Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk

Lonely Planet review

The 1907 Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk is the oldest beachfront amusement park on the West Coast. The boardwalk has a glorious old-school Americana vibe, with the smell of cotton candy mixing with the salt air, punctuated by the distant squeals of kids hanging upside down on carnival rides. Its most famous include the half-mile-long Giant Dipper, a vintage-1924 wooden roller coaster, and the 1911 Looff carousel - both National Historic Landmarks.

For kids, the Cave Train is unexpectedly fun for its portrayal of cavemen in modern times. But the thing that makes it so great is the proximity to the beach. When you're feeling dopy from too much sun, don your flip-flops, leave your towel on the beach, and hit the rides. When you're good and dizzy, head back to the sand. On Friday nights in summer there are free concerts by rock veterans you may have thought were dead.