39 Fun Things To Do At Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk (2024)
Want to know all the fun things to do at Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk? We’ve got you covered with our ultimate day trip itinerary!
The Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk is a classic California beachside amusement park experience.
With over 100 years of history, the boardwalk offers something for everyone, from thrilling roller coasters to family-friendly rides and attractions.
No matter what your interests are, you’re sure to have a great time with so many fun things to do at Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk.
JP and I came here on our way up to Napa for my 25th birthday weekend and decided to stop here for a day to break up the drive a little bit.
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Fun Things To Do At Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk
The Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk is made up of rides, food stands, live entertainment, and the actual beach.
Check out the view from the boardwalk in our Youtube video.
You can do any and all of these activities while you’re here.
I recommend getting an unlimited ride pass for the day and starting off with the historic rides and carnival rides, then working your way around the amusement park to get to all the rides that interest you.
Along the way, enjoy the best carnival foods like deep fried Oreos and corndogs.
Then if you have time, enjoy the extra activities like mini golf, the haunted house, the lazer maze challenge, and more of the arcade activities.
✅ Historic Rides at Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk
This place has way more rides than you would think.
They even have 2 rides that are historic landmarks.
The Giant Dipper and 1911 Looff Carousel.
1. The Giant Dipper
The Giant Dipper Roller Coaster first opened in 1924 and is a wooden roller coaster that has been featured in several movies.
If you’ve ever been on these older wooden roller coasters you know they can be a bit more painful than the newer smoother rides.
It’s still cool to say you’ve been on it though!
2. The 1911 Looff Carousel
The 1911 Looff Carousel has a super fun game where you try to grab a ring and throw it into the clown’s mouth as you go by.
I guess this is common with older historic carousels but I had never seen it before.
✅ Thrill Rides at Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk
If you’re into thrill rides, there is more than just the Giant Dipper.
3. Cliff Hanger
There is a ride called Cliff Hanger where you feel like you’re hang gliding.
4. Cyclone
Cyclone is one of those carnival rides that spins around and you stick to the wall.
5. Double Shot
Double Shot is a drop tower ride.
6. Fireball
Fireball is another one you’ll see at a lot of amusement parks.
Everyone sits in a circle facing out and the pendulum swings back and forth before eventually making a full circle a few times.
7. Rock-O-Plane
Rock-O-Plane is a Ferris wheel, but you’re in a cage that will flip upside down as you go around.
8. Shockwave
Shockwave is another one where everyone is sitting in a circle facing out and the ride vehicle just goes back and forth along a half circle.
What makes it a thrill ride is that it spins around while it’s doing it and you can’t see the ride path, so it always looks like it’s going to go right over the edge.
I was not a fan.
9. Typhoon
Typhoon is like the Fireball ride, but instead you’re sitting in a row and not spinning.
The pendulum swings back and forth before eventually making full circles.
10. Undertow
Undertow was a super fun spinning roller coaster.
Think like Primeval Whirl at Disney’s Animal Kingdom except everyone is facing out.
11. WipeOut
Our absolute favorite ride of the whole day though was WipeOut.
It’s indoors in the dark and it’s like you’re in a rave.
The ride is similar to a Scrambler, but the ride vehicles have even more range of motion.
We loved it so much we went back for a second ride before leaving at the end of the day.
✅ Family Rides at Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk
If you’re looking for rides the whole family can do, there are a lot of those too.
12. Twirlin’ Teacups
They have Twirlin’ Teacups, which is just like the Disney teacups.
13. The Cave Train
The Cave Train is a glow in the dark train ride from the 1960s and it was the longest wait we had all day.
Probably about 30 minutes or so.
But honestly the wait was just because the ride capacity is so low.
I think the draw for us was that it seemed popular and it was indoors, so you just had to ride it to see what it was.
I would definitely do it again.
14. Freefall
Freefall is another drop tower ride, but smaller so kids can enjoy it.
15. Ghost Blasters
Ghost Blasters was super fun.
It’s just like the ones at Kings Island in Ohio, or like Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin at the Disney parks.
It’s fun to make bets on a winner/loser.
Usually we do something like winner picks our next meal or loser pays for the next meal.
16. Haunted Castle
Keeping with the ghost theme, Haunted Castle is like Disney’s Haunted Mansion.
It had a bit of a line, but it moved pretty consistently.
17. Logger’s Revenge
There’s even a water ride for the whole family – Logger’s Revenge, which is a log flume.
You get a great ocean and boardwalk view throughout the ride and you will get wet!
✅ Carnival Rides At Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk
The next few rides are also ones you’ll see at a lot of carnivals.
18. Pirate Ship
Pirate Ship is the swinging ship ride.
19. Riptide
Riptide is like teacups except you’re riding in a more enclosed dome.
20. Rock & Roll
Another one of our favorites was Rock & Roll.
The cars are all in a circle and swing side to side as they go around this up and down loop.
After a few rotations going forward they change it to go backwards.
21. Tsunami
Tsunami is just like Rock & Roll except the cars don’t swing as they’re going around the loop.
22. Tornado
Lastly, there is another ride called Tornado.
It’s a mixture of teacups and swings. I highly recommend it!
✅ Kiddie Rides at Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk
There are a variety of rides here that are just for smaller children to enjoy, just like in other theme parks.
23. Kiddie Rides
They also have a kiddie coaster called Sea Serpent, swings called Sea Swings, gondolas to get across the boardwalk called Sky Glider, and two bumper car rides – Space Race and Speed Bumps.
✅ Eat The Best Carnival Foods At Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk
It’s not a day at Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk without enjoying some treats.
24. Deep Fried Oreos
Deep Fried Oreos are probably my number one fair food.
It’s a rare occasion when I get to enjoy them, so I made sure to have some while I was here.
