Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk Review, America's Best Seaside Amusement Park
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- čas přidán 16. 07. 2023
- Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk is a famous beachside amusement park. Located in northern California, this park covers just 24 acres yet is has over 3 dozen rides including some classics like the Giant Dipper wood coaster and a brass ring carousel. I think it's America's best seaside park and I'll explain why in this review.
Video Credits
Cave Train Adventure POV (JohnYChen)- • Cave Train Adventure O...
Haunted Castle POV (JohnYChen)- • Haunted Castle On Ride...
Roll A Bingo (Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk)- • NEW Roll-A-Bingo locat...
Background Music
Song: Fredji - Happy Life (Vlog No Copyright Music)
Music provided by Vlog No Copyright Music.
Video Link: • Fredji - Happy Life (V...
Good review. I'm a Santa Cruz native who is so old that I remember when the Giant Dipper cost 35 cents per ride. Don't live there any more, but have so many fond memories.
Wow!
The commercials are so iconic to me. I've always enjoyed my visits here. They've added more rides since my last visit. Last time I went Hurricane was still there. But man. Giant Dipper NEVER disappoints. The food is actually pretty good from what I remember. The $1 Hotdogs, Drinks and Cotton Candy were a treat. Don't know if they still do it but their other food options were very good.
Never seen one of their commercials, but I'll have to look for one.
You mentioned Hurricane and now I feel old. I miss that ride.
@@olivermensinger6022 I enjoyed Hurricane. It was a decent ride. But I’d imagine Undertow is a worthy upgrade. It does seem to fit the boardwalk better.
Fun little fact about Cave Train, my grandmother helped design the cavemen that can also be seen throughout the boardwalk
Very cool! I love the sets on that ride.
I had a chance to go last week and was surprised at how fun and forceful Giant Dipper was. We had a great time at the park. Thanks for the review!
You're welcome!
As someone who’s lived in Santa Cruz County for 20 years, I’m glad you made this review. The park is good.
I love the park.
We went this summer and had a great time! This park is well loaded with attractions! A really classic park!
It really is.
They filmed scenes from “The Lost Boys” at this park. One of my favorite movies.
Haven't seen that one.
Santa Carla Beach Boardwalk! 😊
I remember the cave man from the movie!
Great review! While I think that Morey's Piers is objectively the better park, I enjoy SCBB a bit more. Something about the energy of the park, the classic attractions, and the way it's all laid out in a compact and gorgeous location just hits all the right beats. Although there are too many vampires 😉
Morey's has more rides, but the atmosphere and Giant Dipper make me prefer Santa Cruz.
I will never forget the early winter morning many years ago, when I drove south from San Francisco, pulled into Santa Cruz and got out to sit on the sand. Amazingly, I was the ONLY one there. The sun was shining, the air was crisp and I felt that the future could only bring good things. A naive thought, but we need to believe that we have good things ahead of us. What a glorious day it was.
Sounds peaceful.
@@CanobieCoaster I feel very fortunate to have had the experience. Certain events in life become vivid memories that remain with us, definite high points.
As someone who’s lived in San Jose their whole life, I greatly prefer the Boardwalk to Great America. GA is always a good time, but it’s hard to beat the vibes the Boardwalk has. Also, since removing it’s looping ship and top spin great america can’t even compare to the Boardwalk’s excellent line up of flat rides. That along with the three dark rides makes it a no brainer for me for which i prefer
I agree the atmosphere here is fantastic.
Same over here
Another way to get here is riding the excursion train from Felton, located in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Beautiful ride and you can spend several hours at the Boardwalk without worrying about parking.
Thanks for sharing! I had looked at public transit from San Francisco when I interned there a decade ago, but it didn't seem easy to do.
Quick tip if you’re visiting during the summer and there is serious traffic to the boardwalk. There is a new shuttle bus starting in the downtown area of santa cruz that brings you directly to the wharf, right near scbb. You can park in one of the parking lots downtown and walk to the shuttle pickup spot and pay just $1 to ride. It comes every 15 minutes. It’s called The Santa Cruzer if you want to look it up and find more info like where it picks you up/ when it operates!
Thanks, that is a good tip.
My most visited park. Definitely agree they need a euro fighter however there does not seem to be a lot of room for one given the current footprint between the casino and river mouth. However I was shocked when they were able to bring back the typhoon and add a disk-o without losing the fright walk. I'd love to see them add a chance zipper to round out their flat ride lineup.
I'm not sure where they could fit another coaster, but I hope they can one day.
Wow, you were there literally a day before I was there. And yes I agree, this is a great amusement park
I visited Labor Day weekend last year.
I worked here in high school. Loved everything about it, especially being a ride opp. Glad to see you appreciate it as well. Only thing you missed is the summer concerts and the ticket system which is so unique and fun.
