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Last Updated:
April 22, 2004

Low-Cost Fun in Santa Cruz - Activities for Families

OUTDOORS
Beaches & Parks - we live in a wonderful area full of inexpensive outdoor options for family, friends, and groups to enjoy! (Cruzio.com website has easy links for more information on most of these) Most parks are free or $3-5 for parking.
Año Nuevo State Reserve - 650-879-0227/2025 45mins. drive north up Highway 1. requires a mile’s walk to beach to see any elephant seals staying for the summer, often breezy, bring layers!Reservations needed during winter.
Arana Gulch - above Yacht Harbor, easy access from Mentel and Park Way South, or top of Yacht Harbor. Pleasant for short walks or walking along the harbor to the beach at Twin Lakes or Seabright.
Ben Lomond Dam - Check to see if this continues to be open in the summer - probably not open 2004; in downtown Ben Lomond, sandy pretty spot for picnicking while watching swimmers - deep, cool water and a lifeguard. $1/person
Big Basin Redwoods State Park - 338-8860 Lots of trails and picnic areas, cool woods and waterfalls. Camping w.reservation.
Castle Rock State Park - 408-867-2952 Up on the summit, some long trails and good views; watch the rock climbers too!
DeLaveaga Park - short walking trails, picnic areas, baseball, frisbee golf.
Elkhorn Slough - 728-2822 elkhornslough.org South on Highway 1, inland from Moss Landing. Nice Visitor Center/museum, trails, birds, picnicking. Or bring your own kayak, canoe, or boat to Kirby Park.
Felton Covered Bridge - small developed park with playground, historic covered bridge.
Forest of Nisene Marks State Park in Aptos - 763-7063 Picnicking, biking, hiking in the cool woods and a few sunny clearings.
Greyhound Rock - Beach access, cliff views, & parking lot. 2 mi. N of Davenport
Harvey West Park - 420-6140 Picnic areas, swimming pool, walking trails.
Henry Cowell State Park - 335-4598 Camping, picnic areas, short redwoods trail and longer trails to viewpoints and along the river.
Highlands Park - 454-7900 Swimming pool and picnic grounds
Lighthouse Field State Beach - Field for dogwalking, beach and Westcliff Drive for walks, bikes, and picnics.
Loch Lomond Recreation Area - 420-5320 / 335-7424 Beautiful, well-hidden reservoir, fishing, boating and picnicking - no swimming allowed (It’s our drinking water!) They rent canoes, electric boats, and pedal boats. Call for more information, only open 6 months of the year(?)
Louden Nelson Community Center - 420-6177 Playground and lots of classes, meetings, and activities. 301 Center at Laurel.
Manresa State Beach - 724-3750 Camping and beach activities; there are also many other parks along the coast between Capitola and Watsonville.
Natural Bridges State Beach - 423-4609 Picnicking, beach, tidepools at end of Westcliff Drive.
Neary Lagoon Wildlife Refuge - off California Ave. near Bay Avenue, alas includes sewage plant - playground, birdwatching.
New Brighton State Beach - 464-6330/475-4850 picnicking and beach activities
Pinto Lake, Watsonville - 722-8129 Boat rentals, picnicking, and birdwatching & “La Virgen” pintolake.com
Pogonip - Hiking trails off Golf Club Drive beyond Harvey West, or from Spring Street off High Street (no facilities)
Quail Hollow, 800 QH Road,Ben Lomond - Park open weekends, w. trails, picnic area.
Rancho Del Oso - 3600 Hwy 1 427-2288. Visitor Center & naturalist-led tours on weekends, just south of Waddell Creek.
Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk - 426-7433 Great people-watching and rides, usually expensive unless you plan your day carefully!
Seacliff Beach - 685-6442/6444 - Small museum, cement ship, long beach
Simpkins Family Swim Center - 454-7946 979 17th Ave. Call for hours for swimming.
Sunny Cove - small beach at the end of 17th/16th Ave. Parking permit for summers or park a few blocks away..good for boogieboarding, no facilities.
Sunset State Beach - 201 Sunset Beach Rd., Wats. 724-1266 Camping, another entry point to long beach between Capitola and Watsonville...
Wilder Ranch State Park 426-0505 special events, farm activities, tours of historic home and dairy, hikes, beach etc.
Zmudowski Beach, off Hwy 1 a little before Moss Landing 649-2836
Other Parks and Beaches:
Santa Cruz Mission 425-5849
Santa Cruz Wharf
Seacliff State Beach 685-6442
Twin Lakes State Beach
Coastways Ranch - pick-your-own berries 650-879-0414 Museums
Capitola Historical Museum 464-0322
Childrens Discovery Museum, San Jose
Museum of Art and History 705 Front St.429-1964 santacruzmah.org
Museum of Natural History 420-6115
Santa Cruz Art League 426-5787
San Jose Museum of Art 408-294-2787 (1st Thurs. free)
Santa Cruz Surfing Museum 420-6289
Seymour Marine Discovery Center (Long Marine Lab) 100 Shaffer Rd.459-3800
Tech Museum of Innovation 408-294-8324 thetech.org
Steinbeck Museum, Salinas 775-4720

