thumb|right|Typical nature boardwalk, carrying walkers over wetlands on the [[Milford Track,
New Zealand.]]
thumb|right|Typical American beach boardwalk, with metal railings and a raised elevation over the beach. This example is on Staten Island, New York.
A
boardwalk, in the conventional sense, is a
wooden
path for
pedestrians and sometimes
vehicles. Boardwalks are often found along
beaches, but they are also common as paths through
wetlands,
coastal
dunes, and other sensitive environments. Boardwalks along
intertidal zones are known as
foreshoreways. A boardwalk along a
river is often known as a
riverwalk and a boardwalk along an oceanfront is often known as an
oceanway. Aside from their obvious pedestrian usage, boardwalks have been used to create commercial districts and enable commerce along waterfronts where conventional streets would have been more expensive because of a beach or other waterfront feature. Although boardwalks can be found around the world, they are especially common along the
East Coast of the United States in
North America.
Many of the original boardwalks in the United States have developed to be so successful as commercial districts and tourist attractions that the simple wooden pathways have been replaced by
esplanades made of concrete, brick or other construction, sometimes with a wooden facade on the surface and sometimes not. Indeed in many parts of the U.S. today the term
boardwalk often carries more the connotation of a waterfront, pedestrian, entertainment district than the original meaning of a wooden path. One of the earliest such boardwalks was designed in
New Jersey and opened
June 26,
1870, in
Atlantic City.
Famous examples
California
This boardwalk is the oldest
amusement park in
California and is the home to two
national historic landmarks — the
Looff Carousel and the
Giant Dipper roller coaster. The boardwalk was opened in 1907. The Santa Cruz Boardwalk no longer actually has any wooden boardwalks. Rather, the entire area is covered in concrete.
This 2.5 kilometer boardwalk has a bike path, rollerskaters and skateboard ramps, restaurants, sunglasses, and plenty of tourists. Venice beach is famous for muscle beach, where body builders work out.
California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger worked out on
Muscle Beach and made
Gold's Gym famous in the 1980s.
Delaware
This mile-long long boardwalk connects summer tourists with Rehoboth Beach's main attractions during the summer months, including high-end resorts, numerous shops, arcades, eating establishments and family amusement center. The town's main street, Rehoboth Avenue, intersects with the boardwalk.
Maryland
thumb|right|The boardwalk in Ocean City, Maryland.
This three-mile long boardwalk is at the heart of downtown Ocean City, Maryland. Located at the eastern end of
U.S. Route 50, it supports two amusement parks, Ripley's Believe it or Not, as well as countless arcades, shops, restaurants, hotels, time-shares, and condominiums.
Massachusetts
This boardwalk does not, strictly speaking, lead along the beach. Instead, it begins in a parking lot and leads through the salt marshes and out to the beach. It was destroyed in 1991 by Hurricane Bob and was then rebuilt through donations made by the townspeople. In turn, family names were carved into the planks of the boardwalk, and it is still used to this day. The boardwalk crosses a creek, where at high tide, visitors can jump off the bridge into the water.
New Hampshire
This boardwalk is largely a tourist attraction. In fact, it is widely used for common shops where it is possible for
tourists to purchase
souvenirs and trinkets to remember their trip.
New Jersey
Asbury Park's boardwalk is in the process of revitalization and has recently been connected to the neighboring town of
Ocean Grove, New Jersey.
The Boardwalk starts at Absecon Inlet and runs along the beach for four miles (six kilometers) to the city limit. An additional one and one half miles (two kilometers) of the Boardwalk extend into
Ventnor City. Casino/hotels front the boardwalk, as well as retail stores, restaurants, and amusements. Several piers extend the boardwalk over the Atlantic Ocean. Garden Pier houses the
Atlantic City Historical Museum and the
Atlantic City Art Center. The four story "Pier at Caesars" entertainment complex opened in July 2006. This boardwalk gained notoriety due to the
board game Monopoly, which was based upon the trading and dealing of
real estate in Atlantic City; in the game, Boardwalk is the most expensive property to purchase and develop, but also yields the greatest rent payoffs to its owner.
Keansburg, New Jersey is regarded locally as a boardwalk town, with one of America's oldest shoreside amusement parks housing vintage rides dating back to the 1920s, but the amusement area fairway is now asphalt.
The 2.5 mile (4 kilometers)
boardwalk in Ocean City has classic attractions and many newer additions. The 140-foot (42 m) Ferris Wheel can be seen from miles around, with views of Ocean City and the surrounding communities from the top. Other rides include rollercoasters, bumper cars, water rides, and 11 miniature golf courses. Shops sell souvenirs and snacks, such as cotton candy, popcorn, pizza, and ice cream. Other boardwalk activities include enjoying the sunrise with a leisurely walk, a brisk jog, a bike tour, a ride on a surrey cart, or a meal at one of the many ocean front cafes.
This 1-mile long promenade is full of game stands, pizzerias, souvenir shops, beach gear stores, arcades and ice cream parlors drawing families, teenages and adults alike. The
Seaside Heights boardwalk is bookended by two 300-foot long
piers that feature amusement rides, carousels, log flumes, roller coasters, Ferris wheels and more. One of these piers is the world-famous
Casino Pier, home to a 1913 circa merry-go-round, the Niagara Falls log flume and the Jet Star roller coaster. The other is the
Funtown Amusement Pier home to the Tower of Fear, Seaside's tallest
Ferris wheel and a go-kart track. Across from
Casino Pier is the redeveloped
Jenkinson's Breakwater Beach waterpark (formerly WaterWorks). Many of the businesses are still family-owned and operated and have been almost as long as the boardwalk has been around.
About seven miles from
Seaside Heights, the
Point Pleasant Beach boardwalk (frequently known as Jenkinson's Boardwalk) is similar to the boardwalk found in
Seaside Heights, but is a bit more subdued. The promenade extends from the
Manasquan Inlet in the northern end of the borough to the border with
Bay Head in the south. Right in the middle is the Jenkinson's Amusements/Jenkinson's Boardwalk area brimming with rides, games, carnival food, miniature golf, fun houses, souvenir shops, and Jenkinson's Aquarium.
The 2 mile (3 kilometer) long boardwalk has a total of five amusement piers plus a myriad of other carnival games, souvenir shops, food stands, waterparks, and world-class roller coasters. The Boardwalk started out as a mere 150 feet (45 m). It has actually been moved closer to the ocean twice. Today, the boardwalk stretches from 38 blocks from 16th Ave in
North Wildwood to Cresse Ave in
Wildwood Crest. The Wildwood Boardwalk is said to have more rides than Disneyland. Kiddie rides include a convoy of airplanes, trucks, dune buggies, boats, and trains. Flying elephants, teacups, bouncing giraffes, mini-Ferris wheels, and a traditional carousel round out the mix. The Boardwalk piers boast several waterparks and four major roller coasters. In 2008-2009 a section of the boardwalk was rebuilt using
ipe tropical hardwood, even though the town pledged to use domestic
black locust.
New York
Riegelmann Boardwalk, located along the southern shore of Brooklyn along the
Atlantic Ocean, Coney Island is known for the amusement parks along the boardwalk. Many of its most famous parks no longer exist, but the boardwalk still hosts the Cyclone roller coaster and the Wonder Wheel Ferris wheel, as well as the
New York Aquarium. A recent addition to the boardwalk is
KeySpan Park, home of the minor-league
Brooklyn Cyclones baseball team.
The F.D.R. Boardwalk along South Beach is two and one-half miles long, which is the fourth largest in the world. Visitors enjoy strolling and bicycling throughout the year. From October to May, fishing is also permitted.
Ontario
The Beaches neighbourhood has a boardwalk along its scenic
Lake Ontario shoreline. It runs 3 kilometres from Ashbridge's Bay in the west to the
R. C. Harris Water Treatment Plant in the east.
Texas
The
Kemah Boardwalk is a hotel and restaurant destination in Kemah, Texas, USA, which also features a small selection of amusement rides. The main attractions of the 35-acre complex, which opened in 2001, are its many restaurants overlooking
Galveston Bay, recreational sailing, and rides. The area was developed by
Landry's, which owns all of the restaurants on the boardwalk. Activities include shopping and midway games, as well as a miniature train that traverses the entire area. Additional attractions include a 36-foot carousel a 65-foot Ferris wheel and a new wooden roller coaster.
Since the closing of
Six Flags Astroworld in nearby
Houston, this is now the nearest recreational and entertainment park in the Houston area.
Virginia
Virginia Beach, Virginia's 3-mile boardwalk features restaurants, entertainment, and many sporting events.
Other examples
Gold Coast Oceanway
Oceanway logo
Australia has a 36 km
foreshoreway stretching from the
Gold Coast Seaway to
Point Danger on the
Queensland and
New South Wales state border known as the
Gold Coast Oceanway. The Oceanway has become so popular that extensions are gradually emerging in the neighbouring
Tweed Shire. The Logo depicts a family group of
pedestrians and a
cyclist enjoying a
sustainable and
healthy journey past green
dunes along golden
beaches.
An isolated village in rural southwest
Alaska.
Alaska
Eskimo villages of the
Yukon-
Kuskokwim Delta,
Alaska — Today, wide heavy-duty boardwalks are common in villages throughout this part of
Bush Alaska. Tuntutuliak was the first village to receive them in the mid 1990s by way of a government funded program to determine whether they would be a worthwhile investment elsewhere. Before the existence of these boardwalks, a much narrower, lower, and less extensive system of boards and boardwalks served delta villages.
See also
