Explore the top 10 Breathtaking Scenic Boardwalks and Piers in the United States. From charming coastal views to vibrant sunset strolls, discover iconic spots perfect for relaxation, photography, and unforgettable memories.
A pier also known as a ‘jetty’ is a kind of platform made of either wood or concrete, built on a sea or even a river. Piers are extended structures from the shore into the water body to facilitate foot traffic, and sometime vehicular movements too.
Piers are great to walk on with sea on either side. The breeze from the sea, the infinite horizon attracts us to take a leisurely stroll on it.
These raised platforms above the water is meant for the purpose of disembarking passengers arriving from a vessel such as a boat, yacht, catamaran, ferry. Large merchant navy ships will be berthed alongside a wharf.
Viewing is allowed and also fishing with an angle.
Some large Piers in the United States offer ocean-side recreation by amusement parks, giant wheel (Ferris wheel), cafés, etc.
Top 10 Breathtaking Scenic Boardwalks and Piers in the United States
I have curated a list of 10 scenic jetties found across the length and breadth of the United States.
They are built over the Atlantic Ocean, the Caribbean Sea, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Pacific Ocean.
I am sharing my findings with you.
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Santa Monica Pier
Wow! So large pier offering several amusements!
Santa Monica Bay is part of Los Angeles County in California.
Some areas on the pier are earmarked for fishing and viewing.
Walking on the Santa Monica pier gives you immense pleasure. You will be all smiles as you walk up to the end of the pier. The total length of the structure is half a kilometre!
The amusement park is named, “Pacific Park”.
If you get on the Ferris Wheel, you will be facing the Catalina Island when your car reaches the peak.
Other attractions include an aquarium, a carousel fun (merry go round) , a pub, a hippodrome for hosting events, and even a trapeze pool!
Santa Monica pier is a very big tourist attraction for the thousands of visitors to Los Angeles city.
The pier is a mini city in itself!
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Pier 60
It’s a 1100 feet long pier, built over the Gulf of Mexico, in Clearwater Beach, Florida. Watching the dipping sun from this pier is highly recommended.
Oh, this is fantastic! So many colors hang over the blue waters of the Gulf of Mexico!
Giving company to you will be several local artists, drawing the live sunset, musicians playing myriad musical instruments, and finally, the jugglers around whom, there is always a crowd, appreciating their fire jiggling skills.
Dolphins also show up as if to watch and admire the sunset. Whenever they jump up from the water, visitors cheer them up.
Entertainment activities available in the Clearwater Beach include boating, jet skiing, and of course fishing.
If you have aquaphobia, go and play a game of mini golf nearby.
Pier60 is rated in the top 10 beautiful Piers in the United States.
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Navy Piers in the United States
Oh, this is a beautiful scene on a pier! Navy pier is its name and is located in Chicago.
It’s built over the Lake Michigan. The length of the jetty with amusement facilities is a little over a km!
You can expect several restaurants, theatres, shops, fountains, gymnasium, and many more attractions.
Because of the picturesque location, the Navy Pier is visited by a million tourists every year. It is one of the top tourist landmarks in the ‘city of wind’.
Now a 50 acre entertainment park is developed in the vicinity of Navy Pier. There are numerous rides and carousals that entertain the children.
Apart from so many fun activities on the pier and on shore, you can take a jolly cruise in the Lake Michigan.
I reckon you need to allocate a whole day to enjoy all the fun on Navy Pier in Chicago.
You may be wondering how a pier can host so many activities. I request you to watch a video of Navy Pier to witness the size of the pier and all that is happening around it.
What a place to be!
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Daytona Pier
Daytona Beach is located 55 km northeast of Orlando city, Florida. That means, the pier is built over the Atlantic Ocean.
The pier measures 1000 feet from end to end. You saw a couple of eateries shown in the video. The width of the pier is convenient to hold a few more structures that can be converted to a small overnight dormitory, and a large café.
There are gift shops, roller-coaster, and a Ferris Wheel, and a bar functioning on the pier.
After seeing a surge in patronage, the local authorities have constructed a ‘boardwalk’ too.
A boardwalk, that is also called a ‘promenade’, runs parallel to the sea. A boardwalk has infinite possibilities to be developed into a mini city, including a skyscraper with a sea view.
In Daytona Beach, apart from the pier, a promenade also exists.
