If the tide is out, the tide pools here teem with life, including colorful anemones, tiny crabs, and other critters that love living in the splash zone. The Monarch Butterfly Grove at Natural Bridges State Park is a sanctuary for butterflies that gather here by the thousands to spend the winter. Stop at the Santa Cruz Surfing Museum at the Mark Abbott Lighthouse and watch the surfers from the cliff overlooking Steamer Lane and the Wharf and Boardwalk beyond. Take a walk down West Cliff Drive, which winds from the Boardwalk to Natural Bridges State Beach, with a stunning view of Monterey Bay. Laili () serves Mediterranean and Middle Eastern fare at affordable prices, while Hula’s Island Grill () is a fun tiki-inspired restaurant with a tropical décor and fun service. Betty’s Burgers () is a traditional 1950s-style diner with classic comfort food, while Marianne’s Ice Cream () is a local staple that is always full of beachgoers cooling down with one of 105 ice cream flavors. If you love pizza, visit Pizza My Heart (), which features big slices to go at affordable prices, or Kianti’s (), a lively restaurant with weekend-night dough-spinning performances by the servers and chefs. Just as diverse are the fun dining options downtown. If you want to take a break from the sun, movie lovers can choose from The Nickelodeon, a quirky movie theater that shows indie and foreign films, the Del Mar Theater, an elegant art deco theater (frequented by Alfred Hitchcock when he lived here), and the Regal Santa Cruz, a multiplex with the latest in movie theater comforts. Bookshop Santa Cruz () is an iconic independent bookstore that offers a huge variety of bestsellers and books by local authors, gifts, and souvenirs-perfect if you are looking for something to read on the beach or something to bring home for a loved one. You can also play miniature golf and tons of arcade games at Buccaneer Bay.Īnd if those types of thrills don’t appeal, take a walk onto the Santa Cruz Wharf next door, buy a bag of salt water taffy or an ice cream cone from Marini’s (), and watch the sea lions playing and resting underneath the pier.Īfter a day by the beach, visit downtown Santa Cruz, a historic area that features eclectic shops and an energetic street scene. Get a picture of yourself on the Giant Dipper, the fifth oldest roller coaster in the U.S., get dizzy on Shockwave, the amusement park’s newest spinning ride, or hit the midway for classic games. With a carousel, sky ride, pirate ship, Ferris wheel, and so much more, this beachside amusement park is set right on Main Beach. Santa Cruz’s signature attraction is the iconic Beach Boardwalk (), opened in 1907 and famously featured in movies like Sudden Impact, The Lost Boys, Bumblebee, and, most recently, Jordan Peele’s horror film Us. Life here is focused on the beaches, but a vibrant downtown, cute seaside villages, a world-class university, and redwood forests with secluded swimming holes in the coastal foothills provide plenty of diversions aside from the beach. The second-smallest county in California (only San Francisco County is smaller), it’s easy to enjoy the best of Santa Cruz County in just a few days. The year-round mild weather and the laid-back atmosphere have made Santa Cruz a surfing and vacation destination for more than a hundred years. There is so much to experience and explore, and all of it lies no more than 15 minutes from the ocean. Situated on the northern end of the Monterey Bay, this university town is full of personality and natural beauty, and the county boasts some of the best beaches for combing. If you are craving a beach weekend getaway with enough fun activities to fill a year, then consider a trip to eclectic Santa Cruz County, located on California’s Central Coast.
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