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Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk

All Memories

Yearly summer family vacation, 2019

My kids and I look forward to this place every year! I live on meager means as a Nutrition Food Service Worker for the school district. But I always save enough money to bring my kids...

Two Eight-Year-Olds on the Boardwalk , 1973

My family would go to the Boardwalk for a day of fun every year. This particular year my friend Lisa and I were allowed to go off by ourselves and have fun until meeting up with the...

Boardwalk's First Ride "Hostess

I started working at the Boardwalk taking tickets. Girls were not allowed to operate the rides. That did not sit well with me and I started bugging management. I remember the...

My Grandparents on Vacation , 1915

My Grandparents and great grandparents spent 1 month every summer in Santa Cruz. They sometimes stayed at La Playa Cottages. They'd pack their trunk and board the train in Oakland....

Outside Cocoanut Grove Then and Now, 1938

The Boardwalk's Cocoanut Grove has gone through many changes over the years, but its function as an entertainment center has remained about the same. Here's a photo...

Boardwalk Pleasure Pier Then and Now

This photo shows the location of our Pleasure Pier in the 1930s. The Santa Cruz Wharf in the background has been there since 1914.

Giant Dipper Then and Now, 1924

A photo of construction workers on the Giant Dipper back in 1924, with how it looks today.

Sky Glider Then and Now, 1967

A photo of our Sky Glider back in 1967 (the year it was first introduced) with a photo of how it looks today.