Free Music in the Summers!
Boardwalk Friday nights series - 426-7433 6pm/8pm all summer, bring a blanket & enjoy shows on the sand
Capitola Beach - Weds. 6pm starting late June
Cabrillo Music Festival Rehearsals 426-6966 - call for rehearsal schedule, free attendance for quiet audience
Stern Grove Sundays in the Park - San Francisco free concerts, 2pm but come early w. a picnic and layers of clothes - can be foggy or hot! Wonderful, diverse series of classical, world beat, jazz and multi-ethnic music etc. Website or call them for schedule.
Children’s Summer Programs:
The Santa Cruz Public Library 420-5720 has summer activities and rewards for reading etc. 420-5720 Go by and ask them about summer programs!
Central Branch - 224 Church Street 425-5700
Branciforte Library - 230 Gault Street 420-6330
Dial A Story 420-5780
See monthly publication “Growing Up in Santa Cruz” for more ideas!
Website www.santacruzkids.com has a section on summer programs of all kinds and costs

Other Ideas for Inexpensive Fun in Santa Cruz Area:
Bicycles - along West Cliff, Santa Cruz Yacht Harbor, Wilder Ranch, Waddell Creek - Wear those helmets!
Bus information - 425-8600 Ride the Bus to see somewhere new: Davenport or Bonny Doon (infrequent service) or Watsonville etc. ($1 one way / $3 day pass & under free. Also San Jose $2.25 / $4.50 RT)
CalTrain 800-660-4287 (to Palo Alto/San Francisco etc.)
Camping is less expensive than it used to be, but usually requires reservations well ahead for weekends, summers etc.800-444-7275
Gardens - Walk around the UCSC Arboretum and Farm, Jade Street Park Community Garden, Sierra Azul nursery(763-0939) or Roses of Yesterday and Today(728-1901) in Watsonville, etc.
Roller Rinks - Santa Cruz Roller Palladium 423-0844 Call for changes in hours and prices($3-5/person inc. skates or bring own clean ones) 1606 Seabright Ave.
Volunteer - As a Family or with your friends, you can help a community agency and be outdoors too, clean up a beach, or work w. the Sierra Club (426-4453) removing invasive/harmful plants, on a weekend morning etc.
Worldfamous Coastline: Take a drive to Point Lobos or Big Sur!

