We knew that where we were staying on the beach in Aptos was not very far away from Santa Cruz. Growing up, we had the song by the Strokes about Santa Cruz, so it was one of the places we always wanted to visit. So on the wednesday we decided to take a little drive there. We knew there was a board walk with rides and mini golf.
The Boardwalk operates on a ticket scheme. You get a card from a machine, then pay money to load it up with tickets. A lot of the fun fairs and carnival these days do it like this. I like it. We loaded the card up with $70, and off we went.
First stop, Buccaneer Bay Mini Golf. My kids love mini golf. I can't stand it. This one was cool though. It had a UV section. We have worked hard getting the boys to play properly. They are good. They wait for each other to finish, and cheer each other on. This was the first time I had kept score. Paul and I don't play. We supervise! Unsurprisingly, Oliver won, Isaac came second and Sebastian last. But it was closer than we expected.
Then we entered the Boardwalk for real. You could certainly tell it was spring break! It was busy. I would not have enjoyed it in the height of summer. The boys spotted a ride called Speedway, with lots of Nascars. It flew really fast around the corners! They loved it!
Next up was a horse racing game, where you had to throw balls to make your horse move. Luckily we were the only ones taking part. Sebastian won, with a little help from daddy! He won a soft toy of a pickle, which has since been named Mr Pickle......
Then on to the Jet Copters for Isaac and Seb. Paul and Oliver did Rock and Roll, a spiny ride. and I got to sit them both out, phew!
We did a couple more rides, the Cave Train springs to mind, before we ran out of money. Setting a limit on what we spend is the best way for us to have these kind of days out. It helps make the kids aware that they can't do everything!!!
This boardwalk rocked. It had a good variety of rides and attractions. We could have spent a lot more time and money, so I am glad we put a limit on these things. Santa Cruz looks like a beautiful place to visit. Quite touristy, but given we had just done the Grand Canyon and Vegas, it was nice for us to be able to go back to our little house on the beach, sit on the balcony, and watch the sun go down behind the palm tree.
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