Wonder Wheel Amusement Park on the Coney Island Boardwalk.

1. Atlantic City Boardwalk, New Jersey

   The first wooden planks were laid in  1870 to curb the amount of sand beachcombers tracked into the train and hotel lobbies. Today, the four-mile (six-kilometer) great wooden way—the grandfather of boardwalks—anchors this resort town, winding past flashy casinos, glitzy hotel towers, cavernous arcade halls, and a neon-lit amusement pier.

2. Coney Island Boardwalk, Brooklyn, New York

   Dubbed "Sodom by the Sea" back in the 19th century for its gambling houses and brothels, the began a comeback in the 1980s. More recently, the city revitalized the legendary amusement area  with 19 shiny new rides, including the much-hyped Air Race, a thrill inspired by aerial racing, and an entertainment line-up heavy on magic and juggling shows.

3. Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

   The launch of the  in summer 2010 breathed new life into the Grand Strand beachfront. From souvenir shops and arcades to an oceanfront park near the 2nd Avenue Pier, the 1.2-mile (1.9-kilometer) walkway is now the town’s hub of activity, with live entertainment each summer evening, including roaming stilt walkers, jugglers, bagpipers, and a weekly fireworks display.

4. Ocean City Boardwalk, Maryland

   The three-mile (five-kilometer) promenade at the southern tip of is typically thronged with beachgoers on summer evenings, munching Thrashers French fries (a dousing of vinegar is a must) and queuing up for a spin aboard antique rides, like the Herschel-Spellman carousel built in 1902. Don’t miss the Life-Saving Station Museum for a look at the history of shipwrecks and the rescue teams that came to their aid.

5. Ocean Front Walk, Venice Beach, California.

   If California is the land of freewheeling culture, then the is its epicenter. While much of the town’s boutiques have gone upscale and beachfront property has been snapped up by Hollywood A-listers, the three-mile (five-kilometer) beachside stretch of fortune-tellers, tattoo artists, weightlifters, handmade jewelry peddlers, and street performers is a remnant of the town’s turn as a bohemian and surf mecca in the 1960s.