our swim, we walked over to Back on the Beach Café next door for lunch. Fresh, unfussy menu and shaded patio seating right on the sand. Ideal spot for families who like ocean views with their sandwiches. Extras we'll try next time: There's a whole lineup of fitness and art classes onsite. Didn't get to them this visit, but they add an extra layer of "choose your own adventure" to an already well-run destination. If you're after a beach day with thoughtful amenities, historic charm, and low-stress logistics, Annenberg delivers. We'll be back. read more

Annenberg Community Beach House - Crystal clear pool Nicky heated to 80 or so. - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Santa Monica, California

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Never even knew this place exists. The venue is a beautiful location. The venue has a few approved catering company to assist with your event. The food is delicious and you can request to serve cocktails, beer, soda, etc. You can decorate your tables and put your touch of imagination. read more

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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! read more

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We love it here. Have been coming here for years. Clean, well kept, well maintained and beautiful. Everything about this place is just wonderful - play volleyball, walk the path, build sandcastles, go into the ocean. Pretty good parking that is close and the restaurant attached is nice too. read more

Location Location Location, that place is perfect for a party or ceremony like the one we attended. The beautiful beach Location was absolutely beautiful. So if you have a chance to check it out, it would be worth it! read more

Annenberg Community Beach House - Beautiful beach setting, just steps from the center - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Santa Monica, California

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The Annaberg Community Beach House is such a gem! It's the perfect spot to spend a relaxing day with family. My little ones love splashing in the pool and running through the water fountains, and I enjoy knowing they're having a safe and fun time. The outdoor café serves fresh, delicious food, and every staff member we've met has been so friendly and welcoming. Truly a wonderful place that we look forward to visiting again and again read more

Annenberg Community Beach House - baby playing with water fountain - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Santa Monica, California

My school held a service learning experience with a beach clean up. We all met here. The parking lot still had plenty of parking spaces at 10:00am on a Saturday. I didn't know how to pay for parking, but there was a lovely lady attendant who helped me out. The kiosk was efficient to self-serve parking payments. The facility is welcoming and beautiful. It has great access to the beach. I'm going to be a regular here! read more

LOVEEEEE this place! We go every year! It's clean and the lifeguards are great and always on the lookout!

What a gem it is to have such a beautiful, clean, thoughtfully curated, community driven public space! Love the programming for all ages. Will forever be grateful for this space! read more

One of my favorite beaches by far! The parking is a bit jammed and it's pretty hard to find a spot if you come late. I arrived around 2 pm which is a bit late, but the weather was perfect for the beach and the waves were absolutely huge! It took around 15 minutes to secure a parking spot, but once you get one, the payment is super easy and quite cheap for the beach. The sand can get really hot though, so be careful if you're going barefoot. My younger daughter wanted to go boogie boarding. The sand is super soft and won't scrape your knees, with few rocks. The waves are perfect for beginners and intermediates. Not many people go out super far, and the water is the perfect temperature when you come around noon. We also set up a tent and the ocean wind makes it cooler. Perfect for all activities and the bathrooms are super clean. The showers scattered around are very convenient as well. We also wanted to rent bikes and there were some Lyft bikes for rental. It was a bit hard to sort out the separate Lyft accounts, and one of the scooters we wanted to rent needed repair. Eventually, we were only able to rent one bike, but you can see the Santa Monica Pier and the Ferris wheel from Annenberg beach. Great experience overall, I highly recommend it! read more

Annenberg Community Beach House - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Santa Monica, California

You don't have to have a membership to visit this beach house! One of our favorite spots for our toddler! We went on a weekday with plans to check out the pool. We arrived before 10 am to buy our wristbands since ticket sales open up 1 hour before. Everyone must be present so you can't buy in advance. It's first-come first-serve and you'll be placed on a wait list if you don't make it in. It was $24 for two adults and one 2-year old for use of the pool. One of my favorite parts is that you can bring your own cooler stocked with snacks and drinks. No alcoholic beverages are allowed, though. Bring your own towels! The pool is also heated between 84 - 86 degrees! It was glorious. A line had already formed to enter the pool area so as soon as 10 am struck, there was a frenzy of people coming in to claim their chairs. Some chairs are more shaded than others so claim your spot right away. Parking in the beach house lot is on a first-come basis and can be paid at the Park & Pay machines. It's $12 for the day. There's also designated spaces for fuel efficient vehicles. Once in the pool, you can leave your belongings and/or use their lockers to store your valuables. Bring a lock if you want to use their lockers. We left our stuff and checked out the splash pad (it's more like a couple water sprinklers but, hey, our toddler loved it!) and the playground. No reservations are needed to visit the other areas. Child floaties are allowed but they must be coast-guard approved. You can't bring those cheapo arm ones from the dollar store. They'll make you remove them. I saw this happen several times while there. There's a restaurant (Back on the Beach Cafe) that you can purchase food. But, we didn't since we brought our own cooler full of food. read more

