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Visiting Santa Cruz when you're in the Bay Area is a great idea. A wonderful way to visit is to take one of our limo tours, specifically the Santa Cruz via Highway 1 Tour. This tour is fully tailor-made to your specifications, and you'll get to see scenic California by driving down Highway 1 before getting to beautiful Santa Cruz.
The Boardwalk extends along the coast of the Monterey Bay, from just east of the Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf to the mouth of the San Lorenzo River. At the western edge of the park lies a large building known as the Casino (which does not offer gambling), which contains a video arcade, an indoor miniature golf course, a laser tag arena and the Cocoanut Grove banquet room and conference center. A Laffing Sal automated character, from Playland-at-the-Beach, is viewable near the miniature golf course.
East of the Casino, the boardwalk portion of the park stretches along a wide, sandy beach visitors can access easily from the park. The eastern end of the boardwalk is dominated by the Giant Dipper roller coaster, one of the best-known wooden coasters in the world and one of the most visible landmarks in Santa Cruz. The Dipper and the Looff Carousel, which still contains its original 342-pipe organ built in 1894, are both on the United States National Register of Historic Places[1] and were, together, declared to be a National Historic Landmark.[2] In addition, the park itself is a California State Historic Landmark.[3]
In many ways, the Boardwalk has changed little from its turn-of-the-century origins. Old-fashioned carnival games and snack booths can be found throughout the park. The atmosphere evokes East Coast seaside parks,[citation needed] such as Coney Island in Brooklyn, New York and the many parks on the Jersey Shore.
As of 2007, the park is headed by Charles Canfield, the son of Laurence Canfield who purchased the park from Charles I. D. Looff in the 1950s.
History
The Boardwalk was founded by Santa Cruz businessman Fred Swanton, who aimed to create a "Coney Island" for the West Coast.[citation needed] Swanton began his project in 1904 with the original Casino. Twenty-two months after it opened, the building was gutted by a fire that started in the kitchen. Rebuilding began just a few months later; the original Boardwalk, a pier and a new Casino opened in 1907.[citation needed] The park has been owned and operated by the Santa Cruz Seaside Company since 1911.[4]
In 1911, woodcarver and amusement park pioneer Charles Looff created the Looff Carousel. His son, Arthur, suggested that the park owners replace the park's first thrill ride, the aging L.A. Thompson Scenic Railway, with a modern wooden coaster, the Giant Dipper, which was designed by the younger Looff and opened in 1924.[5] Business slowed down during the Great Depression and World War II, but the Casino's Cocoanut Grove ballroom was at its peak.
Beginning in the 1950s and 1960s, many older seaside amusement parks closed, including the Pike and Playland-at-the-Beach. The Boardwalk survived — and thrived — by introducing many new attractions and undergoing an extensive renovation in the early 1980s.
On June 25, 2006 the new ride WipeOut opened, featuring music written by the park's Audio Specialist, Donaven Staab. On June 22, 2007 the Boardwalk turned 100 years old, marking "100 Years of Fun".
In March 2007, the Boardwalk installed a Wurlitzer Style 165 band organ to use along with the Adolf Ruth & Sohn organ already in place. It was bought for a price of $250,000 and restored by the Stinson Band Organ Company of Ohio. The new Wurlitzer organ features a front portion that serves as a façade to hide the inner workings of the organ. The front also features beautifully rendered illustrations of the San Francisco Cliff House, and more. At the time of the Wurlitzer's installation the Ruth & Sohn organ was sent to Stinson for restoration. A new facade was fabricated that features historical illustrations of the Beach Boardwalk as well as figures playing drums. The Ruth & Sohn organ returned to the Boardwalk in October 2008. The Boardwalk also owns a Wurlitzer Style 146 band organ and plans to have it restored as well.
