It was nearly 30 years ago to the day that I took my first stroll along a boardwalk in New Jersey. Growing up in Hawaii I was used to the sound of crashing waves mingling with music, but getting to enjoy that combination while devouring salt water taffy and riding roller coasters, well, that was something the Aloha State, simply couldn’t offer.
The United States is home to dozens of popular boardwalks and during the summer months they are packed with people looking for fun in the sun. Here are a few that I have visited that deliver in a big way:
Atlantic City
Call it a seaside Las Vegas. Atlantic City, New Jersey is home to the nation’s oldest and longest boardwalk. Built in 1870 and stretching nearly six miles, the boardwalk is filled with massive casinos, mini-golf courses, restaurants, amusement rides at historic Steel Pier, and free summer concerts. The famous East Coast attraction recently underwent a makeover and now includes upscale resorts and world-class shops. If you go consider touring the stretch in a Rolling Chair, a canopied contraption built for two that’s pedaled by someone else.
Coney Island
If you have children you don’t want to miss taking them to New York’s Coney Island. It’s considered one of America’s premier playgrounds and boasts the famous stroller-friendly Riegelmann Boardwalk, which runs 2.7 miles from Coney Island to Brighton Beach. While walking along the classic wooden path you’ll see iconic attractions like the colossal Wonder Wheel and the Cyclone roller coaster, which opened way back in 1926.
Santa Cruz
On the opposite side of the country sits “Coney Island of the West,” the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, which offers families unlimited attractions. You can spend a summer day enjoying thrill rides and arcade games, bowling, beach volleyball, ballroom dancing… you name it and you can probably find it along the 100-year-old boardwalk. The famous mile-long stretch is located along Monterrey Bay in Northern California and hosts a series of summer concerts to entertain the hundreds of thousands of visitors that stroll the boardwalk each year. Some of the boardwalk’s most popular attractions are the Giant Dipper wooden roller coaster, built in 1924, and a classic Looff carousel, built in 1911, which features one of the country’s last remaining brass-ring machines.
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