Canal Park

Street performers, skateboarders and Muscle Beach all along the boardwalk. The people-watching is the whole show.

A beach hotel with real suites, including a two-bedroom apartment, so everyone gets a bed.

Smoothies and sandwiches a block from the sand, at a cafe with a long history of kids' sing-alongs.

A gated, ocean-themed playground right on the boardwalk, with the beach just past the fence.

Beachfront skate bowls. Kids who ride can drop in, and the ones who don't are happy watching from the rail.

Calm, protected water for splashing, and a pirate-ship playground right on the sand.