BOARDWALK NITTY-GRITTY

Where is it?

The Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk is at 400 Beach St. Santa Cruz. Take Highway 17 or Highway 1 to Santa Cruz and follow the street signs to Santa Cruz beach.

When to go

Early. Go early. Did we mention early? Especially on a nice weekend day in the summertime. If you dilly dally around to sip your morning coffee, forget it. The park gets super crowded in summer months. Try to go on a weekday, if you can. Your best bet is to get there around opening time, 10 or 11 a.m. depending on the day of the week. Check “hours” at www.beachboardwalk.com.

Parking

There are two big parking lots accessible along Beach Street, where all-day parking is $15. But they fill up fast. Consider parking at the $10 lot at 701 Ocean St., then taking a free shuttle to the Boardwalk. During the summer, a trolley runs between downtown Santa Cruz and the Boardwalk every 30 minutes; for stops, visit www.santacruztrolley.com. Some metered street parking is also available in the beach area.

Admission

There’s no entry fee to go to the Boardwalk and wander around, go to the beach or stroll into the arcade and shops. But to go on rides, you have a few options: 1. At one of the ticket booths at main entry points, get a My Boardwalk card. You can load “points” (dollars) on a card, then go on individual rides. Be advised, this is great for one or two rides, but the “points” quickly add up. Rides range from 3 to 6 points each. 2. All-Day Ride Wristbands. These are $33.95 each for unlimited rides, and everyone in your party has to be at the ticket booth at the time of purchase. 3. Season Passes are $76.95, so if you go to the Boardwalk twice or more in a year, it’s worth it.

Deals

Retro Nights: $1 rides after 5 p.m. Mondays and Tuesdays during summer months. Pepsi Nights: Bring a Pepsi can after 5 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays and get an all-rides pass for $12.95.

What to bring

If you plan to spend some time on the beach, bring a bathing suit, towels and sunscreen. Always bring a sweater or light jacket too — if the fog comes in, a warm summer day can turn chilly fast.

More info

Find more details at www.beachboardwalk.com. — Angela Hill, Staff