Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk Inspires Disney

http://www.beachboardwalk.com

The new Disney California Adventure Amusement Park in Anaheim may look familiar. The view of the park's Paradise Pier bears a strong resemblance to California's oldest amusement park: the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk.

It is impossible to reproduce the Boardwalk's charm: the beauty of a mile long sandy beach next to the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, the thrill of dozens of classic amusement rides, the smell of cotton candy and saltwater taffy made right at the park, and the click, click, click sound of the famous Giant Dipper roller coaster making its way up a 70-foot tall wooden track. All this, and so much more, provide a real seaside amusement park experience to millions of visitors each year.

Disney's new Pleasure Pier brings a taste of the Boardwalk experience to Anaheim, but the complete meal is just a few hundred miles up the California coast. . . in Santa Cruz.