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Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park
Category: Best Attractions & Activities - Santa Cruz Attractions & Activities
Address: 101 North Big Trees Park Road , Felton, CA 95018
Hikers and nature-lovers can ogle giant redwood trees almost 300 feet tall and 1800 years old in this state park located just a few miles from downtown Santa Cruz. Over 15 miles of nature trails wind through redwood groves and stands of Ponderosa Pines and oaks. A picnic area overlooks the San Lorenzo River. The park also offers a nature center...
Category: Best Attractions & Activities - Santa Cruz Attractions & Activities
Address: West Cliff Drive, Santa Cruz, CA 95060
Although the natural rock formation for which it was named has succumbed to the forces of wind and rain, this lovely beach park has many natural treasures. Tide pools teem with sea stars, crabs, anemones and other colorful sea life. Ocean views offer great spots for whale, seal and otter watching, and nature trails bloom with wildflowers in the...
Category: Best Attractions & Activities - Santa Cruz Attractions & Activities
Address: 20 Clubhouse Road, Santa Cruz, CA 95060
Just a few minutes "up the hill" from downtown Santa Cruz is one of the top- ranked golf courses in the U.S. Challenging to the most accomplished golfer, this rolling course features stunning views of Monterey Bay and the city. The course's designer, world-renowned golf architect, Alister MacKenzie, was so enamored of his design that he built...
Category: Best Attractions & Activities - Santa Cruz Attractions & Activities
Address: 400 Beach St, Santa Cruz, CA 95060
Recently voted the world's best, the century-old Beach Boardwalk is one of the last remaining seaside amusement parks in the nation. Artfully blending the nostalgic with the high-tech, it features a 1911 historic carousel, a 1924 wooden roller coaster and the 125-foot tall, hair-raising (literally) Tower Ride and the wildly popular computerized...
Category: Best Attractions & Activities - Santa Cruz Attractions & Activities
Address: Santa Cruz Mountains Winegrowers Assn., 7605–A Old Dominion Ct., Aptos, CA 95003
Santa Cruz is blessed with some of the most scenic wineries and finest wines anywhere. From villas atop vineyard-covered mountains to funky cottages in redwood forests, Santa Cruz wineries feature beautiful settings for swirling and tippling, some with ocean-view tasting rooms. Get a map and drive yourself or take an escorted van or limo tour. ...
Category: Best Attractions & Activities - Santa Cruz Attractions & Activities
Address: Beach Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95060
For a bird's eye view of the many sea creatures that populate Monterey Bay, head for the Santa Cruz Wharf. Dozens of giant sea lions lounge on the pilings below, barking for handouts. Sea otters, dolphins and even gray whales can be spotted from the wharf railings or even from a window table at one of the wharf's eight restaurants and bars. ...
Seymore Marine Discovery Center
Category: Best Attractions & Activities - Santa Cruz Attractions & Activities
Address: 100 Shaffer Road, Santa Cruz, CA 95060
A research and education facility of the University of California Santa Cruz, the center conducts field research in Monterey Bay and the ocean beyond. The exhibits resemble a working laboratory rather than the usual polished aquarium: observe scientists studying the decline of sea otter populations, the effect of noise on whales and the mating...
Category: Best Attractions & Activities - Santa Cruz Attractions & Activities
Address: 465 Mystery Spot Road, Santa Cruz, CA 95065
Since 1940, hundreds of thousands of visitors have been "amazed and perplexed" by this funky, internationally known phenomenon in the redwoods just outside Santa Cruz. Officially described as a "gravitational anomaly," other more exotic explanations include a buried spaceship, a hole in the ozone layer, meteors, and escaping earthly gasses. ...
Category: Best Attractions & Activities - Santa Cruz Attractions & Activities
Address: 701 West Cliff Drive, Santa Cruz, CA 95060
Overlooking the famous surfing site Steamer Lane and housed in a lighthouse, The Surfing Museum is a must-see for anyone interested in the history and evolution of the sport. Over 100 years of Santa Cruz surfing (and surfers) is traced through displays, videos and photographs. Early homemade surfboards, wetsuits and photos of the original members...
Whale Watching on the Chardonnay II
Category: Best Attractions & Activities - Santa Cruz Attractions & Activities
Address: 704 Soquel Ave, Suite A, Santa Cruz, CA 95062
From February through April, California Grey Whales cruise past Santa Cruz on their annual migration from Baja California to Alaska. The 70-foot sailing yacht Chardonnay II, in conjunction with Pacific Eco-tours, offers educational sailings to observe and learn about these amazing mammals. Expert guides discuss marine mammal biology, the ecology...
