- Hours: Closed most weekdays September through mid-March. Limited rides weekends and holidays. Limited daily hours mid-March through May. Open daily June through August, with longer hours on Fridays and weekends. Visit their website for current hours
- Cost: You can walk on the boardwalk for free, but you'll pay for the rides and amusements. They offer several ticket options, ranging from a single ride ticket to an unlimited all-day or season pass.
- Location: On the waterfront in downtown Santa Cruz, directions below
- How Long: Allow at least a few hours, up to all day long
- Best Time to Visit: If you want to avoid crowds, go in spring or fall, but for the maximum fun, summer is the only alternative.
- See It Now: Photo Tour
Don't get the wrong idea, though. Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk is a popular as ever and it was named “Best Seaside Amusement Park” in the 2007 Golden Ticket Awards, an award given by Amusement Today magazine.
The most popular among the 35 rides at the Boardwalk include the Giant Dipper, considered one of the world’s top roller coasters, the Carousel, Double Shot, a tower ride that offers panoramic views before dropping you 125 feet. You'll also find games and arcades, shopping, restaurants and fast food stands. Free concerts are held every Friday night from late June through late August.
Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk Tips
- Some of the rides have height limits and on others, small children (under 34 inches tall) can ride free with a paying chaperone. Know how tall your kids are before you leave home.
- When you're going to the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, think of it like going to the beach. Bring hats, sunglasses, sunscreen, water and so on.
- Leave Bowser at home unless he's a guide dog. Pets are not allowed on the boardwalk.
- If you're on a tight budget, bring your own picnic and buy as many tickets as you can afford, then let the kids figure out how to budget their fun.
- We think the boardwalk is especially pretty at night. Instead of trying to beat the morning traffic, another strategy is to go out in early afternoon and stay after sunset.
Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk Review
We rate Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk 3.5 stars out of 4 for its fun vibe and excellent location. We just wish it wasn't so hard to get out there on the weekend.
Others may disagree. You can see what other people just like you think about it, then bookmark this page and after you've been there, come back and tell us what you think.
What do you think of Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk?
- Yuck! Just say no to this tourist trap
- OK Some people find it interesting, but I didn't
- Good Go if you have time, but it's not a big deal if you miss it
- Awesome! It's a must-see sight that I recommend to everyone
Getting to Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk
Santa Cruz Beach BoardwalkBy automobile, take California Hwy 17 or Hwy 1 to Santa Cruz and follow the street signs to the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. Traffic on Hwy 17 builds up on weekend mornings; get an early start to avoid inching across the summit.
400 Beach Street
Santa Cruz California, CA
831-423-5590
Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk website
Street parking in the area is scarce, metered and has short time limits. You're better off to just park in the big lots (for a fee) nearby. Think of the parking fee as a substitute for admission and maybe you'll feel better about it.
You can also take an http://www.amtrak.com Thruway Motorcoach directly to the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk.From San Jose, you can also take the Highway 17 Express bus which connects to Caltrain, making it possible to get all the way there from San Francisco.
