Santa Cruz is a small coastal city (population about 55,000) in Santa Cruz County, on the north end of Monterey Bay in California, about forty miles south of San Jose. While it gained some tech jobs during the boom, it is still best known for fun weekend tourist attractions like the Beach Boardwalk and the Mystery Spot, and its University of California campus. It also has one of the world's best Disc Golf Courses at Delaveaga.
The present-day site of Santa Cruz was the location of a Native American settlement since ancient times. It was also one of the earliest settlements of the Spanish during the exploration of Alta California in the later part of the 1700s. During the late 1800s, after California became part of the United States, Santa Cruz became widely popular for its idyllic beaches and Coastal Redwoods and became a popular resort community. Now known for its alternative community lifestyles and liberal political leanings, Santa Cruz is a haven for many sub-cultures and counter-cultures.
Santa Cruz has mild weather throughout the year, enjoying a Mediterranean climate characterized by cool, wet winters and warm, mostly dry summers. Due to its proximity to Monterey Bay, fog and low overcast is a common feature during the night and morning hours, especially in the summer.
PLACE TO VISIT
Downtown Santa Cruz, Lots to see and do here all day and night. Quite a bit of "SantaCruz" character mixed with some great restaurants and lots of cool shops. Mostly it's a great people watching center. The nightlife is also worth sticking around for.
The Beach Boardwalk, A historical amusement park that has been around since the 1900s, the Beach Boardwalk features one of the oldest wooden rollercoasters still in use in the US as well as numerous modern attractions. Entrance is free, rides cost between $2-4 each (but less than $1 on selected summer evenings!). Day, month, and yearly passes available.
Mystery Spot, Take Branciforte Drive to the famous ('As Seen on TV') tourist trap, complete with antigravity cabin and amazing hillside of illusion.
Natural Bridges State Park, Open daily, sunrise to sunset. State beach park with nature trails. Yearly monarch butterfly migration. Entrance free. Fee for parking.
Surf Museum, Located in the lighthouse at Lighthouse Point, West Cliff Drive. Memorabilia from the origins of surfing in California (a statue (often mistaken for?) Hawaiian Duke is a few yards from the museum) to the present day. Thursday through Monday, Noon-4:00 p.m
UC Santa Cruz, Up on the hill at the north end of town. This is a smaller UC campus (except for the brand new campus in Merced), with about 15,000 students, but it is spread over almost a thousand acres, mostly covered with redwood forests with the occasional stunning view of the bay. There is an UCSC Arboretum specializing in native plants and plants from Australia. Mountain bike and hiking trails criss-cross the upper part of campus, connecting Wilder Ranch State Park to Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park (get a trail map and a parking permit from the kiosk as you enter campus). The Bay Tree Bookstore sells clothes with the UCSC mascot -- the banana slug -- but keep your eyes open for the mountain lions rarely seen on campus.
Delaveaga Frisbee Golf Course, A link to the course location The link has the details of the course. It is very challenging. Saturdays are busy, especially in the morning. The course is awesome and even if you don't play the hikes in the area are spectacular. Beware of the Poison Oak.
Big Basin Redwoods State Park, The oldest state park in California. If features stately redwood groves and the Tree-to-Sea Trail. Hike from Big Basin Park headquarters to Waddell Creek Beach.
Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park, . Just north of Santa Cruz in the mountains, it has a great nature center and little trail with old growth redwoods. Right next door is Roaring Camp Railroads where you can ride either the beach train to the Boardwalk or the steam train to Bear Mountain.
Año Nuevo State Park, A park 25 miles north on Hwy 1 with one of the largest populations of Elephant Seals, guided tours are available during the winter(which is breeding season). Animals are there year round.
