Visit Giant Dipper Pacific Coast Highway’s Most Famous Roller Coaster

Growing up I was a huge fan of roller coasters, you could often find me at Magic Mountain riding everything they had to offer. As I have gotten older though I have not enjoyed them as much as I did in my youth. That being said though an old historic wood coaster on the Santa Cruz boardwalk is enough to have me dusting off my roller coaster shoes, buying a ticket and giving it a try. I mean the coaster is a staple of Pacific Coast Highway so you really do owe it to yourself to make it a stop on your coastal roadtrip.

 The Giant Dipper is now the fifth oldest coaster in the U.S., continuously operating in its original location. The Giant Dipper was built in just 47 days at a cost of $50,000. Built by Arthur Looff in 1924, Looff’s love of amusement rides may have been hereditary.  In 1911, his father, Charles I.D. Looff, delivered a new merry-go-round with hand-carved horses to the Boardwalk. The family’s ride legacies made history in June of 1987 when both the Giant Dipper and the antique carousel were designated National Historic Landmarks by the U.S. National Park Service.