BOARDWALK EMPIRE

Even if you’ve never stepped foot on an actual boardwalk, the mention of one still evokes imagery and sparks your senses.

Coneys, cotton candy, and saltwater taffy. The victorious ding of conquered carnival games, the thrilled shrieks from open-air amusement rides, the bustle of troves of tourists taking sunny seaside strolls.

Amusingly, the “grandfather of boardwalks”, the one in Atlantic City, was originally constructed to reduce the amount of sand that tourists were tracking into the train cars and hotels from their beach day adventures. Soon vendors and entertainment attractions populated the wide wooden walkway and what was once a beachfront barrier became the place to be for East Coast travelers and locals alike.

From Kemah to Coney Island and South Carolina to Santa Cruz, boardwalks still have a stronghold in the landscape of tourist attractions along America’s coasts. While the more extreme acts, like horse diving and sideshow oddities, might be a thing of the past, the appeal remains; restaurants and bars (even some casinos) pepper the walkways, you can still take a spin on an old familiar ferris wheel, and the people-watching is absolutely unparalleled.

Wanna get in on the boardwalk buzz? Snag some of the pieces it inspired in this collection! The Prize Every Time tee will have you feeling like a winner from head to toe. The Diving Horses and True Courage Tees are American homages. And if you’re looking for something a little more novel, check out the collection of posters we created for Traveling Show.