The arcade ended up being the perfect way to pass the time during the rainy storm. They have air…read morehockey and a great variety of games, so there was plenty to keep us entertained. We even cashed in our tickets and picked out some fun prizes!

My kids all had a blast from 15, 13 and 9 years old. $40 lasted us about a solid hour. That was $20…read moreon 2 cards. We even got ice cream inside at a little shop. Location is excellent, tons of games to pick from. I have to mention within that hour we stopped to get ice cream. A nice start to the day at the boardwalk. Pretty busy for a Saturday but not overwhelmingly pack. The atm machines inside didn't work. It kept giving me an error code but luckily I didn't need cash you're able to purchase tickets from the kiosk. Overall a cool experience and must see when coming to the boardwalk. Even if you just browse and check it out it's worth the visit. I enjoyed a round of air hockey was able to purchase a margarita while the kids played. Good times for sure.

Great price and fun venue. Nonstop action and attention to details. We very much enjoyed the pirate…read morefestivities.

It was fun. Probably the cheapest arcade I've seen since the 90s. Most games were $1. Which is a…read morelot compared to the quarter games we had. But compared to other places where you don't even get a fraction of that. They have a good enough variety to entertain the kids.

Define Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk - a destination that never disappoints. I have been coming here…read moresince a kid. Now I return with my thrill seeking, adventurous lil one who enjoys the beach, food and rides. For frequent visits, the season pass is the best option - it pays for itself in two visits. Get the season pass during the holidays, save yourself a few extra dollars off. The beach, sand / water play, and just existing are a few things you can do. Sea lions are nearby, birds flying over head, waves coming ashore for everyone to enjoy. Seashells are everywhere to find. Bring a blanket to lay on, the sand can hurt after a while and get pretty hot during warmer months. A sun umbrella for shade is ideal along with snacks to have nearby for easy access. The boardwalk rides are diverse in age, size and thrill seeker levels. Our daughter has outgrown the smallest of rides, there are others she continues to enjoy while gaining height to now ride others she could not previously. There are numerous rides our daughter - now 6, first time visiting 4 years old, could enjoy. The boardwalk can get pretty packed and hectic, so arrive early for parking and go to your favorite rides first. There is plenty of parking surrounding the boardwalk, you have to walk further for some than others. There is metered street parking and parking lots. There are lots of photo op locations throughout the boardwalk and beach to record memories. Food is diverse, ICEEs and fountain drinks can be made refillable for a small additional fee, there are lots of stands throughout including clothes, souvenir, bubble wands, blankets and treats. The arcade area is a spacious, multi tier experience featuring mini golf, arcade games, air hockey, and food vending machines. This is one location you are guaranteed to locate a restroom usually with minimal lines in comparison to the boardwalk. The stalls are well maintained as well. A boardwalk card can be purchased then reloaded to play, just remember it on each visit or have a pile like I do. Miniature golf is purchased in person. Make a week, weekend or day out of your visit - we do!

We had a great day here, but you definitely have to go in with a plan. If you're doing more than…read more3-4 rides, the all-day wristband is the only way to go, as individual points add up fast. It's a mix of a beach day and a carnival feel here - You can jump from the sand to a roller coaster in thirty seconds. As for the food, it's fairly standard prices. The garlic fries are a solid bet, but there are also great spots just a short walk away on the wharf if you want a "real" seafood meal. Parking: Get there early. The main lots fill up by noon, and street parking is a game of luck. You can't beat the atmosphere. The ocean breeze, the sound of the arcade, and the smell of kettle corn make this one of the best spots in NorCal. It's nostalgic without feeling dated. Whether you're here for the rides or just the boardwalk walk. Not I need to go home and put on The Lost Boys movie and watch it again!!

Let me tell you the story of a guy who went to Level Up Games and bought some stuff and then traded…read morein some stuff. Normal, right? Then fast forward at least 15 maybe even 20 years and this guy entirely forgot he had credit because his job took him away from Santa Cruz. But one day he returns to get the batteries changed in his old Pokemon games (which they did quickly and for a very reasonable price) and he was informed he had almost 20 bucks sitting there. That's me. I'm the guy. It's been so long that they could never have told me and I would never have been the wiser. Also, even if I remembered they could have kept the money after so much time had passed and I would have fully understood. But nope, they held on to it and even told me about it. Their collection of retro games is amazing and you can buy modern games there too? It's all you could want in a game store.