Didn't see a concert in any of my visits, but that's nice they do that.
@CanobieCoaster yep it is a weeknight thing they do in the summers. Thank you for the review of the park, brings back great memories.
Stayed there on a 2 week tour from LA to SF (and back), just for an afternoon and the night. The park really has a nice atmosphere both during the day with a beach view and with all the colorful lights at night. I especially enjoyed the chairlift ride and of course Giant Dipper.
The atmosphere is incredible.
What took me by surprise was how you said this was America's best boardwalk style park. I thought for sure that would've been Morey's Piers on the Jersey Shore.
The only one that is better (if it counts) is Cedar Point. But I don't count it since there is a boardwalk, but the park doesn't really use it.
"Limited rides" will always include Giant Dipper and the caroucel based on what I saw in December 2021. I have heard mixed reports about Undertow from others but it was open for me. The area where Rocko Plane, Whipeout, the kiddie coaster, and the log flume are at is fenced off. None of the dark rides were in any condition to operate (I didn't mind though, I got my fix in that department from the mini golf which has some awesome animatronics). Basically, if you want to marathon Giant Dipper and have unlimited tries to reach for the rings on the caroucel as you try to light up the clown's eyes, go during offseason. If you want to do the full ride lineup, go during busy season. The best option if available to you though: DO BOTH!
I definitely would take advantage of Limited Rides days if I lived closer. Good to know the two best rides open for it.
@@CanobieCoasterA few years later and it's now one of my home parks, which would've been unforseeable when my dad took me back in December 2021 (he was more taking me to see the Redwoods, which I highly recommend seeing). Glad I get to follow my own advice with my visits this year, I love the centennial decor they have for Giant Dipper (I picked up the limited edition ornament they were selling, I will have it out for the entirity of the centennial and will gift it to my dad at the end of the centennial to commemorate the 2021 trip since he's ridden it and it's too ornate to be among my take on car dice). My updated take is this: lines are almost always tolerable, the operations are great! Their dark rides are among the best out there, even their Sally shooter is cool (I don't tend to love the standard Boo Blasters) with things like fog effects I didn't expect to see on a ride like that! I still say Giant Dipper is the crown jewl, I didn't overhype it just because of the ordeal to ride it in 2021. The caroucel is among my favourite non-coaster attractions in general with the compeditive adrenaline of lighting the clown's eyes and ringing the bell. My only complaint goes back to 1991-92: I wish they never changed out the Jet Star coaster, which operated where Undertow is now (a coaster that's still operating today in Russia, ie not a service life issue). Jet Star>Hurricane>Undertow.
The Jordan Peele movie "Us" was filmed here as well.
Cool!
As a Santa Cruz local who thought the east coast gets all the good stuff, I'll take best seaside park with PRIDE!
It's a great park!
The world doesn't have enough amusement parks.
i love how you highlighted the carousel! also the laffin sal! I have beef with the one at kennywood, as she traumatized me haha!
I love the carousel.
I agree, a clone of Adrenaline Peak would do wonders at the Boardwalk, it’s Gerstlaurs smallest version of the EuroFighter.
Just not sure where they could put it.
I hope you can return here in the future
I definitely will return.
When I visited California, I actually chose this park over Discovery Kingdom, and I'm glad I visited. I also liked the long ride cycles.
I prefer this to Discovery Kingdom.
The white supports on the woody just look amazing. The oldschool lights on it give it even more charm.
Otherwise a HUSS Breakdance is always a solid choice. I've ridden a ton of them, mostly BD 1 and 3 models. I just can't get enough. This one looks a bit toned down, though.
I still wanna ride a S&S Tower some day. The double shot mostly. I'm used to HUSS Shot'n'Drop Towers and it has no airtime. So the S&S model would make a nice change.
The Round Up is a must do. Respect the classics.
I saw a ride that I do not know how to call it in english. We germans call them either "Musik Express" or just "Berg- und Talfahrt". Doesn't matter. They are awesome. Tons of laterals.
Fireball is a classic Afterburner by KMG. Legendary among fairs in europe. The XXL model is more popular today, though.
The ride selection for kids seems really good. Glad to see they didn't get left out.
The skyride is just wild for me. I personally only know them to get up mountians for skiing or summer hiking. Seeing one just going flat over a park is new to me.
I learn so much from your videos it's just incredible. Thanks for that. It's just interesting to see that everyone uses the same concept and every country around the world does things completley different.
I love the look of classic wood coasters. Break dances on the fair circuit run far faster than those in the US, but at least Wipeout has the atmosphere to compensate. S&S towers are far better than Huss ones.
I might go for Coaster Con 46 and get Giant Dipper ERT! So excited!
Also Sea Serpent was my first ever credit
Enjoy the ERT!
