The pier is the focal point of the town. It juts out into the bay in a distinctive horseshoe shape, lined with restaurants, fish markets, arcades and bait shops. The current structure replaced an earlier 1958 pier that burned down in 1988 — the older pier was a more conventional T-shape.
The atmosphere is unapologetically tourist-oriented: clam chowder bowls, fish tacos, candy shops, ring-toss arcades and a 1980s-feeling carousel. Live music plays on weekends in the central plaza. The Quality Seafood market at the south end of the pier is a Redondo institution — pick your own crab, lobster or shellfish from tanks and they will cook it on the spot.
The pier is also the starting point for sport fishing trips and whale-watching cruises that run year-round (peak grey whale season is January to April). Sunset from the western end of the pier looks out at Catalina Island on clear days.