The Boardwalk is never boring.
Boardwalk
There’s some kind of freaky time-travel-vortex thing that happens at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, and it’s not one of the rides.
It’s a feeling you get when you stroll along the historic colonnade, the big pink-and-yellow arches framing a postcard view of sand and sea. Squint just a little and slip back a century, when the first attractions opened here in 1907. Imagine beachgoers in floppy swim caps and modest bathing suits sewn long like dresses.
The freaky time vortex works another way, too — no matter what your age, you turn 12. This anomaly usually occurs aboard the Giant Dipper, California’s oldest wooden roller coaster.
Waiting in line, waves of screams in the distance make you giggle with nervous joy. It’s your turn, and there’s a split-second decision — the front car for the best visuals, or the rear for the best whip? You take the back and the breathy “toot toot toot” of the start whistle sends you diving into darkness, then click-clacking up the 70-foot hill, affording a breathtaking view and a deceptive moment of calm. Then you drop. Fast. More screams ring out, this time from you. You’ve made the trip into childhood. It’s old-school fun, for sure. The Boardwalk — named the No. 1 Boardwalk on USA Today’s 2016 Reader’s Choice list — may not offer the highest-tech, most-extreme rides like some of today’s bigger amusement parks. But it has a lot of things they don’t have — mainly the beach. Plus a giant video-game arcade, indoor mini golf and more history than most of the other parks put together.
And one of the best parts — you can do as much or as little as you want, because there’s no overall admission fee. You can buy electronic tickets to pay for individual rides, or opt for unlimited day and season passes. But you don’t even have to ride anything at all — just walk the walk, get some saltwater taffy at Marini’s candy stand, make a sand castle and absorb the sunset.
Be advised, go early — especially in the summer. On nice days, it gets super crowded, and parking is tricky, so the earlier you go, the better. Go during the week if you can. Take advantage of specials, like the $1 rides on Retro Nights (after 5 p.m. Mondays and Tuesdays during summer months), free outdoor movies on Wednesday nights, and free concerts on Fridays.
It’s pretty easy to find your way around the Boardwalk, but here are some tips for extra fun, and hints for things you might otherwise miss: