Top 10 American boardwalks

Ocean City, N.J.
Don’t bother fighting the urge to buy a T-shirt from one of the ubiquitous souvenir shops along the 2.5-mile stretch of boardwalk in Ocean City, New Jersey — you’ll want to remember your time here for years to come. A perfect day includes stopping for coffee and one of the famous doughnuts sold from the window at Brown’s Restaurant (the original plain doughnut remains the best); cooling off at Gillian’s Island Water Park and noshing on a slice of pizza from one of three Mack and Manco's outposts; and, after sunset, enjoying the melodies from the Music Pier, the sound of arcade games, kids' shouts from Wonderland Pier, and the smell of fudge in the air.

Rehoboth Beach
Slews of visitors trammel the wooden planks of Rehoboth Beach each summer, many of them escaping the heat of nearby Baltimore, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C., to bask in the unpretentious vibe of this coastal Delaware town with its pleasant blend of shops, restaurants, amusements, and boardwalk hotels. The to-do list along the 1-mile boardwalk here is short but sweet: Sample Dolle’s Candyland saltwater taffy; try a Stromboli at Nicola Pizza; and play games or hit up the rides at Funland. Bide the rest of your time sunning on the sand, ice-cream cone in hand, in what's also become known as the gay and lesbian capital of the mid-Atlantic.

Santa Cruz
Once promoted as the “Coney Island of the West,” the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk offers everything from thrill rides and arcade games to bowling, beach volleyball, and ballroom dancing. Set on sparkling Monterrey Bay in Northern California, the mile-long stretch of sand that fronts the 100-year-old boardwalk is just as suited for sizzling summer concerts as it is for quiet seaside strolls. Tops among the boardwalk’s colorful collection of amusement rides are the Giant Dipper wooden roller coaster, built in 1924, and a classic Looff carousel, built in 1911, which features one of the country's last remaining brass-ring machines (grab one and try to throw it in the clown’s mouth). It’s all fun and games until the fog rolls in at night, when the park can seem as delightfully brooding as it appears in the '80s vampire flick "The Lost Boys".

Venice

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Chances are, you’ll hardly notice the Pacific Ocean when you spot the characters that frequent the Venice Beach boardwalk in Los Angeles. Though modeled after its Italian namesake, strolling this famous bit of real-estate is a distinctly Californian experience, especially so the Muscle Beach area, which is rife with musicians and street performers. The scene makes for some of the best people-watching on the West Coast, what with ample glimpses of Rollerblading beauties, body-building specimens, and large-scale art installations.

Virginia Beach
It may be made of concrete instead of wooden planks, but besides that, Virginia Beach’s 3-mile-long boardwalk is as traditional as it gets. For daytime fun, rent a standard bike or a family-friendly contraption built for four and take to the bike path that runs parallel to the beach; come nightfall, the onset of summer welcomes Virginia's music season, which means live entertainment by big-name music acts — past acts have included the Beach Boys and the Virginia Symphony — on weekends. Don't worry, there's plenty to do after dark during the week as well: Nearly every night you’ll find street performers, musicians, magicians, and more, busking on the boardwalk, free of charge.

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