Santa Cruz, California is a gorgeous beach town on the central coast. From redwoods to surfing, this small town includes all of the best things about California! Don’t miss these must-dos in Santa Cruz!
Beach Boardwalk
Want to ride tons of crazy rollercoasters? The Santa Cruz beach boardwalk is the place to go! It’s an amusement park that’s been a historical part of Santa Cruz for many years. The amusement park stretches out on the beach which is really awesome. It’s great to have a view of the beach while having fun at an amusement park. And if you start getting too hot, go ride the log ride or jump in the ocean!
Tidepools
I love some great tidepools and Santa Cruz has amazing tidepools. I’ve seen lots of awesome starfish and I saw a giant purple sea slug one time! It’s super fun if you like sea life. Head over to natural bridges to see the tidepools and beautiful beach scenery.
Beaches
There are many beautiful beaches in Santa Cruz county! East cliff and west cliff are iconic surf locations. Capitola beach can be dirty at times but there are some quiet beaches in Aptos (neighboring city) such as Seacliff beach and Rio Del Mar beach that are beautiful.
The Mystery Spot
The mystery spot is an interesting place to visit because it’s a spot that claims to defy gravity. It’s interesting for sure!
New Brighton (fossil) beach
At New Brighton beach you can find fossils from rocks that come off the cliffs. Check out this beach and you may find some very cool fossils of shells and sea creatures!
Wilder Ranch State Park
This park is amazing for kids and adults alike! There are farm animals and fun trees to play in! It’s an old ranch that’s been preserved so there are old historical buildings and lots of fun trails to walk, run or bike.
The Penny Ice Creamery
This ice creamery has kind of a Santa Cruz/earthy/granola/hippie/vegan vibe although most of their flavors aren’t vegan but they do have some vegan flavors! The ice cream is all natural and made completely in house from scratch! They have cool flavors such as cardamom pistachio chocolate chip. It’s also the only ice creamery I’ve ever been to where you can get marshmallow cream torched around your ice cream. It’s pretty much the coolest foodie thing over! A must try in my opinion!
Marrianne’s Ice Cream
This ice cream is not natural at all (haha) but it’s super great and everyone in the area loves it! It’s been around forever and they have TONS of flavors!
Pleasure Pizza & Pizza My Heart
Both of these pizza places are super good! If you go to Pizza My Heart you can get a deal where you get a piece of pizza and a brand t-shirt for really cheap! It’s super awesome! Also, ‘Pleasure Pizza‘ was featured in the movie “Chasing Mavericks”. So cool!
Nisene Marks & Henry Cowell
Want to see the redwoods!? Head over to Nisene Marks or Henry Cowell to see redwoods (and possibly) banana slugs!
I hope you enjoyed these must-dos in Santa Cruz!