Never bored at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk

There’s a certain allure of roller coasters, a fair atmosphere and an ocean backdrop. OK, it may not be for everyone but when you hail from the Midwest, it’s certainly a novelty.

Jumping waves in Santa Cruz

After moving to San Jose, our first day trip was to Santa Cruz. I was able to get discount tickets ahead of time through Costco and we were on our way.

I’ve been told that the drive can be a bear during popular hours on weekends when everyone wants to head to the ocean, so we planned our day when the kids had a day off of school. The traffic was smooth sailing and there were very few cars in the parking lot when we arrived just before the boardwalk opened.

The draw of the ocean temporarily outweighed the thrill of the rides so we headed to the water first. Even though the water was cold, my kids jumped wave after wave after wave. After they tired out a bit, we checked out the arcade and used the tokens that came with our Boardwalk admission.

Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk

Then it was on to the rides. There are still a couple of them that my kids are weary of, but there are many more that they love or wanted to try. The gondola across the boardwalk was a great way to see what was available before we decided where to start.

Ferris Wheel Selfie

My daughter says that her favorite was WipeOut where it looked like a regular circular fair ride underground. However, when it gets going, the lights go out, flashing lights come on and off and the room erupts with glee-filled screams.

My son enjoyed the log ride the most, and especially enjoyed hiding behind me on the way down so I would get wet and he wouldn’t.

On our way home, I was told that it was a must-do to get Marianne’s ice cream. It is heavenly ice cream and I’m glad to have found that it’s available near my house, too.

We had a great day at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, and we capped it off by checking out the ocean one more time, where some dolphins came by and wished us good evening.