There use to be a train called the suntan special train it use to go form San Jose to Santa Cruz and it would have been easier to get there without traffic but we now have roaring camp train that comes
That sounds convenient.
Personally i think luna park (nyc) slightly takes the spot as my favorite seaside park but this is by easily my number 2. Such a great atmosphere with great rides.
he said in america
@@claytons7319 luna park is in new york city on coney island. Its the park with the original cyclone.
I like that park a lot, but I prefer the look and feel of Santa Cruz.
Fun fact: giant dipper is the only coaster in California to allow people to take there bags with them
santa cruz beach boardwalk? more like santa cruz beach boardwalk
Great Review. The fun setting makes me want to ride some rides, maybe go surfing later, and definitely chill with Patrick Swayze and rob some banks in Presidential masks. If this is what Cali is like, I'm bout it Bout it, this park seems special.
I love the atmosphere.
Epic review (not biased even tho this my home park.)
Thanks!
Great review! While the rides were awesome, the food was amazing for a boardwalk. Cooked to order fried shrimp, great shops. Highly reccommend!
It's fantastic all around.
Big Dipper was so cool and good for how old it is.
It's a good classic.
Yes Santa Cruz Is My Favorite Park And The Giant Dipper Is By Far My Favorite Ride I Rode It One I Believe It Was On The 4th Of July 46 Times It Is So Awesome!!😀😀😀😀😀😀
My favorite park in NorCal.
The indoor mini golf course there is particularly good with animatronics and effects
Have seen so many good free concerts there on the beach over the years...even the infamous Hot Sax man from Lost Boys lol...a shame they seem to be phasing those out now...
I didn't get a chance to try the mini golf. Are the obstacles actually on the holes themselves or next to them?
Santa Cruz is great, but there is no seaside park like what Morey's offers. Between the atmosphere, ride selection, ride volume, operations, and maintenance, Morey's is tops.
I prefer Santa Cruz for the sightlines, compactness, and Giant Dipper.
Morey's coasters are definitely superior but Santa Cruz's views and atmosphere is just something else. Don't know what it is but I always leave with major satisfaction.
I love this park. Haunted Castle is fantastic, as is Giant Dipper. And Logger's Revenge performs the difficult task of being really fun in the slow sections despite no theming and it works because of that view.
You made the comment around 11:40 about not clustering kids rides. I have kids and I really appreciate when parks don't place all of their kid rides in one place. I'd much prefer a park with kid rides everywhere than a park with a single amazing kiddie section but no kids rides outside that area. It means a lot to me that I can go on big rides and then take my kids on a little ride a trade off throughout the day. Otherwise they get bored if I'm having fun or else I have to sit in a kids area for several hours.
That's a good point. I see advantages to both approaches.
I've lived in santa cruz my whole life and one thing I can say is that I think the cabe train(as someone who doesnt like fast rides or rollercoasters) is the best and if you are on a budget you should bring food because it can add up
It's usually cheaper to eat outside most parks, but I will pay if the food is good.
My nearest home park.
Nice!
my best friends and i are doing a road trip from san diego to san francisco in october and we are stopping in santa cruz - is october a nice time to go to the boardwalk?
I haven't been in October, but I imagine it would be fun. Just check the ride availability on the calendar.
I’m supposed to go next week on a Sunday, is it pretty crowded on a Sunday? Anyone know what I can expect?
I've been on a Sunday on a holiday weekend before and it has been crowded. But most lines were under 15 minutes. Just ride the ones I noted that build lines early if you're there at open.
Sad I missed some of these flats while we were in a hurry to get the cred and leave when we visited
That's a bummer, but at least you got on Giant Dipper.
So this place is like the real life ocean shoures off rocket power lol
Sort of!
Do they have the room for a new coaster...
Grona Lund has shown us it's possible with creativity.
@@CanobieCoasterthey seem to have history by putting different coasters in the Undertow plot. Maybe once Undertow has reached it’s service life we can get a Gerstlauer Eurofighter or (my personal favorite option) an Intamin hot racer. Just Imagine!!
you should review haunted mansion bc the movie is coming out!!
I don't think I'll be reviewing that ride.
@@CanobieCoaster L
Is beach boardwalk still open now because it was destroyed
Yes it's open. Casino Pier in New Jersey was the one that took a lot of damage a decade ago.
And am going to beach boardwalk
How safe is this place? I’ve read the crime is out of control, but I have never been there so I can’t confirm. Also, is this the same place where they filmed The Lost Boys?
I've always felt safe at the park.
*America's best amusement park
Not quite that.
@@CanobieCoaster Free entry park superiority. Also they have 15 dollar ride wristbands on many evenings
Should rename the big dipper to " Thre Fentinyl Flyer"
Why?