I've had a week to get distance from this experience and mull over whether or not I should write a…read morereview, but I felt that it's right to respond instead of just letting it slide because shoppers should be aware of what to expect. I took several gaming hardware items - controllers, adapters, chargers, cases, and a GBA game - to sell because I wanted to get rid of them. I've been a regular customer at this local game shop for years and have always had decent experiences there. When I dropped off the items, the employee at the counter gave me a very firm rundown about policy, percentages, and profit margins right off the bat - not exactly the warmest greeting, but fair enough. They had a backlog of other trade-ins to appraise, so they let me keep the items there and said they'd follow-up over the phone with their prices later, which they did after a couple of days. During that phone conversation with their employee (who was not the employee I dropped off the items with), I asked if she could list out the prices on each item. She provided me with that info and I told her that I agreed to the prices on the smaller items, but that I'd come by in a few days to pick up the GameCube controller because the price was lower than I was hoping for. I didn't argue about it - I just said I'd pass on that one and pick up the rest. About 3 days after that phone call, I came into the store to pick up my items and had what was honestly the worst customer service experience I've had at any local shop, which is why I'm writing this review. There were two employees behind the counter who I recognized from previous visits. After I walked in and asked for my items, one employee handed me the bag and then brought up an old issue from a few weeks earlier where I had attempted to purchase METROID PRIME 4: BEYOND from their website when it was mistakenly listed for $0.00. Immediately after checkout, they had sent me an email revoking the purchase, explaining it was an error on their site. I understood and moved on from it at the time - these things happen. I wasn't actually expecting the game. However, it felt strange to have this brought up again now, especially in a tone that seemed like I had done something wrong by placing the order in the first place. The employee said, "no worries," but the context made it feel like I was being called out rather than reassured. At this point, I was just standing there ready to complete the transaction for the items I'd agreed to sell (a GBA game and one of the cases aforementioned). But then the other employee - the same person I had dropped off the items with initially - told me that they had actually decided to pass on ALL the items and would be offering me $0 instead. I said, "Oh, so you changed your mind from what was offered on the phone?" He then told me that I had haggled with his coworker on the phone and had come back into the store in-person on a different day to push for better prices on all the items. This was completely incorrect. I never came back to the store between drop-off and this pickup, and I never haggled - I simply declined the controller and accepted the other prices. I tried to clarify: "That didn't happen. I didn't do that. You have the wrong information." He dismissed this and launched into a lengthy explanation about their policies and evaluation process, talking over me even when I tried to correct the misunderstanding a second time. His coworker even attempted to interject and redirect the conversation, but he waved him off and kept going. Eventually I just said, "have a good one" and left because I was feeling very uncomfortable. Look, I understand trade-in shops need to make a profit, and I understand that pricing errors happen on websites. What I don't understand is the conflicting information (being offered prices, then being offered nothing), the accusation about behavior I didn't engage in, and the unwillingness to hear me out when I tried to correct the record. I've spent a lot of money here over the years and have always been respectful and nice. I'm disappointed that this is how things ended, but I won't be returning to this shop or spending my money here ever again. I'm posting this so others know to get clear, written confirmation on any trade-in offers and to be prepared for potential communication issues as well as some pretty bad customer service overall - particularly from certain employees.

I brought three kids here on a Sunday morning. Ages 6, 9, and 11. We waited an additional 15…read moreminutes so we could get a lane with working bumpers. Then when our lane was ready a woman working there tells us they have a height limit to use the bumpers and the 9 and 11 year olds were too tall. They threw gutter balls for 4/10 rounds before being so discouraged they decided to leave. I complained about their policy as we left and the woman simply shrugged rather than offering me any kind of compensation for the six rounds we didn't bowl because of their dumb policy. I'd be surprised if I will ever get those kids into a bowling alley again. Terrible experience. Response to your comment: that is the same stupid response that you gave to the last person who made this complaint and probably the one before that. Do you just copy-paste? Get multiple complaints about the same stupid policy, change the policy. Don't tell your customers to complain to the manager.

Friendly staff, clean facility. Great fries! One of the best hang outs by the boardwalkread more

I love an arcade but this place falls flat. Many of the machines don't start and just eat your…read moremoney. There are no employees around to help you if you run into issues. We called the number posted at the kiosk but it went to voicemail, with no call back.

In many ways this place is awesome for the kids BUT some games will take your money and not work…read more There is also no one to help get your money back for the games that don't work. One game is Surf League and it took my son's credits twice! There was no sign of being broken and It's $2 for this game. Some games are $1-$3. Also there is one card kiosk and this place is a good size. Two bathrooms located inside, need code to get in, fairly clean for the time of year we went ( early spring).

This place is epic…read more $12 for 18 swashbuckling holes of mini golf. It's inside so that's nice for a day like our visit when it rains. It's a lot like golfing at Disneyland's Pirates of the Caribbean. Cool animatronics and cannons etc. Some of the holes are very short (hey it is indoors) which makes it good for kids. Course is in good condition. Staff was fine - dude handed us clubs and balls. Kinda sucks they don't take cash but that won't stop me from returning

I've been golfing here for many decades, it has some classic obstacles and I love the pirate theme…read morewith all the animated props, this is truly one of the best built mini golf courses short of Disney Land. Sure everything is a little dated, but this does not distract from the good times you'll have here with family and friends.

Often overlooked bar in Santa Cruz, looking out over Neptunes Kingdom. The pirate themed mini golf…read morecourse provides a surreal background for imbibing beers and playing pool and pinball. If you go in winter, chances are you'll have the place to yourself.

From the owner: Most Boardwalk food locations follow ride hours. Please see our official website for more details.read more

I'm not sure how this place received more than one star except maybe because the reviews are super…read moreold. I went recently and the first thing I noticed was the urine smell. We had already paid and my son was too excited so I couldn't turn back. The place looked like it hadn't been cleaned for a long, long time. The person working there was sitting on the sofa on her phone. Honestly, this place was gross and I definitely wouldn't come back. I caught a cold two days later and I can bet it was from that place. This place is not suitable for children.

READ THIS BEFORE VISITING THIS BUSINESS Twice now they've…read moreswitched their machines and have refused to accept credit which we had paid money for previously. The first time they "graciously" (according to them) gave us about a third of our monies worth. We unfortunately gave them the benefit of the doubt and figured it was a weird situation and they mishandled it as an isolated incident. We were wrong, they switched their arcade pay system yet again and this time refused to give us a penny's worth of credit for the money we had already spent and saved on one of their arcade cards. Learn from our lessons, avoid this establishment

Amazing historic venue. Friendly staff, saw Berber's show 1/26. Recommend to catch any show hereread more

Terrible bar tenders!!!! Totally rude! It took about 45 minutes to get a beer…read more Drink before you go the catalyst or waste your night standing in line for a drink. Additionally, the bathrooms are disgusting!!! The door locks on the stalls don't work & there is no soap.