There are many famous beaches in America that feature boardwalks and piers. Of course, who can forget the famous song “Under the Boardwalk?” These walkways are a great tradition in many seaside towns. These are some of the most popular ones you’ll find in the USA.
1. Coney Island, New York
The boardwalk at Coney Island is one of the most famous in the nation. It’s 2.7 miles long and since 2010 it’s featured the Luna Park amusement park. This park offers several rides as well as a spinning roller coaster named the Tickler.
2. Atlantic City, New Jersey
This famous boardwalk was erected back in 1870 to keep the sand out of the local hotel lobbies. The boardwalk is about four miles long and is filled with hotels, shops, casinos, arcades, and food stands on a side street. The views of the Atlantic Ocean are fantastic and you can take a trip in a rolling wicker chair, which was introduced in 1887 as a form of transportation along the Atlantic City waterfront.
3. Ocean City, Maryland
The popular Ocean City boardwalk is actually called Atlantic Avenue. It was launched back in 1902 so hotel guests could walk along the ocean without trampling through the sand. It was originally a portable structure which could be rolled up and stored away at night time when the tide came in. In 1910 a permanent boardwalk was erected, but it was levelled in 1962 by a fierce storm. It was rebuilt and now stretches 2.5 miles in length. You’ll find amusements, arcades and a carousel there.
4. Santa Cruz, California
This modern boardwalk is well known for its giant wooden roller coaster which has attracted over 50 million people since it was built back in 1924. The ride gives you superb views of Monterey Bay. There’s also a two-storey miniature golf course, a casino arcade, and a 100-year-old carousel. The carousel features 73 unique horses that were built by a Danish woodcarver.
5. The Navy Pier, Chicago, Illinois
This fantastic pier/boardwalk is built on a 50-acre site which sits above Lake Michigan. It’s been popular since opening back in 1995 as it features dining cruises, tour boats, amusement park rides, restaurants, shopping, and various types of entertainment. There’s also a museum that showcases about 150 colorful stained-glass windows.
6. Virginia Beach, Virginia
This boardwalk is three miles long and offers wonderful views of the ocean. It also features a statue of the god of the seas, Neptune. Another popular attraction in the daytime is the Atlantic Wildfowl Heritage Museum. When the sun goes down the boardwalk is an ideal location for amateur astronomers to study the dark skies above.
7. Kemah, Texas
This boardwalk is located on Galveston Bay and was christened back in 2001. It didn’t take long for it to become a very popular site. It’s built in a carnival atmosphere and stretches for half a mile in length.
It features a Ferris wheel, speedboat ride, carousel, and wooden roller coaster. There are numerous dancing fountains on the boardwalk which shoot water up to 10 feet in the air.
