Top picks
- Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk: beachfront amusement park, rides open 10-8 weekends, 11-7 weekdays, about $3-6/ride
- Roaring Camp Railroad: a steam train with routes into the redwoods or down to the Boardwalk, $26/19.
- Note: The weekend of the wedding will feature the Redwood Mountain Faire. It overlaps with wedding events (sorry!) but may also mean more visitors there.
Sightseeing
- For hiking routes, see Hiking near Ben Lomond page
- Beachy stuff
- Beach soccer tournament on Santa Cruz main beach: 6/4-5 www.beachsoccerchampionships.com
- Watch surfers
- Surfing (in a wet suit): at expert Steamer’s Lane/beginner’s Cowell’s-SC Surf school, Richard Schmidt surf school; or to rent gear only, O’Neil surf shop, Cowell’s beach surf shop
- kayak rental at Venture Quest or Kayak connection (see sea otters)
- Nature
- Monarch butterflies in park
- UCSC arboretum: Open daily, free parking and $5 admission
- Other
- Mystery spot. Called “a gravitational anomaly”, where compasses point the wrong way, mysterious forces push you around, buildings lean… Touristy, make a reservation. mysteryspot.com $6+$5/parking
- Kuumbwa Jazz center– Julian Lage playing on Thursday 6/2
- Wine tasting in the Santa Cruz Mountains (http://scmwa.com/)
- Regale (beautiful grounds and view, good wines), Loma Prieta Winery (incredible views! Intersecting varietals), Wrights Station (Beautiful grounds, hit and miss wines)
For kids
- Seymour Marine Discovery Center: Interactive natural science exhibits like tidal touch pools, aquariums, whale skeleton. guided 1-hr tours at 1,2,3pm and 30-min tour for families w littles at 11am (sign up in advance: seymourcenter.ucsc.edu): Tu-Sun 10-5, $6-8
- Sanctuary Exploration Center: http://montereybay.noaa.gov- educational museum interactive multimedia- about watershed conservation, high-tech sea exploration- W-Sun 10-5p, free
- DeLaveaga Disc Golf Club- a few miles NE of downtown, free
- Beaches- down the cliffs from West Cliff Dr. for coves. Main Beach for the scene/sand/volleyball, crowds. Its Beach for dogs off leash pre-10/after-4p. Natural Bridges State Beach for sunsets and sand, kids, tide pools. Twin Lakes for bonfire pits and lagoon, kids, quiet. New Brighton State Beach for a quiet swim, paddleboard, camping. Manresa for quiet. Sunset for miles of sand and surf to yourself. Capitola beach for paddleboarding, sand, shopping and restaurants
Food
- The Buttery- soups, sandwiches, pastries, long lunch line
- Linda’s Seabreeze Cafe for breakfasts
- Penny Ice Creamery (bourbon candied ginger, lemon verbena blueberry, ricotta apricot, anyone?)
- Picnic Basket- across the st from the beach boardwalk for creative sandwiches, soups, etc.
- Walnut Ave cafe for breakfasts, sandwiches, salads soups
- Bagelry – with good spreads
- Tacos Moreno- long lines but good
- New Leaf community market- organic, local, deli take-out
- Pono Hawaiian Grill 11-10 for poke, loco moco burrito
- Engfer Pizza Works, with pingpong and a beer while you wait
- Laili- lunch,dinner- kebabs and roasted cauliflower and pomegranate eggplant, etc. Make a reservation
- Lillian’s Italian Kitchen- excellent food, no reservations
- Crow’s Nest- seafood, views along beach, a bit expensive
- Walnut Avenue Cafe – brunch
- Westside Kitchen and Tap – Swift St (Several wine tasting rooms within walking distance)
- Eastside Eatery
- Chill Out – 41st Ave. Breakfast burritos and sandwiches
- BeerThirty 2504 S Main St, Soquel, CA 95073 Dog and kid friendly tap room with games
- Sante Adairius Rustic Ales 103 Kennedy Drive, Capitola 95010. http://santacruzlife.com/santa-cruz-brewery-breakdown/
Excursions near Santa Cruz
South to Monterey/Carmel
Moss Landing/Elkhorn Slough sightseeing
- rent a kayak along Rte 1 at Kayak connection or Monterey Bay Kayaks
- reserve ahead of time, start at 9am when not as windy- masses of seals, sea otters, birds all around you
- Phil’s Fish Market or Haute Enchilada for lunch
Castroville sightseeing (not a town you’d visit, otherwise)
- Artichoke Food and Wine Festival 6/4-5– agro art sculpture, cooking demos, farmers market, field tours, parades, live music, and artichokes fried, sauteed, grilled, marinated, pickled, fresh, and creamed as soup. Unclear if there will be artichoke ice cream, like the garlic ice cream at Gilroy’s Garlic Festival.
