Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk: An Easy Guide for First Time Tourists

Tripboba.com - Planning a family vacation is never easy – mostly because we don’t know where to go. You want to go somewhere safe but still fun for vacation. What about a beach? Or the amusement park? Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk says hi!

Located on a sandy beach, Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk offers visitors the most fun rides in town. You and your children will totally be happy and excited to visit this amusement park and tell all their friends what a wonderful parent you are.

So, are you planning to visit Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk? Here’s an easy guide we think first time tourists will enjoy!

Opening Hours

Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk official website - Mini Golf in Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk

Boardwalk rides are open every day from late May through late August, plus most weekends and holidays throughout the year depending on the weather. Since some rides only operates on a certain schedule, you can check their operating calendar to see if your favorite ride is open!

While you’re at it, check their opening hours as well because they have different opening hours almost every day. However, the boardwalk Bowl, Casino Arcade and Neptune’s Kingdom including mini-golf & games are all open year-round.

Rides

Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk official website - Giant Dipper

Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk provides more than 40 rides and attractions including two National Historic Landmarks: the famous 1924 Giant Dipper wooden roller coaster and the 1911 Looff Carousel.

The rides itself are categorized into 3: thrill rides, family rides, and kiddie rides. For thrill rides, you can try Cliff Hanger, Crazy Surf, Cyclone, Double Shot, Fireball, Rock-O-Plane, Shockwave, Typhoon, Undertow, and Wipeout.

Oh! Don’t forget to ride the Giant Dipper! It’s the icon of Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk and is named as the nation’s most exciting roller coaster. You don’t want to miss out the signature ride, do you?

For family rides, they have Twirlin’ Teacups, Looff Carousel, Cave Train, Freefall, Ghost Blasters, Haunted Castle, Logger’s Revenge, Pirate Ship, Riptide, Rock & Roll, Sea Serpent, Sea Swings, Sky Glider, Space Race, Speed Bumps, Tornado, and Tsunami. These rides are perfect for you if you’re bringing your kids along to the park!

And lastly for kiddie rides, let your toddler ride Beach Swing, Bouncin’ Buggies, Bulgy the Whale, Convoy, Jet Capters, Kiddie Cruzers, Sea Dragons, Speed Boats, and Speedway. You can watch your kids being all excited about these rides.

They are totally safe since they are designed especially for kids, so you don’t have to worry. Just wave your hands to them and make sure they can see you. Please note that all of the rides have a particular height requirement so be sure to check them out.

Concerts and events

Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk official website - Free Band Night at the Beach

Every year, Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk hosts various fun and exciting events that people can enjoy. Some of the biggest events are Free Movies on the Beach and Free Friday Night Band on the Beach.

In the Free Movies on the Beach event, you’ll be able to watch your favorite movies right on the beach with the famous Giant Dipper roller coaster lights twinkling overhead and the smell of kettle corn, corn dogs, and saltwater taffy filling the air! You can bring your family and your blanket or low back chair to the beach for extra comfort.

For the Free Friday Night Bands on the Beach, you’ll be able to enjoy quality time with your friends and family while listening to the bands playing with the ocean as its background. You can bring your blanket or low back chairs with you. Note that the blanket shouldn't exceed 3x5 feet per person.

Keep in mind that smoking and drinking are prohibited. You are also not allowed to record the concert. Do you want to dance to the music? Sure you can! But do that in front of the stage, as the walkways and the stairs must be clear.

Ticket prices

Photo by Jim Bahn via Flickr - Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk

First of all – you can enter the park for free. Just stroll around and enjoy the sight won’t cost you a penny. But, if you want to challenge yourself and try the rides, you can purchase MyBoardwalk Card, the Ride Wristband, or the Season Pass.

MyBoardwalk Card is perfect for you who just want to try a few rides. All the rides have its own points and it costs $1 per point. For example, if you only want to ride Twirlin’ Teacups which costs 4 points, you’ll just need to pay $4!

The Ride Wristband would be suitable for you who plan to have fun all day long in Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. You’ll be granted access to unlimited rides all day long by paying $39.95 (plus tax) only!

The season pass will grant you unlimited pass all year long, with bonus book full of discounts on food, games, parking, and more. It would cost you $81.95 (plus tax)!

Coupon and discount

Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk official website - Giant Dipper

Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk also has discounts for you who are planning to bring a whole group to the park! They offer group discounts for school groups, youth groups, non-profits, church groups, family reunions, birthday parties, corporate picnics, and celebrations.

To show their gratitude for the military’s service to the country, Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk also offer discounted products through military travel departments. You can check with your Military Travel Office to purchase.

Photo by Jim Bahn via Flickr - Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk