Santa Cruz Boardwalk on a cold April Sunday.

This weekend my husband and I visited the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk in California and spent a relaxing afternoon in serenity. The Boardwalk was bustling to capacity and it was nice to see the amusement park in full swing.

Stretching across the coast of Monterey Bay, this place has a video  arcade, an amusement park and a miniature golf course. It also houses a laser tag arena and a majestic roller coaster  Wikipedia mentions that the Giant Dipper Roller Coaster and Looff Carousel built in 1894 are some of the historic places marked on the US National Register and declared as Historic landmarks.

The weather at Santa Cruz can be a bit crummy, cold throughout the year except in summer. Bundle up if you are heading there before summer. It is quite the opposite feeling in summer, extremely hot to endure.

The Boardwalk stretches along the beach. Snack booths are lodged at regular intervals and there is a lot of fun and activity around .If you are looking to pass sometime just sauntering and enjoying the beach, you could just let the brusque waves cool off your feet as you walk on the sandy shore. If you have kids and want to experience a fun day, allow them to participate in the numerous activities at hand.

Like I said, the boardwalk is lined with snack booths. What looked interesting to us was the Tater Twist – fancy fried potatoes on a stick with hot sauce. I hear the chocolate covered bacon is something to indulge in.

The beach is nothing to write home about, but the restaurants around serve some delicious seafood cuisines that you could grab a bite from.

We found the theme-park a bit pricey and shopping around there is going to put that hole in your pocket.

I wish I could say I saw a few sea lions at the end of the trip, but that was not the case this time.

Also, we found parking prices absurd and hence just parked on the street. It was worth the walk to save a few bucks on parking.

All in all it seemed like a fun place and a good way to spend a lazy Sunday afternoon.