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So gorgeous! Lovely view of the beach here. Parking is easy. Lots of historical significance here with the Davies Beach House present. The cafe here is also a nice touch and so convenient. read more

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I can never get over the peace of mind been here with other moms sharing, the same experience a safe time with kids and not worrying about a place to clean kids after beach and keep enjoying in the pool while you relax and snack . Amazing time with friends and kids. read more

First time, it was a pleasant day. The pool isn't for small children- not toddler friendly at all. Unless you are comfortable to have them in a safety jacket ... they can't touch the bottom; The shallow area is 4ft. There are no stairs to go in only ladders or jumping. It basically an old lap pool refurbished. Water was clean and warm. Seats around the pool are comfortable and clean. Staff is friendly. Love the fact you can bring your own food. Bring your towels! read more

Annenberg Beach House is an amazing place for our community to safely access the beach, parking, showers, pool, water sports. wonderful cafe. read more

**Fantastic Experience at Annenberg Community Beach House** We had an absolutely wonderful time at Annenberg Community Beach House! The atmosphere was delightful, and our experience was fantastic. The only thing we wish they had was healthy avocado toast appetizers that could feed a few people. The mimosas were excellent, and the kids had a fantastic day with our family and friends. We highly recommend it for a day out by the beach! read more

One thing I like about this place is that it makes it relatively easy for handicapped individuals like myself to get close to the beach using my wheelchair. I also love that they keep it clean and another thing, parking is by the hour, not a flat rate like at Dockwieler. We have not tried the restaurant yet, but as a place to go chill at the beach, I highly recommend Annenberg beach house! read more

i can't believe this place is free to the public! the free tour the Guest House is a must, especially if you already visited Hearst Castle. the place is very clean and well-kept. there are fee to go into the pool area. not sure how much but we were stopped by the guest service when we mistakenly thought it was the way to go to the Guest House. read more

Today's forecast is sunny with a chance of beer. So without further ado, let's do this short review. Annenberg Community is a public beach community that is open to all. Beach house with historic home, swimming pool, beach volleyball courts, fitness, cafe, bathrooms, playground, and beach equipment rentals. It is located by PCH at Santa Monica. It's parking lot is huge and has a fee of $12/day or $3/hr. The staff keeps the facilities clean, organized and no homeless folks at the beach. Overall, this is a great beach house to relax and spend time with friends or family. read more

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Super fun and beautiful place. Parking is a little crazy but the place was clean, everyone was friendly. But like some of the other reviews mentioned this pool is not very small kid or toddler friendly since the shallowest part of the pool is 4 feet. But my six-year-old wears a life vest so it was perfectly fine. It was an amazing experience. I thought they had food inside, but apparently the food is from a café outside. Which is extremely overpriced. So I recommend you bring food or eat somewhere else before or after. read more

Well we have finally made it to Cali 5 weeks ago and loving it! We will be around here for another 5 weeks. If you are ever in Santa Monica, check out this place! It's absolutely gorgeous - lots of umbrellas, lounges, shaded areas. - pool from 4' to 8' deep, nice and warm, 2 lifeguards - locker room with showers - cafe right here with grass fed meats, plant based meals and organic items (to go & indoor/outdoor seating) -big playground -toddler playground -splash grounds -rentals for paddle boards etc Such a great time! $10/adult + $4/child Can bring your own picnic too ... FREE AMENITIES - Courtyard - Splash Pad - View Deck - Playground - Beach Wheelchairs - First-come, first-served Beach Volleyball & Soccer Courts - Beach Access - City of Santa Monica Wi-Fi PAID AMENTIIES - Parking - Pool - Classes - Reservable Canopies in the Sand - Standup Paddleboard Rentals - Reservable Beach Volleyball Courts read more

Annenberg Community Beach House - Come early + grab some spots under the umbrella! Showers, lockers and spin dry for suits avail! - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Santa Monica, California

It's was great! You just need to get there as soon as they open! The restaurant was pretty amazing! read more

Annenberg Community Beach House - This is what a Sunday morning looks like - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Santa Monica, California

I went here with family a couple weeks ago. First time going. I would go again. Easy access to parking. Paid parking. The beach is very clean. There's a near by cafe, I didn't get a chance to try it. Maybe next time. A little play area for the kids located next to the cafe. The bathrooms are clean. Not like your normal public each bathroom. There was more than enough space for people to set up. Near by trashcans. It was a good time. read more

