Santa Cruz is a vibrant and colorful city. It is one of my favorites. It's fun, beautiful and has a bevy of delicious restaurants. Santa Cruz is a respite from the craziness of San Francisco to the North and Los Angles to the South. It has a fun, beach vibe that lifts your spirits and put s a spring in your step!
The historic Santa Cruz Boardwalk is a focal point of Santa Cruz. It is the oldest surviving amusement park in California and was created to be the west coast version of Coney Island in New York.
The highlight of the Boardwalk is the famous wooden roller-coaster, "The Giant Dipper." The Giant Dipper is the 6th oldest roller coaster in the United States opening on May 17, 1924. It is one heck of a twisting, turning scream-fest and a sheer thrill to ride (I actually rode it twice). It plunges into a dark tunnel and just gets better from there.
There a lot of other terrific rides in the park and it is anything but sleepy. In the summer they have bands on the beach to liven things up even more. You can purchase single tickets for the rides or buy a wristband if you're staying all day.
If you're not wanting to eat the 'junk food' from the Boardwalk (try the deep-fried Twinkies)then head over to the Pier. The Pier has one great restaurant after the other and the menus are fabulous. The views are equally exciting with the surfers on one side of the Pier and the Boardwalk rides the other. Of course, the seafood is fresh and mouth-watering.
We stayed at the Dream Inn and it really is a dream. The views are spectacular with the hotel located right on the beach. The Dream Inn has a beautiful outdoor heated pool that has direct access to the beach.
You can see the lights of the Boardwalk from the hotel (a 3 minute walk) and the whole scene is just "California Dreamy." I left the sliding door of our hotel room open all night (all rooms have balconies or patios) and listened to the waves crash as I fell asleep. Heavenly!
The Aquarius Restaurant at the hotel served a yummy breakfast and the large windows offered morning scenes of kids learning to surf and running on the beach.
A great stop for any road-trip.
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