santa cruz neighborhoodfs to explore

 The beach remains the biggest draw in Santa Cruz, a wide, sandy strip on either side of the hundred-year-old wooden pier, Santa Cruz Wharf. There are volleyball courts on the beach, and the water is safe and (usually) warm enough for swimming in the summer. The pier itself is crammed with fresh-fish stalls, seafood restaurants, and gift stores, while the iconic Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, just to the east, boasts an old-fashioned arcade, amusement park, mini-golf, laser tag, and free concerts in the summer. Among the bumper cars, donut stands, and vintage carousels, the perennial favorite is the Giant Dipper, a wooden rollercoaster that was constructed in 1924. Other attractions include the admission-free Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Exploration Center. Staying here means there’s lots of choice when it comes to accommodation, and getting to Downtown is easy by taxi or bus. This neighborhood can get rowdy at night.

 Downtown Santa Cruz, north of Laurel Street, lies on the west side of the San Lorenzo River, a mile or so north of the beach district – it’s quite distinct from the coastal areas, with businesses, art galleries, restaurants, and bars along the tree-lined main drag, Pacific Avenue. There’s a weekly farmer’s market here, and great places to eat – standouts include Snap Taco and the sweet treats at Pacific Cookie Company. Attractions include the Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History and the adjacent Octagon Building on 118 Cooper St, which leads into the Abbott Square Market. Santa Cruz Mission State Historic Park lies at the northern end of Pacific Avenue, preserving the remains of the Spanish Misión la Exaltacion de la Santa Cruz, founded in 1791. There’s also the Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium, a performing arts venue, and the Kaiser Permanente Arena, which hosts games by the NBA G-League Santa Cruz Warriors and Santa Cruz Derby Girls (our fabulous roller derby team).  

Midtown Santa Cruz lies just across the San Lorenzo River from Downtown, centered along Soquel Avenue east of Ocean Street. It’s become something of a hipster neighborhood in recent years, with plenty of cool cafes and restaurants, bike shops, and live music venues. To the south, the adjacent neighborhood of Seabright is best known for Seabright Beach, a sandy extension of Santa Cruz beach between the mouth of the San Lorenzo and Santa Cruz Harbor. The tiny commercial center of the neighborhood lies around Seabright Avenue and Murray Street, with a cluster of bars and restaurants, two blocks from the beach. Attractions include the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History and the highly acclaimed brewpub Seabright Social. Escape to the mountains and breathe in the fresh air with our selection of mountain retreats. Surrounded by stunning scenery and miles of hiking trails, our rentals offer the perfect base for your outdoor adventures. Enjoy skiing, snowboarding, and snowshoeing in the winter, or hiking, mountain biking, and rock climbing in the summer.

Santa Cruz’s Westside is best known for its surf breaks, not least at Cowell Beach’s Steamer Lane. The Surfer’s Memorial stands on the cliffs above, near the Santa Cruz Surfing Museum (housed in the Mark Abbott Memorial Lighthouse), at panoramic Lighthouse Point. From here West Cliff Drive links a series of lesser-visited coves and beaches that indent the coast to Natural Bridges State Beach. Here waves have cut holes through coastal cliffs to form arches, though three of the four “bridges” have collapsed, with just large stacks protruding from the ocean today. The park is also famous for its annual migration of monarch butterflies, while the Natural Bridges Visitor Center features exhibits on the area. Further along the coast sits the Seymour Marine Discovery Center, which boasts one of the world’s largest displayed blue whale skeletons. Inland, Mission Street is the neighborhood’s commercial heart, lined with coffee shops, breweries, and stores. It’s best to explore the neighborhood from elsewhere on a bicycle or walking.

 Affluent Capitola is a charming seaside community to the east of Santa Cruz, its small center and beach split by the Soquel Creek. On the west side sits the old pier, Capitola Wharf, topped with the Wharf House Restaurant, while candy-colored “Venetian Village” cottages line the sand behind it. On the east side stands the main commercial district, including a number of waterside restaurants along the Esplanade. Capitola is also a great place to learn to surf, with mostly gentle waves and Capitola Beach Company supplying rentals and lessons. Other attractions include the Capitola Historical Museum, set in the old schoolhouse, and the annual Capitola Art & Wine Festival.

The San Lorenzo River rises to the north of Downtown in the Santa Cruz Mountains, with its winding valley harboring several forest parks and sights along the way, best explored by car on Hwy-9. Santa Cruz’s Pogonip Open Space is a vast area of meadows, woodlands, creeks, and 11 miles of trails that borders the river just north of the UC Santa Cruz campus. It eventually merges into the Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park and the adjacent family-friendly Roaring Camp Railroads in the town of Felton, which features narrow-gauge train rides and the standard-gauge Santa Cruz Beach Train down to the Boardwalk and back. Not far from the park entrance is the quirky Bigfoot Discovery Museum, while further north the river is traversed by Felton Covered Bridge, spanning 80 feet and the tallest covered bridge in the US. Felton also boasts a weekly farmers’ market on Tuesdays. The Santa Cruz Mountains Art Center in Ben Lomond and San Lorenzo Valley Museum in Boulder Creek can be found further up the valley. Boulder Creek is also known for its live music scene, especially bluegrass and folk. At the far northern end of the valley lies Big Basin Redwoods. You’ll need a car to get around conveniently.