| Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk | |
| Location: | Santa Cruz |
| Location2: | California |
| Location3: | United States |
| Owner: | Santa Cruz Seaside Company |
| Season: | Year-round (limited operation November–early February) |
| Rides: | 35 |
| Coasters: | 3 |
| Water Rides: | 1 |
| Mapframe: | yes |
| Status: | Operating |
The Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk is an oceanfront amusement park in Santa Cruz, California. Founded in 1907, it is California's oldest surviving amusement park[1] and one of the few seaside parks on the West Coast of the United States.
The boardwalk extends along the coast of the Monterey Bay, from just east of the Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf to the mouth of the San Lorenzo River. At the western edge of the park lies a large building originally known as The Plunge, now Neptune's Kingdom, a pirate-themed recreation center which contains a video arcade and an indoor miniature golf course. Next to this is the Casino Fun Center which includes a laser tag arena and next to that is the Cocoanut Grove banquet room and conference center. A Laffing Sal automated character, from San Francisco's Playland, is viewable near the miniature golf course.
East of the casino, the boardwalk portion of the park stretches along a wide, sandy Main Beach visitors can access easily from the park. The eastern end of the boardwalk is dominated by the Giant Dipper, a wooden roller coaster that is one of the most visible landmarks in Santa Cruz. The Dipper and the Looff Carousel, which still contains its original 342-pipe organ built in 1894, are both on the US National Register of Historic Places. They were, together, declared to be a National Historic Landmark in 1987[2] and the park is California Historical Landmark number 983.[3]
There are old-fashioned carnival games and snack booths throughout the 24abbr=offNaNabbr=off park. It is located at 400 Beach Street in Santa Cruz, south of the Ocean Street exit of California State Route 1, which is the southern terminus of California State Route 17.
Fred W. Swanton formed the Santa Cruz Beach, Cottage, and Tent City Corporation in 1903 and the following year, the City of Santa Cruz granted permission for commercial buildings to be built. On 14 June 1904, the Neptune Casino opened with an arcade, grill and dining room, and a theater.
The beach was a destination for railroads and trolleys from 1875. From 1927 to 1959, Southern Pacific Railroad ran Suntan Special excursion trains to the beach from San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose every summer Sunday and holiday.[4] A short passenger service to Roaring Camp via the San Lorenzo river canyon in Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park was restored in 1985 by the Santa Cruz, Big Trees and Pacific Railway, which stops in front of the park.[5]
, the park is headed by Charles Canfield, the son of Laurence Canfield, the president of the park from the 1950s until the early 1980s. It has won the Best Seaside Amusement Park Award from Amusement Today every year since 2007 except for 2015.[6] Although there is no admission and the beach is public, a parking fee is charged when the rides are open. Season or day passes can be purchased or tickets for $1; each ride costs between 3 and 7 tickets.[7] [8]
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the park shut down in mid-March 2020. The park reopened on November 7, 2020.[9] The park then subsequently shut down on November 10, 2020, due to Santa Cruz County re-entering the Substantial tier of the California Blueprint for a Safer Economy. The park then re-opened select rides to California residents on April 1, 2021.[10]
The Boardwalk's Cocoanut Grove conference center includes banquet rooms and a performing arts venue. Food, drink, and theater were profitable aspects of the resort since the original Casino of Swanton in 1904. Although gambling was never legal, it was generally known that guests could take boats from the "pleasure pier" to a ship in the harbor to play games of chance in the early days. During Prohibition from 1920 to 1933, serving alcoholic drinks was also outlawed and the casino changed its name to Cocoanut Grove. The name includes an old spelling of Coconut, Cocos nucifera, which was used in the popular Marx Brothers movie The Cocoanuts of 1929. The name was also used by a number of popular nightclubs of the era, including one in The Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles, California.[11]
In the 1930s and 1940s, Cocoanut Grove was a popular spot for major big band acts, including Stan Kenton, Benny Goodman, Lionel Hampton and Tommy Dorsey.[12]
Today, Cocoanut Grove rarely hosts musical acts. It is a venue for weddings, banquets, school formal occasions and reunions, and corporate events. The Grand Ballroom and Sun Room complexes include over of space and commercial kitchens.[11]
| Coaster | Opened | Manufacturer | Model |
|---|---|---|---|
| Giant Dipper | 1924 | Designed by Frank Prior & Frederick Church; Built by Arthur Looff | Wooden Roller Coaster |
| Sea Serpent | 2000 | Family Coaster | |
| Undertow | 2013 | Spinning Coaster | |
| Ride | Opened | Manufacturer | Model |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crazy Surf | 1998 | Wisdom Rides | Genesis |
| Cyclone | 2004 | Hrubetz | Round Up |
| Double Shot | 2005 | S&S Worldwide | Double Shot Tower |
| Fireball | 2003 | KMG | Revolution 20 |
| Rock-O-Plane | 1954 | Eyerly | Rock-O-Plane |
| Shockwave | 2017 | Zamperla | Disk’o |
| Surge | 2024 | Chance Rides | Freestyle |
| Typhoon | 2017 | ARM Rides | Typhoon |
| WipeOut | 1998 | HUSS | Breakdance |
| Ride | Opened | Manufacturer | Model |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cave Train | 1961 | Arrow Development[13] | Cave Train |
| Dream Wheel | 2024 | Chance Rides | Century Wheel |
| Freefall | 2002 | Moser | Freefall |
| Ghost Blasters | 2001 | Sally Corporation | Shooting Dark Ride |
| Haunted Castle | 2010 | Sally Corporation | Dark Ride |
| Lighthouse Lift-Off | 2021 | Sunkid | Lift Tower |
| Logger’s Revenge | 1977 | Arrow Development | Log Flume |
| Looff Carousel | 1911 | Looff | Carousel |
| Pirate Ship | 1984 | Chance Rides | Pirate Ship |
| Riptide | 1993 | Larson International | Tilt-A-Whirl |
| Sea Swings | 2008 | Bertazzon | Swing Carousel |
| Sky Glider | 1967 | Universal Mobility | Chairlift |
| Space Race | 2000 | Space Race Inc. | Space Race |
| Speed Bumps | 1996 | Majestic Manufacturing | Bumper Cars |
| Tornado | 2000 | Wisdom Rides | Tornado |
| Tsunami | 1999 | Moser | Music Express |
| Twirlin Teacups | 2019 | Mack Rides | Teacups |
| Wave Rider | 2021 | Battech Enterprises | Permanent Dry Slide |
| Ride | Opened | Manufacturer | Model |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beach Swing | 2013 | Zamperla | Happy Swing |
| Bouncin’ Buggies | 2016 | Zamperla | Jump Around |
| Bulgy the Whale | 1960 | Eyerly | Bulgy the Whale |
| Convoy | 2000 | Zamperla | Convoy |
| Jet Copters | 1990 | Zamperla | Helicopter ride |
| Sea Dragons | 1976 | Zamperla | Sea Dragon |
| Speed Boats | 1960 | Venture | Speed Boats |
| Speedway | 2002 | Zamperla | Speedway |