Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz, located 75 miles south of San Francisco, is a vast playground of sandy beaches, kid-friendly attractions, vintage shopping, and tasty food. Plus, Santa Cruz faces south, not west, so the ocean water here is warmer than elsewhere in Northern California so it’s no surprise that this city has a long history centered around surfing and fun in the sun. 

Check out the essential guide to Santa Cruz below.

Things to Do in Santa Cruz

Beach lovers, tree-huggers, and fun-seeking families find common ground in Santa Cruz. It’s easy to fill a week with easygoing pleasures: take a surfing lesson, explore redwood groves, or shop for vintage treasures downtown. 

Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk and Santa Cruz Wharf

Get nostalgic at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, a yesteryear-style esplanade lined with arcade games, ice cream stands, and retro-cool rides and attractions. The star of the show is the Giant Dipper roller coaster, a wooden behemoth that’s been thrilling beachgoers since 1924. 

Right next door, the century-old Santa Cruz Wharf extends 2,701 feet from the shoreline. Perched high above the waves and dotted with fresh fish restaurants and souvenir shops, it’s the longest wooden structure of its kind on the West Coast.

Surfing in Santa Cruz

At its heart, Santa Cruz is a surf town, dating back to 1885 when three visiting Hawaiian princes mastered the local waves on long redwood planks. Today’s surfers tackle the swells at Pleasure Point and snap their leashes at Steamer Lane. All around town, dozens of surf shops rent and sell boards: Near Pleasure Point, Blown Out Surf Shack and Freeline Surf can set you up with gear, while Cowell’s Beach Surf Shop lies within a few steps of beginner-friendly Cowell Beach, just west of the wharf.  

More: Santa Cruz Surf Culture

If you’re new to the sport, shimmy into a wetsuit and sign up for a surf lesson with the experts at Surf School Santa Cruz, Richard Schmidt School of Surfing, or Club Ed Surf School. All three schools will outfit you with a light foam board and teach you the skills to master your pop-up.

Family-Friendly Beach Activities in Santa Cruz

A short stroll from the Boardwalk, Cowell Beach and neighboring Main Beach are great spots for a leisurely beach day.

Seabright State Beach, the city’s widest stretch of sand, is ideal for swimming, bodysurfing, sandcastle-building, and lounging. Right next door is the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History, which is full of kid-friendly exhibits. can climb around on a massive gray whale sculpture, touch the sea stars in the “touch pool,” view Ice Age fossils, and learn about the First Peoples of Santa Cruz.

On the northwest side of town, dig your toes into the sand at Natural Bridges State Beach, home to a graceful sea arch and unforgettable sunsets. Watch for migrating whales and sea lions cavorting in the waves, or explore the tide pools on the beach’s west end. Nearby, the Seymour Marine Discovery Center is a family-friendly marine lab and museum run by UC Santa Cruz scientists. Kids can snap a selfie by the 87-foot-long blue whale skeleton and pet the hermit crabs in the touch tank. 

Tide Pooling at Natural Bridges State Beach

See Natural Bridges’ spectacular natural arch and beach any time of day, but consult a tide table and plan your visit carefully if you want to view the tide pools on the beach’s western edge. During low tides, the ocean pulls back, revealing the bustling life beneath the surface. Look for sea stars, hermit crabs, sea anemones, and other colorful intertidal creatures.

Monarch Butterflies at Natural Bridges State Beach

Just a few steps from Natural Bridges’ beach, a grove of eucalyptus trees is the home of thousands of migrating monarch butterflies from mid-October through early January. Walk the 0.6-mile Monarch Loop Trail in November, the peak month, to see the greatest number of monarchs.

Exploring Downtown Santa Cruz

In downtown Santa Cruz, shops overflow with vintage, boho-chic garb and earthy sidewalk cafes. Pacific Avenue’s six-block-long promenade is where UC Santa Cruz students hang out, and street performers make shoppers smile. Boutiques lean toward the eclectic: Dive into the literary rabbit hole of Bookshop Santa Cruz. Add to your LP collection with vinyl from Redwood Records. Upgrade your comic book stash at Atlantis Fantasyworld. Shop for teapots and organic Pu’erh, green, and black teas at Hidden Peak Teahouse.

To get a taste of local culture and history, spend an hour or two at the Santa Cruz Museum of Art and History before heading next door to Abbott Square Market. This community gathering spot showcases a wide array of casual eateries, and the calendar is packed with trivia games, live music, stand-up comedy, and DJs spinning beats. 

Or check out an event that’s popular with Santa Cruzans: Every first Friday of the month, artists team up with local businesses to showcase their art. And if you’re in town during May or November, don’t miss downtown’s Wine Walk.

Vintage Shopping in Santa Cruz

In downtown Santa Cruz, you get a seat at the cool kids’ table when you shop for vintage apparel. Find an effortlessly cool sundress or miniskirt at secondhand shops on Pacific Avenue like Cognito Clothing, which has racks of retro treasures. Scavenging for vintage gems without anything in particular in mind? Rummage the racks at Artifact Goods, Motherlode, or Pastime, and you could head home with an unexpected haul.

Santa Cruz Skateboards

Skateboarding wasn’t invented in Santa Cruz, but it got a huge boost in 1973 when three Santa Cruz surfers reinvented their struggling surfboard company as Santa Cruz Skateboards, now the world's oldest continuously running skateboard company. Visitors can dive deep into the sport’s evolution at the NHS Skateboard Museum on Bronson Street.

