A boardwalk is a wooden path for pedestrians and sometimes vehicles (often confused with concrete sidewalks). Boardwalks are often found along beaches, but they are also common as paths through wetlands, coastal dunes, and other sensitive environments. Boardwalks along foreshores 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. Although boardwalks can be found around the world, they are especially common along the East Coast of the United States in North America, where they have many of the functions of a city street and are often tourist attractions themselves. An early boardwalk was designed in New Jersey and opened June 26, 1870, in Atlantic City.

Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, Santa Cruz, 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.

Venice Beach, California

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.

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 a dazzling array of entertainment options including two amusement parks, Ripley's Believe it or Not, as well as countless arcades, shops, restaurants, hotels, time-shares, and condominiums.

Sandwich, 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 a powerful storm 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.

Hampton Beach, 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.

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

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. 1