From shopping for local couch potatoes to GPS navigation for pooch parents, there really is an app for every type of Angeleno. Puzzle-loving history nerds can now get their time-traveling, fact-checking fix at Santa Monica Pier, which has launched a cool new app-based tour dreamed up by two Hollywood-beloved game design geniuses.
Available for iOS and Android, the Secret Story Tour app tests players' knowledge of the pier's 110-year history. Here's the kicker: You'll need to visit the pier IRL in order to solve all 12 puzzles, which will quiz you on the cause of pre-405 L.A.'s first traffic jam and the reason that sparked the battle of Santa Monica Bay, to name a few questions. The experience takes about an hour or so (or whatever pace works for you), during which you'll document your journey for the 'gram, thanks to exclusive photo filters.
The location-based digital adventure comes from Juliana Moreno Patel and Ariel Rubin, a.k.a. the Wild Optimists. They're responsible for that Kickstarter-born Escape Room in a Box and no shortage of inventive film- and TV-inspired immersive experiences and activations.
If you're famished but still in game mode, consider playing the landmark's shopping-fueled Pier Prize Card. Now through Sunday, Nov. 8, stop by one of the participating businesses (including the Albright, Pier Burger, Scoops Ice Cream, and more eateries) to pick up a card and collect three stamps for every purchase over $10. In addition to scoring a sweet treat, you'll be entered to win a weekly raffle with prizes including restaurant gift cards, exclusive merch, and even hotel stays, to name a few.
Ready player one? Download the app for $20 for iOS and Android.
Santa Monica Pier, 200 Santa Monica Pier, Santa Monica, 90401
