Road Tripping: Santa Cruz Boardwalk – Santa Cruz, CA
Visiting the Jelly Belly Factory really put Reese and me in the mood to have even more fun. We drove the Jucy to Santa Cruz to spend some time at the boardwalk. The Santa Cruz Boardwalk is the kind of place everyone will love because there is so much to do!
We wanted to come here because it’s one of the best boardwalks in the state. Plus, we wanted to hang by the beach and get a ride on the oldest roller coaster in California, the Giant Dipper. Reese and I are thrill ride junkies and can’t get enough of roller coasters and rides. We got the wristband to save money and I highly recommend you do that too if you’re going to be spending time riding the rides here.
The Giant Dipper is a wooden roller coaster and it didn’t disappoint. We were also excited to try out the Undertow, which is a spinning coaster and the only one of its kind in Northern California. It was such a wild ride! We had to go on both of those roller coasters several times because we loved them so much.
Other rides we loved were the Haunted Castle for a quick break from the summer sun and some scary thrills under the boardwalk. And the Sky Glider was awesome for getting subliminal views of the beach from above. The Merry-Go-Round was also a treat, and if you’re visiting the Santa Cruz Boardwalk with little ones, there are still many great things you can do and explore here with a section of rides just for the littlest thrill-seekers.
We spent all day here enjoying the fun and playing in the sun. Neptune’s Kingdom gives you some fun stuff to do indoors. The magic shop is great fun, plus there is a mini-golf course, laser tag, video games, bowling, and shopping. You’ll find everything from souvenirs to beachwear. I can’t say what we loved the most. The whole day was just spectacular laughing and running about with Reese.
Don’t worry about being hungry here. You’re in the right place for food. Honestly, there were so many good smells coming at us from every single angle, it was really hard to choose. There are boardwalk staples like corndogs and funnel cakes, and since it’s California, you’ll find tacos too. Churros and ice cream also make for the best treats to beat the summer heat here.
Reese and I were officially beat after a day here, but it was wonderfully depleting. We had such a terrific time. I love my daughter and we always have the best times together but this has to go down in our book as one of the best days we’ve ever spent with each other. We slept great that night as we got ready to head off on the last and final leg of our Jucy journey.