WHAT TO DO
Road Biking - Road cyclists in central Santa Cruz can easily escape the big city by going out Empire Grade, taking Branciforte to either Glen Canyon or Granite Creek, or even going out Hwy 1. A little to the east, two not so steep roads are Old San Jose Road (bit trafficky / better for descending, reachable from Branciforte via Laurel Glen) or Eureka Canyon (from Corralitos). Some good connectors are Bear Creek, Smith Grade, Ice Cream Grade, Hwy 35, or even Mt. Hermon (from Granite Creek to Felton Empire). The worst traffic will be on Graham Hill or most of Hwy 9. To avoid Hwy 9 you'll need to do some climbing, but if that's you're thing then try Empire Grade, Mountain Charlie, Zayante, Felton Empire, the wonderful Jamison Creek up from Big Basin Park, or the ridiculous Alba Road. Roads in Santa Cruz can be steep, and expect most to have some extended pitches of over 10%.
The Open Studios Art Tour is a program of the Cultural Council of Santa Cruz County which was created in 1985 to give the public with an opportunity to collect art and to meet and learn from local Santa Cruz County artists. Approximately 275 artists open their studios (which are usually located in their homes) to the public. The tour runs for three consecutive weekends each fall.
The Santa Cruz County Book Fair is family event held each spring. Meet local authors and find some great reads.
Santa Cruz boasts a lively Salsa dancing scene, with Salsa By The Sea a key attraction. Every Sunday year round (weather permitting), locals come to the Boardwalk to dance in the open air by the beach. Hours vary by the time of the year, but sometime in the afternoon, and always free. Other regular events are at the Vets Hall every Tuesday and both the Palomar and E3 Playhouse every Friday.
Beaches - Santa Cruz is a beach town, with a beach to match almost any interest. Main Beach and Cowell Beach attract large crowds to the boardwalk area on sunny summer weekends. Flocks of novice surfers balance on their boards in the quiet waters just north of the municipal wharf, in front of the big hotel that locals still call the Dream Inn . Volleyball nets are strung just south of the wharf. The boardwalk amusement area is adjacent to main beach. Heading north, Steamers Lane isn't a beach, but the famous surf break in front of the lighthouse. In the summer, its sometimes hard to see what the fuss is about, but the winter can bring big waves and spectators line the rail watching the surfers and the sea lions. In the summer, docents are often on hand on weekends to help with wildlife spotting in the Monterey Bay Sanctuary.
HOW TO REACH
Highway 17 south from San Jose is the most direct route when driving from the more populated parts of the Bay Area. It is a winding road over the mountains, shared during the week with heavy gravel trucks, so heed the speed limits; accidents are common, but the road is much safer since the addition of concrete barriers some years ago. Beware of possible fog, as well as "hurried" drivers.
To merge from Highway 17 to Highway 1, in Santa Cruz, to continue south you must merge three times on the dreaded "fish hook". This causes the beginning of the dreaded commute from "over the hill" to the coast for many. Traffic usually lasts from 1500 until 1800, Monday thru Friday, from just south of 41st Ave. on Highway 1, spilling back onto Highway 17 going south. Traffic has been getting worse going north during the morning commute with the increasing population in Watsonville. Currently, there is construction in both the north and south bound lanes on Highway 1, in the vicinity of the "fish hook", to alleviate these problems.
A much more beautiful, but slower, approach to Santa Cruz is on Highway 1, either from the north, San Francisco and Pacifica (about 65 miles), or from the south, Monterey and Big Sur (about 35 miles). During stormy seasons, check for rare, but often long-term road closures, especially at Devil's Slide.
To take public transportation there is a commuter shuttle, the Highway 17 Express (Santa Cruz route 17; VTA route 970), that runs from the Caltrain station in San Jose 7 days a week, which is scheduled to transfer with certain Amtrak trains. There are also multiple lines that go south to Watsonville 7 days a week. Greyhound also runs buses to the city. All these lines go to, or near to, the Santa Cruz Metro Center, which is conveniently located in the downtown area.
The nearest major airport is in San Jose, but San Francisco and even Oakland aren't much farther away, and sometimes have cheaper flights. There is a small regional airport in Monterey, but in most cases San Jose is the best choice. Scheduled airport shuttles provide service every few hours to San Jose, and less often to San Francisco. Caltrain also provides a route to the San Francisco airport, through a transfer with BART in Milbrae.
