The Santa Cruz Boardwalk

Recently we took our children to that timeless, semi-tacky tourist attraction, the Santa Cruz Boardwalk, and our four year-old has now taken to demanding over and over again, “I want to go to Santa Cruz! I want to go to Santa Cruz!” Three out of four family members recommend the Santa Cruz Boardwalk highly (my husband, a forty year-old software developer, sniffs that “it’s not classy” and “they charge for everything”, but concedes that “the kids loved it”).

Located right at the spectacular Santa Cruz beach, the boardwalk offers rides ranging from suitable-for-a-small-toddler to terrifying-for-any-age. The natural beauty of this setting makes this a very special amusement park. A short walk down to the pier provides a chance to watch sea otters, seals, and sea lions. Surfing lessons are available further up the beach, and a skateboard park is also within walking distance.

My seven year-old loved the climbing wall, which offers hard, medium, and easy climbs, the Sea Serpent roller coaster, and the two different kinds of bumper cars. (We didn’t try the scarier rollercoasters, but we enjoyed hearing the screams of the riders)

She was less thrilled by the Haunted Castle ride, which wasn’t scary enough for the modern small child. Our four year-old was thrilled by the Starfish and Red Baron rides. In the Red Baron ride, two small children ride in a miniature plane, and they can pull a stick to make the plane go up higher.

The Starfish ride consists of small, tublike cars, which go up and down and around a circular track at a high speed. Towards the end of the ride, the operator throws a switch, and the tubs reverse and go backwards at top speed. Both children emerged a little weak with crazed grins, clamoring, “Again! Again!” The carousel was a disappointment because the old-fashioned player piano music was just too painfully loud.

There are plenty of fried artichoke hearts, french fries with garlic, nachos, ice cream, and slushies for sale up and down the boardwalk. Nicer seafood restaurants and authentic taquerias are nearby.

Of course, all this fun is not cheap. A one-day ride pass (which does not include the climbing wall or laser tag) is $28.95. We chose instead to buy about $30 of individual ride tickets. If we lived closer, I would get the $64.95 season passes.