Skateboard shoppers find the holy grail on 41st Avenue, where Santa Cruz Boardroom anchors the site of the original NHS factory. More than 2,000 decks made by Santa Cruz Skateboards line the walls and hang from the ceiling, plus a huge inventory of parts, shoes, clothing, and accessories.

Iconic Landmarks and Photo Stops in Santa Cruz

Lighthouse Field & the Surfing Museum: Take a stroll along West Cliff Drive’s 3-mile-long pathway, where runners, walkers, and bikers burn calories with nonstop ocean views. Make your way to Lighthouse Field State Beach, a blufftop park with a crowd-pleasing view of Steamer Lane. Watch surfers commandeer the swells, then step into the Santa Cruz Surfing Museum, housed in a brick lighthouse replica. This surfing “temple” is filled with century-old surfboards and an astounding collection of vintage photos.

The Mystery Spot: Fans of all things quirky and kitschy should visit the Mystery Spot—a 150-foot-wide spot in the forest where the laws of gravity seem not to apply. People look tilted even when standing straight up, and scientists can't explain exactly why. Aliens? Unseen forces? Optical illusion? Since 1939, the Mystery Spot has been a Santa Cruz landmark, inspiring nonstop speculation.

 

 

 

 

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Penny Ice Creamery: Don’t miss this beloved institution, the flagship Penny Ice Creamery. Locals have been scooping up banana toffee and Tahitian vanilla bean ice cream at this Instagram darling since 2010.

Santa Cruz Parks and Nature Experiences

Board a boat tour from the Santa Cruz Wharf for whale watching—grays, blues, or humpbacks, depending on the time of year—or join a guided kayak tour with Venture Quest. You’ll likely see sea otters, seals, and sea lions on a two-hour paddle that’s suitable for beginners.

Drive north 4 miles to hike a remarkably scenic, easy trail along dramatic oceanfront bluffs. Wilder Ranch State Park’s Old Cove Landing Trail hugs the coastline on its way to a hidden cave at Fern Grotto Beach. Learn about the lives of mid-nineteenth-century ranchers by visiting the park’s historic ranch buildings (free tours are offered on weekend afternoons).

Take a winding drive in the Santa Cruz Mountains to see the ancient redwoods at Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park. Admire sky-reaching redwoods on the easy Redwood Grove Trail, or gaze at the big trees while riding in Roaring Camp Railroad’s 19th-century narrow-gauge steam train.

Closer to downtown, grab picnic supplies and head inland to visit the UC Santa Cruz Arboretum and Botanic Garden. Stroll gentle paths past lush flora from California, Australia, and South Africa amid the constant buzz of flitting hummingbirds. Dozens of spots in the 135-acre gardens provide sweeping views of the Pacific Ocean.  

Restaurants in Santa Cruz

Vegetarians will find plenty to love in Santa Cruz, where the servers never blink when you ask about meatless options. Pretty Good Advice—founded by Michelin-starred chef Matt McNamara—uses fresh-picked produce from the restaurant’s 83-acre farm to make veggie sandwiches, including a tofu-based banh mi and “lobsta roll” made with mushrooms and artichokes.

More: Santa Cruz Wine Country

Other popular eateries include downtown’s Laili, serving elegant Afghan and Mediterranean fare; Bantam, a wood-fired pizza hot spot; and Belly Goat Burger, where meat eaters can nosh on piled-high burgers and garlic-confit fries. Santa Cruz has a wealth of taquerias, too: Try the juicy carne asada at Taqueria Los Pericos and rotisserie-grilled al pastor at Taqueria Santa Cruz.

Santa Cruz Nightlife

At the core of Santa Cruz’s vibrant music scene is downtown’s The Catalyst Club, a spot that has showcased live acts since 1968. Plenty of big-name acts have stopped by to play here—the club has hosted Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Neil Young, and the Foo Fighters.

Another local venue with a rich musical heritage is Moe’s Alley, a roadhouse that has hosted reggae, funk, bluegrass, and rock bands since 1991. Once a blues hub, Moe’s now features a well-rounded lineup of reggae, funk, bluegrass, and rock.

Where to Stay in Santa Cruz

Opened in 2025, the Mediterranean-style Bahia Hotel and Spa has 155 luxurious rooms and 21 ocean-view suites and is a short walk from Main Beach and the Santa Cruz Wharf. Guests love the unobstructed ocean views from the pool lounges and the daybeds on the zen deck.

Another spot for a full-service getaway is the Mission-style Chaminade Resort, perched on the serene hills above town. Chaminade has 156 rooms, 11 villas, four tennis courts, two restaurants, and alluring views of Monterey Bay.

On West Cliff Drive, Dream Inn Santa Cruz offers cozy, retro-chic rooms and sparkling blue-water views. Dine on bigeye tuna, black cod, or oysters at the onsite Jack O’Neill Restaurant, then fall asleep to the sound of the waves.

Why Is Santa Cruz Famous?

Even if you haven’t visited before, you probably know Santa Cruz from popular culture. Several films have been shot here, but no Santa Cruz film has a bigger following than the 1987 vampire comedy The Lost Boys, which features dozens of scenes filmed at the Boardwalk and the Wharf. The film—now enjoying a second life as a Broadway musical—may have called it “Santa Carla,” but even so, The Lost Boys captured Santa Cruz’s personality.  

More: The Lost Boys Santa Cruz Tour

Santa Cruz Day Trips

When visiting Santa Cruz, consider adding on a few extra days to see world-class destinations within an hour’s drive, including Monterey, Carmel, Big Sur, and the 17-Mile Drive. You can even make a day trip to San Francisco, less than two hours away by car.

Road Trip: Highway One, Santa Cruz to Big Sur