Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz on the Pacific Coast Highway in California has its famous boardwalk, beaches, wine tastings, Surfing Museum, Mission, and Marine Discovery Center.

Santa Cruz Surfer

Santa Cruz is Counterculture Central along this stretch of the Pacific Coast, about 80 miles south of San Francisco and 50 miles north of Monterey at the north end of Monterey Bay.

It's definitely the big city when compared to the more refined feel of Monterey and Carmel further south, but it's big city California-style, with its beach boardwalk, Santa Cruz Surfing Museum, California girls, and liberal politics.

It's been a beach resort since way back in the middle of the 19th century, but alongside the carousel and roller coaster are video arcades and a laser tag arena. There's been a campus of the University of California here since the 1960s, it's close to Silicon Valley, a good base for exploring California's wine country and there's a great nightlife too.

Yes, there's plenty to do in and around Santa Cruz. You'll also find a lot of good eating places and a wide range of accommodation, from motels to the finest luxury inns.

Best Guide Covering Santa Cruz

What to See In and Around Santa Cruz

Año Nuevo State Park

See our full page about the lovely Año Nuevo State Park, and its northern elephant seals.

Big Basin Redwoods State Park

The state park is about an hour's drive north from Santa Cruz but this is the best major town from which to visit it and it's not to be missed. See our full page on Big Basin Redwoods State Park.

Natural Bridges State Beach

Natural Bridges State Beach near Santa Cruz

One of the best beaches in the area, easily reachable along the clifftop West Cliff Drive. You can drive but there's also a path alongside the road and it's better to walk or bike so you can stop and enjoy the views, and watch the surfers ride the waves below.

The beach when you get there has beautiful soft sand, tide pools and hiking trails, and the 'natural bridges' are those carved out of the rocks by the wind and the pounding sea.

Santa Cruz Mission State Historic Park

This was the 12th mission to be built by the Spanish in California, and was originally constructed in the 1790s. It was unfortunately destroyed in an earthquake in 1857, and what you can see today is a half-scale replica of the church and a museum about the mission in one of the restored 1790s buildings.

The Santa Cruz Surfing Museum

A surfer in Santa Cruz

If you think surfing began in the sixties with the Beach Boys, the Surfing Museum takes you right back to the start of the local surfing craze as the sport arrived in Santa Cruz in 1886 when three Hawaiian princes surfed the mouth of the San Lorenzo River. (Surfing goes back hundreds if not thousands of years before that, as part of early Polynesian cultures.)

The museum has videos, some great photos of early surfers, a surfboard that was crunched by a great white shark, surf movie posters and lots of other fun surfing stuff.

Santa Cruz Wharf

Here you'll find plenty of restaurants – seafood, of course, which is also what the sea lions under the wharf are barking for. The wharf's fishermen don't bark much, though they too are hoping for some fine seafood for their supper. At the wharf you can also go shopping for clothes, local souvenirs, your own fishing equipment, and rent boats.

Seymour Marine Discovery Center

An offshoot of the University of California at Santa Cruz and part of its Long Marine Laboratory, here you can see marine scientists at work. It's very much a working place as well as a visitor attraction, and you can see up-close what those marine biologists are discovering. There's an aquarium, interactive exhibits, and tide-pool touch tanks.

UCSC Arboretum

Outstanding gardens belonging to the University of California at Santa Cruz, with a walking path that leads you through their major collections grouped according to area and covering California, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa. There are also smaller collections of conifers, rare fruit trees, a eucalyptus grove, South America, native species, and a cactus and succulent garden.

Whale Watching

See the Whale Watching in California page.

Wilder Ranch State Park

Look for this about a mile north of Santa Cruz along Highway 1 and see what a 19th century California dairy farm was like. There are also 7000 acres of land with hiking and biking trails, horseback riding, forests, beaches and great Pacific Ocean views.

Woodies on the Wharf

Woodies on the Wharf in Santa Cruz

If you're a surfing dude or just wanna have fun then Santa Cruz in late June is the place to be. That's when the annual Woodies on the Wharf takes place, usually on either the 3rd or 4th Saturday of the month. Check the website for the exact date each year.

It's when the Woodies of the World congregate on the Santa Cruz Wharf, about 200 of them, from as far away as British Columbia or even the east coast, where the girls are hip and the woodies can still drive all the way across the USA to be here.

