Santa Monica's small, doable amusement park is perched right on the ocean, with just a handful of rides, no gates and no entry fee. Call it the anti-Disneyland.

Anchoring this seaside amusement park: a nine-story-tall and eco-friendly Ferris wheel (it's solar-powered in true Santa Monica style) and the West Coaster, a steel roller coaster that seems to hang right over the ocean, giving riders spectacular views of Santa Monica Bay. Unless, of course, they're too scared to uncover their eyes. With just a handful of other rides, it's a great afternoon treat for kids—or a quaint, old-fashioned date for adults. With cutesy ride names like Inkie's Scrambler, Sea Dragon and Pacific Plunge, it would be hard to mess up a date here, even if bouts of nausea set in after a turn on the Scrambler. In addition to the rides, there are classic carnival-style games, boutiques, food courts and, unsurprisingly, a Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf outlet—don't worry there also a few "classic" food carts around peddling popcorn and cotton candy. The logistics of getting in and out—park goers have to go down the wooden pier—are as charming the ocean views.