Annenberg Community Beach House - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Santa Monica, California

Great spot to start your Saturday morning! Conveniently located in Santa Monica. With all day parking you can walk and eat at the cafe after. I love the African Shashuka for brunch. Place is clean and practices social distancing and everyone that serves wear masks. read more

Annenberg Community Beach House - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Santa Monica, California

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I just recently attended a Bat Mitzvah here and it was fantastic. The view from the outside was beautiful (for cocktails) and then everyone moved inside for the party. If you are thinking about having an event here you should do it. Easy parking and enough room for a nice party for about 100-130 guests. read more

This place is great! Value unmatched, clean, great parking, cafe and clean showers. So why 1 star? Lots of kids in the pool Lots of toddlers with parents Lots of non swimmers in shallow end Still not a problem. However, the lifeguards are wearing long sleeves, sweat pants, lace up tennis shoes and swim parkas over their clothing. God forbid a child needs help in the pool. Whoever manages this place should be fired for allowing their first response team of lifeguards to grossly violate safety standards and risk drownings. Shame on these lifeguards for not putting the safety of the visitors first, above their outfits. See what the American Red Cross says about life saving standards before you visit with kids. Do not turn a blind eye on your little ones. read more

Annenberg Community Beach House - Life Gurds - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Santa Monica, California

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Beautiful house right on the beach. Great tour. Very informative. The staff and our tour guide was really friendly and nice. Go visit.

Great and quite place to go with your family , always can find place for parking. Clean restrooms and playground for kids. read more

Annenberg Community Beach House - Sunset time - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Santa Monica, California

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This place is a great place for the community. I specifically came for the Marion Davies Beach Guesthouse tour. I enjoy learning about old Hollywood and the originators. They put on free tours and I happened to be driving by just before 1 pm and there was no wait. Everything is restored and it is definitely worth a visit when your at Santa Monica Beach. By the way the pool was restored from the original estate which is next door. I personally feel the Marion Davies Guest house should have a separate Yelp listing so it will bring in more visitors. read more

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It is located at santa monica pass the pier. There is paid parking but gets full early during the weekend. There are other paid parking location nearby as well. This location has a pool area, you just has to pay extra. It has a play area for kids. A paved walkway going to the beach (which is nice) They also host small parties that you could reserve in advance near the splash pad. They have tons of restroom options as well. But I only saw one shower area near the play ground. Beach in general is clean. Life guard present. There is also a cafe near the parking lot. All in all this is a one stop beach! You have parking, sand, ocean water, pool, play ground, splash pad, tons of restrooms, open shower, cafe. read more

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Such a delightful find! They have two free beach wheelchairs for rent, first-come, first-served. Without one, I would not have been able to join my family in making sandcastles by the water. Thank you for providing that service to the community! read more

Amazing spot hidden in plain sight. Free beach house + paid parking. Includes a restaurant, kiddy pool, big pool, old historic home, and an amazing paved pathway to the beach. Seriously, the beach is 1/4-1/2 mile from the road, and trudging through sand makes it even harder... the path is tremendous! Went again the day after Thanksgiving 2017 and it was super warm outside. Unfortunately, the pool is closed during the winter months. read more

Annenberg Community Beach House - Pool and pool facility closed during the winter months - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Santa Monica, California

Great staff! Rented the cabana for a party and we had a great time. Looking forward to coming back for swims and more parties! Lol. Family friendly environment. Parking is challenging but that's to be expected in this area. Just be patient! ‍ read more

What a gem! We found out about Annenberg a few years back when we asked around for a community pool. A few friends of ours recommended Annenberg. Our first visit was magical and it was all that we asked for. They have seating areas all around the pool. The pool is located only a few steps away from the beach so we go to the beach then we jump into the pool. You get a wrest band at the entrance with the admission that allows you access all day. The place is very fancy for a public pool but it does come with a price tag. Adults are $10, youth is $6. They do offer a family pack and they take reservations online. This makes life so much easier as it seems to always be sold out. They have a setting area next to the pool with tables and umbrellas. We attended a birthday party there this past weekend and our kids had a blast. There is also swings and slides close to the water, a cafe where you can order food and take it into the pool area :) Parking is close and is only $8 the whole day. This is alot cheaper than the pier parking for sure. You may also choose to pay per hour at $2/hr. Overall a great spot to spend time with the family. RECOMMENDED :) read more

Annenberg Community Beach House - Cake time - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Santa Monica, California

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This is a lovely little park right by the beach. Meter parking is easy. There is a cafe with outside sitting next to it. They have swings for elementary age kids as well as babies. It's clean, it's close to the water. It's just perfect! read more

Annenberg Community Beach House - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Santa Monica, California

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