Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk

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 and one of the few seaside parks on the West Coast of the United States.

Description 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 and the park is California Historical Landmark number 983.

There are old-fashioned and modern styled carnival games and snack booths throughout the 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.

History

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. 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.

, 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. 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 individual points for $1; each ride costs between 5 and 8 tickets.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the park temporarily shut down in mid-March 2020. The park reopened on November 7, 2020. The park then subsequently shut down again 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.

Boardwalk's Cocoanut Grove

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.

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.

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.

Class-Action Wage Lawsuit In 2023, the Santa Cruz Seaside Company—the owners and operators of the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk—faced a class-action lawsuit accusing the company of improperly paying employees, resulting in a 5.9 million dollar settlement. Between July 2019 and August 2019, the plaintiffs claimed the boardwalk failed to "properly pay [employees] all overtime wages and minimum wages for all hours worked, failed to provide all meal and rest breaks to which they were entitled, failed to timely pay all wages upon termination of employment, failed to provide accurate wage statements, failed to reimburse necessary business-related expenses, and failed to adhere to other related protections afforded by the California Labor Code and applicable Industrial Welfare Commission Wage Order."

The lawsuit was filed into the Santa Cruz County Superior Court in July 2023. Represented by Blackstone Law, both sides settled the matter on January 30, 2025 for 5.9 million dollars.

Rides Current roller coasters Coaster Opened Manufacturer ModelGiant Dipper1924Designed by Frank Prior & Frederick Church; Built by Arthur LooffWooden Roller CoasterSea Serpent2000E&F Miler Industries Family CoasterUndertow2013Maurer Söhne Spinning Coaster

Thrill & family rides Ride Opened Manufacturer ModelCrazy Surf1998Wisdom RidesGenesisCyclone2004HrubetzRound UpDouble Shot2005S&S WorldwideDouble Shot TowerFireball2003KMGRevolution 20Rock-O-Plane1954EyerlyRock-O-PlaneShockwave2017ZamperlaDisk’oSurge2024Chance RidesFreestyleTyphoon2017ARM RidesTyphoonVertigo 3602026Zamperla360 Gravity DefyWipeOut1998HUSSBreakdanceCave Train1961Arrow DevelopmentCave TrainDream Wheel2024Chance RidesCentury WheelFreefall2002Moser’s RidesJunior Drop TowerGhost Blasters2001Sally CorporationShooting Dark RideHaunted Castle2010Sally CorporationDark RideLighthouse Lift-Off2021SunkidLift TowerLogger’s Revenge1977Arrow DevelopmentLog FlumeLooff Carousel1911LooffCarouselPirate Ship1984Chance RidesPirate ShipRiptide1993Larson InternationalTilt-A-WhirlSea Swings2008BertazzonSwing CarouselSky Glider1967Universal MobilityChairliftSpace Race2000Space Race Inc.Space RaceSpeed Bumps1996Majestic ManufacturingBumper CarsTornado2000Wisdom RidesTornadoTsunami1999Moser’s RidesMusik ExpressTwirlin Teacups2019ZamperlaTeacupsWave Rider2021Battech Enterprises Permanent Dry Slide

Kiddie rides Ride Opened Manufacturer ModelBeach Swing2013ZamperlaHappy SwingBouncin’ Buggies2016ZamperlaJump AroundBulgy the Whale1960EyerlyBulgy the WhaleConvoy2000ZamperlaConvoyJet Copters1990ZamperlaHelicopter rideSea Dragons1976ZamperlaSea DragonSpeed Boats1960VentureSpeed BoatsSpeedway2002ZamperlaSpeedway

Former rides Name Opened Closed Notes Hurricane 1992 2012 Replaced by Undertow. Videostorm Replaced by Tsunami. Whirlwind The Red Baron 1970s Chaos 1997 2002 Replaced by Fireball. The Flying Cages 1960s Dante's Inferno 1935 Replaced by Haunted Castle. Paratrooper 1965 1985 Replaced by Wave Jammer. Starfish 2004 2012 Wave Jammer 1986 2001 Replaced by Rock & Roll. The Airplane 1950 Auto Scooter 1933 Jet Star 1972 1991 Treasure Island Replaced by Haunted Castle. Roll-O-Plane 1940s Located where Logger's Revenge is today. Drive-A-Boat Replaced by Arctic Flyer. The Super Round-Up 1972 1991 Replaced by the former Typhoon. Pirate's Cove Replaced by Haunted Castle. WipeOut 1993 1996 Replaced by Fireball. The Trabant Located by the former 1961 Ferris Wheel. Bermuda Triangle (Scrambler) Replaced by Cliff Hanger. Spider Autorama 1961 1998 Traveled through the park. Spin Out (Tea Cups) 1989 2003 Replaced by Cyclone. The Octopus 1950s Arctic Flyer 1973 Replaced by Videostorm. Wild Mouse 1975 Replaced by Logger's Revenge. Crazy Surf (KMG X-Factory) Sold to UK showman Joseph Manning in October 2018; converted from park ride to travelling model by Eagle Fabrications. Cliff Hanger 2003 2023 Replaced by Surge in 2024. Rock & Roll 2002 2023 Replaced by Dream Wheel in 2024.

Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk

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