Strolling Beach Boardwalk in Scenic Santa Cruz

A sandy bathing beach isn’t the only thing that lures visitors to the seashore at Santa Cruz.

Another major attraction is the historic Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, the last of California’s beachfront amusement parks. It’s home to the Giant Dipper, a classic wooden roller coaster that has been thrilling riders for 65 years.

Nearby is the municipal wharf, where you can fish from the pier or feast on seafood in a row of bay-view restaurants. Visitors can also follow scenic Cliff Drive to Lighthouse Point and the state’s first surfing museum.

That coastal road continues west to Natural Bridges State Beach, to which monarch butterflies soon will return for the winter, and to a university marine laboratory that offers guided tours.

At the northern end of Monterey Bay, Santa Cruz has been enticing visitors for more than a century. By the early 1900s a boardwalk and a casino were built, patterned after those at New York’s Coney Island.

National Landmark

Woodcarver Charles Looff, creator of Coney Island’s merry-go-round, also built a 70-horse carrousel for Santa Cruz. It’s been whirling since 1911 and is a national historic landmark.

Another national landmark is the Giant Dipper, which was built by Looff’s son, Arthur, in 1924. From the highest point on this seat-of-your-pants ride, the roller coaster roars down the track at 55 m.p.h.

The seaside amusement park also has modern thrill rides, carnival food such as corn dogs and cotton candy, and old-time midway games to play for prizes. Knock over three milk bottles with a baseball and you’ll win a stuffed toy.

The Casino building and its Cocoanut Grove ballroom have been refurbished to the tune of $10 million. Inside is a lively arcade with video games as well as vintage games of skill. The former indoor swimming pool is now a miniature golf course.

The Sun Room, with a sliding glass roof, was added for open-air Sunday brunches that are served from 9:30 a.m.

Admission to the Boardwalk is free. Prices for each of the 20 major thrill rides range from $1.20 to $2. A one-day, unlimited-ride ticket costs $13.95.

At 5 p.m. on Mondays and Tuesdays (to Aug. 29), prices roll back to early-era rates of 40 cents per ride. The same amount buys a hot dog, cotton candy, a candy apple or a soft drink.

The Boardwalk is open daily from 11 a.m. to 10 or 11 p.m. through Labor Day, then operates on weekends only.

Free concerts by groups such as the Coasters are presented twice nightly on Fridays (through Sept. 1) and every night during the last week of August.

Special events include the ninth annual Brussels Sprouts Festival this Monday and Tuesday. Call the Santa Cruz Seaside Co. at (408) 423-5590 for more information about the amusement park.

To get to the Boardwalk from Los Angeles, drive north on U.S. 101 to Salinas and the Main Street exit. Turn south to join California 183 (Watsonville Road) through Castroville, and pick up California 1 north to Santa Cruz.

Take the River Street exit and follow signs to the beach and wharf. Visitors soon discover that many Santa Cruz streets are one-way and can be confusing.

Drive out on the municipal wharf, which is just west of the Boardwalk and offers a panorama of the park and Santa Cruz Beach. The wide, doglegged pier has meters for parking and plenty of room for pole fishing (no license required). Get tackle and bait at Stagnaro’s wharf shop, where you also can arrange to go deep-sea fishing. Phone (408) 425-7003.

Fresh seafood is the main reason for a visit to the wharf, which has nine restaurants. Newly opened is Gilbert’s, now occupying the remodeled building of a longtime restaurant called Malio’s. Try the calamari steak or fettuccini jambalaya.

Well-known for its continental fare and seafood is the Sea Cloud Restaurant and Social Club. Other choices are Miramar, Stagnaro Bros., Gilda’s, Dolphin, Hungry Pelican, Riva Fish House and Anna Maria’s (serving Italian dishes).

Museum to Surfing

From the municipal wharf, follow West Cliff Drive along the seashore. You’ll pass Cowell Beach and Steamer Lane, a famous surfing area, before reaching Lighthouse Field State Beach. Look for the Mark Abbott Memorial Lighthouse, a small brick building that houses the Santa Cruz Surfing Museum. Hours are noon to 4 p.m. daily, weather permitting.

On display are surfboards from the 1930s to the present, including a 10-foot solid redwood model. You also see some early homemade wet suits, as well as historical photos and current videos of surfers in action.

Continue west on Cliff Drive along more beautiful coastline to Natural Bridges State Beach, where you can picnic in the shade of eucalyptus and pine trees. In October, thousands of monarch butterflies migrate here to spend the winter. At the beach you can see remnants of the rock formations that gave the park its name, and you can sunbathe there and go tidepooling. Parking is $3.

At the end of Cliff Drive, take Swanton Boulevard to Delaware Drive and go left (west) to the Joseph Long Marine Laboratory, a biological research facility of UC Santa Cruz. Fish and other sea creatures are displayed in a small aquarium.

You’ll also see an 86-foot blue whale skeleton and can visit tanks where sea lions and dolphins are being observed. Docents lead free informal tours during public visiting hours, which are between 1 and 4 p.m. daily except Mondays and holidays.

Plenty of Lodging

You’ll find plenty of lodging not far from the wharf and Boardwalk. Most are along Riverside Avenue, which runs directly to the amusement park. Away from the noise is the newer Riverside Garden Inn, with 80 rooms surrounding a courtyard pool and two whirlpool spas. Rates with a continental breakfast are $78/$99, suites $128/$168; call (408) 458-9660.

Overlooking the beach and bay is the remodeled Sea and Sand Inn, with 20 rooms $95/$160; phone (408) 427-3400. The 10-story Dream Inn is next door, with 163 rooms from $110 to $150; call (408) 426-4330.

On Cliff Street (not the drive) is an 1887 Victorian that’s now the Cliff Crest Bed and Breakfast Inn. Its five rooms range from $80 to $125; phone (408) 427-2609.

Round trip from Los Angeles to Santa Cruz is 740 miles.

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In last week’s column on Del Mar, an incorrect phone number was listed for the Inn at Del Mar. The correct number is (619) 259-1515.