25. Corn Dogs
What’s nice about having corn dogs at Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk is that it’s perfect to snack on while walking around.
You can people watch, scope out your next ride, or search for even more food while enjoying a corn dog.
✅ Other Fun Activities at Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk
In addition to rides and fair food, there are a handful of other things to do at Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk.
26. Bowling at Boardwalk Bowl
Bowling is located across the street from the Casino Arcade and is open from 9 am to midnight.
It’s a family friendly activity for everybody.
27. Buccaneer Bay Mini Golf
Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk has a 2 story pirate themed mini golf course with a black light cave.
It’s located inside Neptune’s Kingdom and is open daily from 10 am to 10 pm.
It’s only $10 per person!
28. Neptune’s Kingdom
Neptune’s Kingdom is also home to arcade games, pool tables, ping pong, food, and drinks.
It’s open daily from 10 am to 10 pm.
29. Casino Arcade
Casino Arcade has over 300 video games, a shooting gallery, air hockey, and other fun games.
It’s open daily from 10 am to 10 pm.
30. Laser Tag
Also inside Casino Arcade is a 3,500 square foot laser tag arena.
It’s open daily from 10 am to 10 pm and is only $8 per person.
31. Fright Walk Haunted House
Fright Walk got a major upgrade in 2017 and takes you on a walk-through “under the boardwalk”.
It’s got a mix of classic scares and some new high tech features.
32. Laser Maze Challenge
There are 2 separate vaults you can try to escape the laser maze.
It’s $7 per person to play one and $12 per person to play both.
33. Roll-A-Bingo
Located inside Neptune’s Kingdom, Roll-A-Bingo is a brand new game!
You play against others to see who can roll a bingo first.
34. Face Painting
The face painting booth is located next to the exit of the Giant Dipper and Cliff Hanger.
It’s a fun thing to do when embracing the full beach boardwalk experience.
35. Henna
Henna can also be done at the same place as the face painting booth.
It’s fun to do on vacation and it’s only temporary, but it needs time to dry properly and will last a couple weeks if you take care of it.
36. Caricatures
Caricatures are a fun way to commemorate your visit to Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk.
It’s open on weekends and holidays from 1 pm to 6 pm.
It’s located next to the Haunted Castle and the Cave Train Plaza.
37. Midway Games
Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk has classic games like Milk Bottles, Speed Pitch, Ring Toss, and more.
It’s open during the same operating hours as the rides.
38. Souvenir Shopping
We like to get a souvenir Christmas ornament everywhere we travel and it’s also fun to just browse the shops and see what kind of merchandise they have.
If you didn’t come prepared, no matter what time of year, you may need to get yourself a sweatshirt as the sun begins to go down.
Admission To Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk
Admission is free, so you can come and go from the Boardwalk and the beach as you please.
If you want to go on the rides, I recommend getting the unlimited rides wristband rather than the pay as you go option.
But only if you’re planning on going on all the rides.
If you just want to do a ride or two, pay as you go is definitely the more cost effective option.
We were there on a Friday in the Summer and it wasn’t too busy.
There were not very many lines that we had to wait more than 10 minutes for.
In the 6 or so hours we were there we were able to do everything we wanted and even some rides twice.
When we bought our wristbands we were also given a coupon book.
It is mostly beneficial for groups of 4 or more, but we were still able to find coupons that we could use together.
They included discounts for dining and games.
How Much Time Do You Need To Do Everything At Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk?
We were there from about 1:30 pm until at least after 7 pm.
It was plenty of time to do all of the rides we wanted while we were there.
We didn’t do all of the extra activities though like mini golf, laser tag, bowling, etc.
So I would plan to be there from 10 am to at least 7 pm or later to get everything in you’d want to do.
Additional Tips For Visiting Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk
Purchase your tickets in advance to save money.
Arrive early to get ahead of the crowds.
Wear comfortable shoes, as you’ll be doing a lot of walking.
Bring a hat and sunscreen to protect yourself from the sun.
Pack a picnic lunch to save money on food if you need to.
Be prepared for crowds, especially on weekends and during the summer months.
For even more travel planning tips, check out the following guides:
Tips For Planning A Trip To Anywhere (A Step-By-Step Guide)
Tips For Staying Safe When Traveling During Extreme Weather
Crowdfunding Your Dream Trip: How To Use Online Platforms To Fund Your Adventures
Where To Stay When Visiting Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk is right in the middle of everything when you’re visiting Santa Cruz, so there are a ton of options close by.
➡ La Quinta Inn & Suites By Wyndham Santa Cruz
This property is beautiful and is probably one of the nicest La Quinta properties you’ll find.
It’s only about a 10 minute walk from the boardwalk (or a few minutes drive) and it consistently has a 9/10 rating or higher amongst visitors.
La Quinta is also one of the more affordable brands in the area, though it is California and the beach.
👉 Click Here To Book Your Stay At La Quinta Inn & Suites By Wyndham Santa Cruz Today!
➡ West Cliff Inn – A Four Sisters Inn
If you’re looking for something a little cozier, more romantic, or quieter, then West Cliff Inn is for you.
It’s only a few more minutes away, so you’ll still be close to the boardwalk.
The Four Sisters Inns are sprinkled throughout California’s coast and all the properties are highly rated.
👉 Click Here To Book Your Stay At West Cliff Inn – A Four Sisters Inn Today!
Conclusion: Fun Things To Do At Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk
The Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk has so many fun things to do.
It’s a great place to spend a day with family, friends, or your significant other.
With so much to see and do, you’re sure to have a blast!
If you’re interested in more of California’s theme parks, check out our one day itineraries on Universal Studios Hollywood, Knott’s Berry Farm, and California’s Great America.
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