Monterey/Carmel/Pacific Grove sightseeing
- Monterey Bay Aquarium- enormous, fabulous kelp forest, otters, jellies gallery, open sea tank, touch pools. penguin feedings. 9:30-6 daily. buy tix in advance montereybayaquarium.org
- sunset at Point Pinos Lighthouse, Piedras Blancas State Marine Reserve, or daytime tour with docent after 1pm, $2
- bike the waterfront for 18 car-free miles on Monterey Peninsula Rec Trail. rentals at Adventures By the Sea, Bay Bikes.
- Whale watching for blues and humpbacks April-Dec- Monterey Whale Watching, Monterey Bay Whale Watch, reserve in advance
- kayaking through Monterey Bay Kayaks
- World-renowned diving, snorkeling (with wetsuits) through Aquarius Dive shop, Monterey Bay Dive Charters
- Point Lobos State Reserve- gorgeous coastal hiking, sea life, cypress trees – consider the Bird Island Trail past China Cove and Cypress Grove Trail, and also Sand Hill Trail
- OR 17-Mile Drive along the pretty coast with fancy houses, to Pebble Beach, $10
- Carmel City beach for sand and wading
- Carmel-by-the-sea – quaint pedestrian-friendly town with beautiful stone houses
- window shopping in downtown Carmel, browse the many galleries (favorite: Photography West, check out the large Christopher Burkett collection)
- Carmel Mission for self-guided walking tour with California history
- Pacific Grove’s Oceanview Drive (drive or walk) and Asilomar State Beach for beautiful coastline
For kids
- Dennis the Menace park- great slides, hedge maze, climbing walls. Open 10am+.
- Carmel’s Forest Theater for kids’ productions/cinema in the woods
Monterey eating
- Ocean Sushi Deli on Webster St, Monterey
- Old Monterey Marketplace for farmer’s market on Tuesdays
- crepes of Brittany, savory and sweet, lines on weekends, cash only
- First Awakenings for breakfast
- LouLou’s Griddle in the Middle for breakfasts or seafood lunches.
- Montrio Bistro- local, organic, CA/Asian/European mix, paper and crayons
- Monterey’s Fish House- reservations, island-casual
- Sandbar and Grill for watching otters play while eating. Reservations.
- Hula’s Island Grill- overall good food- jerk chicken, seafood, chowder, rice bowl
- Chart House for great bay view, steak and seafood, not cheap
- Bistro Moulin for excellent French cuisine- make a reservation
- about a hundred million highly rated seafood places on TripAdvisor
Carmel eating
- Yafa and Dametra Cafe- Mediterranean food
- Flying Fish Grill- Japanese fusion, dark, quiet, need reservations
- Mission Ranch- no reservations accepted, beautiful valley/river view. Pricey.
- Rocky Point Restaurant – for great ocean views
- Bruno’s Market and Deli- good sandwiches
- Mundaka – tapas, sangria
- Katy’s place for breakfast
- Nico – Mediterranean food, San Carlos between Ocean and 7th
North of Santa Cruz (up to Half Moon Bay)
Activities
- Visit sleepy coastal towns of Half Moon Bay, Pescadero
- Año Nuevo State Park: for birding and viewing sea lions, though no pups this time of year
- Trivia: NC was left behind here on a school trip!
- Pigeon Point Lighthouse (also a hostel…see the Lodging page for more)
- Trivia: Someone at the wedding got engaged here!
- Bonny Doon Vineyard in Santa Cruz
- Swanton Berry Farm U-Pick in Pescadero
- Nature/hiking/parks
- Half Moon Bay’s Coastside Trail, Miramar Beach for beautiful views
- Fitzgerald Marine Reserve or Pebble Beach (of Bean Hollow State Beach) for tide pooling, seals; go at low tide
- Sea Horse Ranch – horseback rides along coast/beach at specific times, age 7+
- Wilder Ranch State Park – hiking and biking
- Butano State Park- redwood hiking
- Rancho Del Oso – Big Basin Redwoods State Park- hiking and mountain biking (flat fireroad)
Half Moon Bay/Pescadero Food
- Duarte’s Tavern in Pescadero (“half and half soup” and pies)
- Harley Goat Farm and Cheese shop in Pescadero: creamy cheeses with fruit, jams, nuts, edible flowers, 5-course farm dinners
- Half Moon Bay Brewery
- Half Moon Bay’s Pasta Moon – good, fresh Italian food
- Half Moon Bay’s Sam’s Chowder House- for fresh seafood
- Arcangeli Grocery/Norm’s Market – for picnic sandwiches, artichoke-garlic-herb bread baked hourly
- Pie Ranch – non-profit for leadership development and food education for urban youth. Fresh produce, eggs, coffee, pies from their own fruit
- Trivia: N&N almost got chose a wedding venue right here!
