Things To Do in Santa Cruz, California
With or without kids, tourists to Santa Cruz will find plenty of things to do. Not only our famous local attractions such as the Mystery Spot, Natural Bridges State Park and the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, but a whole bunch of special events, as well!Upcoming Events in Santa Cruz!
2010 Free Friday Night Concert Series at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk - LAST CONCERT!
- 9/3 The Tubes
Be sure to check out the following special events and festivals:
- 9/3-6 Capitola Begonia Festival
- 9/3-5 Watsonville Fly-In & Air Show
- 9/4-5 Great Train Robberies at Roaring Camp in Felton
- 9/10-12 Annual Greek Culture and Food Festival
- 9/11-12 28th Annual Capitola Art & Wine Festival
- 9/12 Big Kahuna Triathalon
- 9/14 - 19 115th Annual Santa Cruz County Fair
- 9/18 28th Annual Santa Cruz Triathalon
- Annual International Coastal Cleanup Day
- 9/23-26 Monterey Bay Birding Festival
- 9/24-26 Oktoberfest! Ben Lomond
- 9/25 13th Annual Thunderbirds on the Wharf
- Santa Cruz Derby GIrls Home Game
- 10/2-3 Santa Cruz County Symphony 2010/2011 Opening Concert
- 10/2-3, 9-10, 16-17 Open Studios Art Tour
- 10/9 Annual Monte Foundation Fireworks Extravaganza!
- 10/9-10 Hot Rods at the Beach
- Monarch Butterflies return to Santa Cruz!
- 10/16 Santa Cruz Youth Band Review
- 10/23 Chili Cook-Off at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk
Don't miss the opportunity to visit these famous Santa Cruz attractions:
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Mystery Spot.
Located in the redwood forests just outside of Santa Cruz, the Mystery Spot is an area that’s about 150 feet in diameter where the laws of physics and gravity do not apply, baffling all those who visit. For more information, visit www.mysteryspot.com.Natural Bridges State Park.
This California State Park features a large area of coastal scrub meadows with bright native wildflowers in the spring. It is also home to Natural Bridges State Beach, named because of its famous natural bridge, which is an excellent vantage point for viewing shore birds, migrating whales, and seals and otters playing offshore. For more information, visit www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=541.Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk.
Located on a mile-long beach between Monterey and San Francisco, the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk is California’s oldest amusement park. Find your thrill on the heart-pounding adrenaline rush of the Giant Dipper. Or find or chill on the family-oriented Bulgy the Whale. Fun and games abound at the old-style arcade. Plus, the sublime surf of the Pacific Ocean awaits you at Santa Cruz Beach. For more information, visit www.beachboardwalk.com.Santa Cruz Surfing Museum.
Experience more than 100 years of surfing history from a Santa Cruz perspective. Displays include crude surfboard models to modern high-tech designs, as well as early wetsuits, photographs featuring Santa Cruz surfers and wave riding from the 1930s to the present day. Enjoy continuous videos showing the sport’s ever-changing styles. For more information, visit www.santacruzsurfingmuseum.org. [Top]Mission Santa Cruz.
Located on Mission Plaza, Mission Santa Cruz is the 12th link in the chain of 21 historic Spanish Franciscan missions that stretch from San Diego to Sonoma. Since 1859, the mission site has been owned and operated by the Diocese of Monterey. For more information, visit www.californiamissions.com/cahistory/santacruz.html.Seymour Marine Discover Center.
Visit a working marine laboratory. Tour exhibit halls and aquarium. View unsurpassed vistas of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Examine the world’s largest whale skeleton. And that’s just for starters. For more information, visit www2.ucsc.edu/seymourcenter/visitor_information.html. [Top]Roaring Camp Railroads.
The Santa Cruz, Big Trees & Pacific Railway Company operates passenger and freight services on one of the oldest and most historic lines in California. When the route opened in 1875 it carried picnickers and tourists to the Big Trees and Santa Cruz. Today’s Beach Trains travel through Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park, down the scenic San Lorenzo River Gorge, across a 1909 steel truss bridge, and through an 1875 tunnel before arriving at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. For more information, visit www.roaringcamp.com.Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park.
This park features 15 miles of hiking and riding trails through a forest that looks much the same as it did 200 years ago. The tallest tree is about 285 feet tall and about 16 feet wide while the oldest trees range from about 1400 to 1800 years old. For more information, visit www.parks.ca.gov/default.asp?page_id=546. [Top]Monterey Bay Aquarium.
Discover the largest marine sanctuary in the United States. Explore the bay’s different habitats through a variety of exhibits that recreate shallow tide pools, sandy beaches and the deep blue sea. Get an up-close-and-personal look at kelp forests, sea otters and creatures from the outer bay including soup fin sharks, yellow fin tuna and sea turtles.Carmel & 17-Mile Drive.
Nestled between the world famous Pebble Beach golf course to the north and the spectacular Big Sur coast to the south, Carmel is a quaint seaside European-style village. Its internationally-known 17-mile drive features some of the most breathtaking vistas on the planet. [Top]Hampton Inn Santa Cruz - Santa Cruz, CA
1505 Ocean Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95060
Tel: 831-457-8000 Fax: 831-457-8900
Email: SRUHH_hampton@hilton.com