A Woodie on the Road near Santa Cruz, from https://www.pacific-coast-highway-travel.com/Santa-Cruz.html

A Woodie near Santa Cruz

More Information
Santa Cruz County Conference and Visitors Council

Where to Eat in Santa Cruz

Best Restaurants in Santa Cruz

More Santa Cruz Pages

Laguna Beach Inn and Spa
The Casa Laguna Hotel and Spa in Laguna Beach is right on the Pacific Coast Highway and has luxury rooms, a swimming pool, and real gourmet breakfasts.
San Clemente California
San Clemente in California is a small city on the Pacific Coast Highway midway between San Diego and Los Angeles, noted for its beaches and surfing.
Best Restaurants in Santa Cruz
Pacific Coast Highway Travel picks the best restaurants in Santa Cruz, choosing the finest gourmet eating places, with both local and international cuisine.
Encinitas
Encinitas is a beach city in Southern California, famous for surfing, and regularly chosen as one of the best places to live in both California and the USA.
Free Things to do on the Pacific Coast Highway
There are lots of free things to do on the Pacific Coast Highway and here's our list of ten of them including wildlife, the best free views, and free museums.
Point Lobos State Reserve near Carmel and Monterey, with photos
A walk around the Point Lobos State Reserve near Monterey and Carmel provides lots of photo opportunities, especially of the Harbor Seal Birthing Area.
Dana Point
Dana Point in California is the official start or end of the Pacific Coast Highway, and its attractions include whale watching, and Doheny State Beach.
Newport Beach
Newport Beach is a small city on the Pacific coast of southern California, right on the Pacific Coast Highway and noted for its beaches and surfing.
Laguna Beach
The Pacific Coast Highway goes right through Laguna Beach, a relaxed artsy beach resort whose attractions include shopping, galleries, dining, and beaches.
Carlsbad
Carlsbad is a beach city north of San Diego in southern California famous for its flower fields, LEGOLAND resort and water park, surfing and SEA LIFE Aquarium.
Best Time to Visit Santa Cruz
Pacific Coast Highway Travel picks the best time to visit Santa Cruz, with a monthly summary of weather, hotel prices and special events to help plan a visit.
Stanford Inn by the Sea Mendocino
The Stanford Inn by the Sea in Mendocino on the California coast is an eco-resort with yoga classes and the award-winning Ravens Restaurant.
Bixby Bridge
Drive the Pacific Coast Highway and you have to cross Bixby Bridge in California, ten miles north of Big Sur and 30 minutes south of Monterey.
Santa Monica, California
Santa Monica in California is famous for its pier, and beaches, and is one of the best west coast vacation spots, with hotels, restaurants, surfing, museums.
Scenic Spots on the Pacific Coast Highway
Pacific Coast Highway Travel's guide to the most scenic spots on the Pacific Coast Highway in California with Big Sur, Bixby Bridge and Pfeiffer Beach.
Unique Inns on the Pacific Coast Highway
Unique Inns on the Pacific Coast Highway include some of the best independently-owned boutique hotels, spas, and lodges in California, Oregon and Washington.
Santa Barbara
Standing on the Pacific Coast Highway in California, Santa Barbara is an attractive resort with a historic downtown, sandy beaches, a mission, and good museums.
La Jolla, in southern California
La Jolla in southern California is north of San Diego off the Pacific Coast Highway and has museums, restaurants, hotels, beaches, and the Birch Aquarium.
Top Wildlife Spots on the California Coast
Pacific Coast Highway Travel recommends some of the top wildlife spots along the California coast.
Coastal California Guidebook
Lonely Planet's Coastal California guidebook is the ideal travel guide for driving or cycling the Pacific Coast Highway from the Oregon border to Mexico.
Best Beaches in California
Pacific Coast Highway Travel's list of the best beaches in California with beaches in Santa Monica, Big Sur, Malibu, Carmel, Cambria, La Jolla and Coronado.
Año Nuevo State Park
Pacific Coast Highway Travel gives the essential information on Año Nuevo State Park, including essential information, wildlife viewing and best time to visit.
Crescent City
Crescent City is on the Pacific Coast Highway in northern California and noted for its crescent-shaped beach, Ocean World sea park, and nearby redwoods and state parks.
Morro Bay
Morro Bay is a delightful small town on the California coast roughly halfway between San Francisco and Los Angeles and noted for the huge Morro Rock.
San Simeon
San Simeon is a tiny town of a few hundred people close to Hearst Castle on the California coast midway between San Francisco and Los Angeles.