Primary Location
Amenities
Accessibility
Wheelchair accessible entranceWheelchair accessible parking lot
Brilliant! Everything is here! Beaches, hiking trails, fishing, biking, surfing, amusement park, world class and casual Restaurants, theaters, shows, niche shops, and things you won't find in places with big corporate presences. Everything in your search for wildlife or just wild life. The only thing that's a little hard to find here are chain restaurants with their noisy dining rooms and generic menus. The weather is temperate; wildly warm days 80± usually come with a cooling sea breeze, cooler days have bright warning sun (after the marine layer burns off). During Fall and winter, even the monarch butterflies stop over here in giant groups.
Everything you could ever ask of a vacation or hometown.
Except: Things can be priceypricey, but Google guides can show you how to avoid that. Somewhat. Other than the mobile home parks, there is almost no affordable housing. And, very little diversity like you might expect anywhere else in California.
If you're visiting California for the first time, make Santa Cruz your first stop. You won't be sorry. Bigger CA cities might have more but the cost is long, traffic polluted drives to get to them. Santa Cruz is concentrated, easy to navigate (if you listen to a few tips) and traffic is easy to avoid. Mostly. Come join us.