For your information, there are car parking facilities near the Daytona Beach Boardwalk. I am sure you are smiling to read this bit.
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Fishing Pier in Virginia
The message is clear. The main activity on the pier is fishing. You can always see people leaning on the parapet wall of the pier, waiting patiently for their angles to get heavy with a catch.
The pier is 1000 feet long. There is a restobar on the pier. Another shop sells fishing baits, angles and reels. I suppose, one can sell his catch to the restaurant itself on the pier.
Since he paid $10 to enter the pier and fish, he better sells his catch for a good price. Spanish Mackerel, and the Bluefish command high rates.
Another exotic marine life that you can expect to catch if you are a fisher is the ‘blue crab’. I wonder how an angler can catch a crab with his ‘bait & pull’ tool!
Norfolk is the nearest city in Virginia to access the Virginia Beach Fishing Pier. The distance between the two points is 30 km.
The pier is part of the Virginia Beach, a city that is sitting on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean.
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Pleasure Pier, Galveston Island
With several seaside amusements on the pier in Galveston Island, it is named a ‘pleasure pier’.
Where is Galveston Island?
The island is a lengthy strip of land in the Gulf of Mexico, off the coast of Texas.
There is a resort city with the same name on the island. The pleasure pier is built on this place.
As the image indicated, there is a Ferris Wheel, a roller coaster, and numerous other fun rides.
Because these entertainment activities are facing the Gulf of Mexico, the pier is a big crowd puller.
Walking on the 1100 feet pier is a great pleasure. Fishing is allowed.
The island is connected with Houston City by road. Taxis ply to the island. The driving distance is just an hour.
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Steel Pier
It’s one more pleasure pier and is located in Atlantic City, New Jersey. It is 1000 feet long with several entertainment options.
It is 125 years old; one of the oldest pleasure piers in the United States. The pier hosts two roller coasters and a Ferris Wheel. It’s a giant one.
Apart from rides, there are numerous shops, and restaurants. Put together, a total of 24 fun riders are being operated on the Steel Pier built over the Atlantic Ocean.
Atlantic City in New Jersey is located about 150 km southeast of Philadelphia.
I think the idea of converting a boat docking pier into a pleasure pier is brilliant to develop tourism.
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Pirates Pier
This is another fishing pier that is named Pirates Landing Fishing Pier. To see and walk on this pier, you need to go to Port Isabel, Texas.
Port Isabel city is situated on the shores of the Gulf of Mexico. The Pirates Pier is built close to the road causeway to South Padre Island from Port Isabel city.
This is not the Pirates Pier, but the bridge over the Gulf of Mexico leading to South Padre Island from Port Isabel.
I think throughout the day, people are found on the pier, fishing. They do it during the night also.
I understand the fishing enthusiasts don’t sleep, but what about the fish? Don’t they sleep?
Nighttime fishing means, even the bait shop on the pier remains open. I suppose a restobar gives the bait shop, some company.
There are clean restrooms on the pier. As you saw in the video clip, car parking facility is available.
The sign board of Oyster Bar indicates, the Gulf of Mexico in this part of the United States gives plenty of room to oysters, only to get caught.
$1
That’s all you pay to walk on this Texas pier. Of course, anglers pay up to $10
I stumbled onto the official website of the Pirates Fishing Pier.
The photos of the pier, and the beautiful views of the sea published on the website, are good.
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Huntington Beach in the United States, California
The pier is located in the city of Huntington Beach, California. It is part of Orange County. I know it doesn’t give you any idea of its location.
Here is the location map that shows the city of Los Angeles, located about 60 km north.
The pier is almost 2000 feet long!
The Pacific Ocean here, creates waves that are ideal for surfing. The pier acts as a wonderful viewing platform to see the surfers, enjoying the ride on the waves.
That’s swell!
Apart from a lonely restaurant, there are no other amusements on the paved jetty.
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Skyway Fishing Pier
St. Petersburg City is the gateway to Skyway Fishing Pier. Boss, this St. Petersburg is in Florida, the U.S.!
The pier itself is part of the Skyway Fishing Pier State Park.
No seaside recreation is provided on the pier. Fishing is the main activity. Even casual visitors are outnumbered by people with fishing angle and reels in their hand.
The Americans are very fond of fishing. The piers serve as excellent platforms to stand safe and neat and do the fishing.
It seems these piers in the United States don’t act as docking platforms for boats any more.
