Boardwalk Ticket Booth

The Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk is genuinely one of the great American family destinations — a historic beachside amusement park that has been making family memories since 1907 and shows no signs of slowing down. The Ticket Booth is your gateway to the full experience, and planning around it will make or break your day.

At its core, the Boardwalk offers classic amusement park thrills with an unbeatable Pacific Ocean backdrop. The Giant Dipper wooden roller coaster — a National Historic Landmark — has been screaming riders along the Santa Cruz shoreline for nearly a century and remains as thrilling as ever. The Looff Carousel, also a National Landmark, offers a gentler option for little ones alongside magnificent hand-carved horses.

For families, the range of ride intensities is the Boardwalk's great strength. There are dedicated kiddie ride sections for toddlers and preschoolers that feel like their own mini-park within the park. There are mid-intensity rides perfect for the 6–10 set.

And there are genuine thrill rides for tweens, teens, and adult coaster enthusiasts. A family with a 3-year-old and a 13-year-old can realistically spend a full day here and keep everyone reasonably happy.

The all-day wristband is almost always the right financial decision over individual tickets. Purchase online in advance for a discount. Food on the Boardwalk is exactly what you'd expect — deeply satisfying, completely unhealthy, and part of the experience. Budget for funnel cake and caramel corn; resistance is futile.

Summer weekends are magnificent and massively crowded. Weekday mornings in June or September hit the sweet spot of full operation with manageable lines.