How to Enjoy a Day at Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk
Santa Cruz, California includes a lovely, old fashioned boardwalk right on the beach. After splashing in the Pacific (though you might need a wetsuit) and picnicking on the beach, you can enjoy some thrill rides and every kind of food on a stick your children can imagine. It's a good family environment until later in the evening and a great place to take a date.
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Instructions
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Ride the Skyway. It's good to ride this first thing as it gives you a good overview of the layout of the boardwalk. It's also a romantic ride to enjoy the sunset over the Pacific, though lines are long during that time, so it can get tricky to get on at the right moment. At the end of the day, it's also a good spot to escape the crowds below and rest your feet.
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Ride a roller coaster. There's the Giant Dipper, a grand old lady of a roller coaster, complete with white wood lattice-work and speeds of up to 55 MPH. While it isn't as thrilling as some rides, it's a classic, built in 1924 and a fun bet for all. The Giant Dipper does require riders to be over 50 inches tall. Jump on the Hurricane, the other coaster at the boardwalk. It's a metal-tracked thrill ride that you and your older kids or you and your date can ride together.
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Grab a bumper car. Nothing says fun like the potential for banging into someone you love--whether it's your parent, your date or your sibling. Bumper cars are a classic boardwalk attraction and the Santa Cruz bumper cars whiz around with verve, giving you a fun ride for your money.
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Ride the merry-go-round, but be sure to sit on the outer circle of horses. From there, you can reach for the brass rings to throw at the clown's mouth. If you get a ring in, the eyes light up and music plays. The boardwalk has recently added a Wurlitzer organ to this ride.
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Take a seat on the Ferris wheel, another great ride to use to enjoy sunset to its fullest. The Ferris wheel sits at the far end of the boardwalk. Go through the Haunted House, which has a particularly gruesome exterior, so be sure to hurry your kids along and point to something on the beach to distract them.
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Take the kids. The boardwalk does include many rides for little ones (see Resources), and all are carefully maintained and monitored by boardwalk staff. One particular favorite is the helicopter ride in front of the Hurricane. Children can control their altitude as they whiz around.
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Grab some food on a stick. Everything you can imagine that's served on a stick is present in Santa Cruz. Start with a corn dog and end with cotton candy.
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Tips & Warnings
The crowds can get a bit rough at night, though there's ample security present.
