promenade

thumb|upright=1.3|The Atlantic City, New Jersey|Atlantic City, [[New Jersey boardwalk esplanade, as seen from Caesars Atlantic City, opened in 1870, was America's first boardwalk. At long, it is also the world's longest and busiest boardwalk. New Jersey is home to the world's highest concentration of boardwalk esplanades.|alt=Many people walking on a boardwalk at the beach in Atlantic City, New Jersey]]

An esplanade or promenade is a long, open, level area, usually next to a river or large body of water, where people may walk. The historical definition of esplanade was a large, open, level area outside fortress or city walls to provide clear fields of fire for the fortress's guns. In modern usage, the space allows the area to be paved as a pedestrian walk; esplanades are often on sea fronts and allow walking whatever the state of the tide, without having to walk on the beach.