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"Blog Post" Boardwalk Memories

Boardwalk Fans

We’re truly thankful for our amazing guests. Thank you for sharing so many family memories and fun times with us over the years.

Boardwalk’s Fun House, 1925

The Boardwalk’s Fun House was a wild and crazy place for kids from 1925 to 1971. Highlights included a large wooden slide, a turning barrel, a spinning disk, and rocking

The Wild Mouse

The Wild Mouse absolutely terrified an entire generation of riders! There’s no date on this archival photo, but it ran from 1958 to 1975.

Relics of World War II

Life along the Boardwalk looks pretty sweet in this archival photo from the 1950s. See the curtains along the Boardwalk’s seawall? They are blackout curtains, left over from World War

Aqua Archery, 1926

Free summer entertainment is a fun tradition at the Boardwalk and this 1926 photo of “Aqua Archery” is a fine example of something new and exciting!

Romeo & Juliet on the Giant Dipper

Strange but true: A serious, feline production of Romeo & Juliet included a scene on the Boardwalk’s Giant Dipper. This photo from our archives shows Boardwalk Mechanic, Brian W. assisting

The Sun Tan Special

The Sun Tan Special brought summer visitors from the Bay Area to the Boardwalk for more than 30 years.

Pleasure Pier and the Wharf

The Boardwalk’s Pleasure Pier once jutted out towards the Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf, featuring speedboat rides and pleasant strolling.

The Cave Train

The Cave Train almost closed in the 1990s, but today it’s one of our most popular family rides.

Fascinating Fascination

What’s so fascinating about Fascination? Played like bingo, the game mesmerized visitors from 1944-2008! A rubber handball was rolled down a wooden table, as the ball dropped into a hole,

Santa Cruz Lifeguards in WWII Jeep, 1946

Santa Cruz lifeguards got their first motorized equipment in 1946, a World War II Jeep. Bill Lidderdale, at the wheel with Princess in his lap, trained many local guards.

Boardwalk Then and Now, 1967

This artsy “then and now” photo blends a 1967 black-and-white image from our archives with a present-day photo taken from the same location. Kudos to Boardwalk photographer WQ and Boardwalk

The Palace of Fun, 1925

The Boardwalk’s Fun House opened in 1925. You could pay-and-stay as long as you wanted! The “Palace of Fun” included a tall slide, an “ocean waves” undulating walkway, a large

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