Special Interests

Airplanes Watsonville Airport watch small planes/snack or meal at Mexican restaurant/program for junior aviators. Day trip - Hiller Museum in San Carlos
Antiques Saturdays X of month, downtown flea/lots of antique stores in Soquel and throughout county - see yellow pages. Antique Soc. contact? Regular Flea Market - # Fri. Sat. Sun. Fee to enter, mix of junk and treasure
Art Galleries Santa Cruz Museum of Art, Santa Cruz Art League scal.org, UCSC galleries, and private galleries. Day trips to SF MOMA, and other San Francisco, San Jose, Monterey, Palo Alto galleries etc. See SF Chronicle Pink Pages etc.
Astronomy Club (inc. Class during year for Astronomy at Pinnacles through Cabrillo College.)
Bargains/Discounts/Yard Sales S.C. Sentinel and Great Exchange for listings of weekend yard sales etc.Flea Market Fri/Sat/Sun. at drive-in on Soquel Ave. Thrift Stores in Yellow Pages. Great Exchange is local buy/sell paper.
Basketball Hoops at Oceanview Park, Louden Nelson, ++
Birds Local Bird Club 457-8240 santacruzbirdclub.org. Great spots for sea birds - WestCliff, Wharf, Elkhorn Slough for migrating birds too, Neary’s Lagoon. Commonly seen: pelicans, gulls, cormorants, herons, egrets, blue jays, redwing blackbirds, etc.
Boats All shapes and sizes! S.C. Yacht Harbor # Free ride around harbor___.Weds. during summer, sailboats go out. Outrigger rowing teams leave from there too, Sundays near Crow’s Nest may be able to try joining a team for safe practice in harbor. Kayaks rent by the hour/day, not cheap. Loch Lomond 420-5320 for canoes, pedal boats & electric boats.
Books Wonderful new and used bookstores. Downtown: Bookshop Santa Cruz # & website and Logos # and Gateways 1018 Pacific 429-9600 (gatewaysbooks.com) and Herland#. Capitola Book Cafe# (capitolabookcafe.com) out at 41st Ave. Readings and special events are generally free.
Camping State Parks, private, and misc. 1-8--444-7273
Climbing Pacific Edge 454-9254 (not cheap..) Castle Rock for outdoor spot w. own gear and experience.
Dance Lots of workshops, classes, and performances - Cabrillo College, several studios downtown, etc. “Dance Jams” for freeform dance to New Age, world beat, oldies etc.
Drums Rhythm Fusion # for browsing/purchasing smallest to largest percussion instruments; also some classes. Union Grove # too. Drum circle out near Lighthouse Point on ?Sat. morns.
Ecology Sierra Club, Ecology Action, Save Our Shores, and lots more
Farmers’ Markets Weds. 2:30-6pm behind Logos Books; Saturday mornings at Cabrillo College near Aptos; Tuesday afternoons in Felton at church on Highway 9
Gardens UCSC Arboretum for Australian/African/local plantings including wonderful protea collection; UCSC Farm, and Garden - organic vegetables, fruit trees, unusual plants, educational leaflets. Docent-led tours 459-3248.To view and possibly buy plants: Nurseries include San Lorenzo, Bay West, Sierra Azul(2660 E. Lake Watsonville 763-0939) , Roses of Yesterday & Today(803 Brown’s Valley Rd. 724-3537) in Corralitos.
Gay/Lesbian/Bi/Trans Connections GLBT Center, #. Herland Bookstore, UCSC Center, Dakota and Blue Lagoon clubs, Women’s BiNet, etc. Gay Pride march and rally in early June. Gay Lesbian Sierrans w. hikes and camping.
Health Foods New Leaf, Staff of Life, Food Bin, Aptos Natural Foods.
Hiking Sierra Club’s publication Ventana 426-4453 / ventana.org. Get trail map from any local state park, can walk beside all stretches of railroad tracks throughout county - beware of trains! University has map of trails up there - can walk to Felton and take bus back or shorter trails.
History Santa Cruz History Museum. Mission. Wilder Ranch. Watsonville’s and Capitola’s museums. Best books: Margaret Koch’s. Native Americans, Spanish & Mission, Lumbering, Agriculture, 60’s, UCSC’s start, neighbor of Silicon Valley etc.
Horses Places to ride or observe horses...Big Basin Ranch (.com) Friendly Acres HMB 2 hrs. $40
Hot Tubs Well Within, Kiva, Heartwood for private or shared hottubs, also massage.
Kayaking $20-40/hr. to rent w.Venture Quest 427-2267/425-8445 (kayaksantacruz.com), AdventureSport 458-3648; Kayak Connection 413 Lake Ave. #4 479-1121 / Moss Landing 724-5692., other...Doubles are generally very stable for novices. Some prefer sitontops, but you’ll get wetter. If you have your own: Kirby Park near Elkhorn Slough - find out about tides for easier paddling; Yacht Harbor; group outings off wharf for full moon or Weds. eves w. Venturequest.
Libraries Santa Cruz Public Library system #s, inc. local history & genealogy collections, small branches w. individual flavor - Felton, La Selva and larger ones, downtown, Branciforte, Scotts Valley. UCSC. ETR. Felton/Watsonville. All can be joined.
Marine Wildlife Wonderfully varied and visible - end of Wharf, Lighthouse Point, Pleasure Point, Ano Nuevo, etc. Local Aquarium and expanded marine studies at Long’s/Seymour Marine Discovery Center, 459-3800 End of Delaware Ave., W. S.C.. For many visitors, the #1 out of town day trip they take is to Monterey Bay Aquarium in Monterey - costly but world class (886 Cannery Row, Monterey 648-4888). Combines well with picnicking/riding bikes/walking along coast there and in Pacific Grove, or driving to Point Lobos.
Massage Classes through local Parks & Rec. or Heartwood; Treat yourself at local spas.
Mountain Biking Wilder Ranch, Waddell Creek, Nisene Marks for mellow or strenuous options. Do not go on trails unless specifically allowed for bicycles. Erosion is a problem. Respect pedestrians by slowing down, especially around corners. They have right of way and you risk losing spots for bicycles unless you are very courteous.
Music Lots of music in Santa Cruz - Listening: cafes and clubs and street performers downtown and pricier concerts - Good Times, Metro, City on a Hill for schedules, also Cruzio website. Festivals and annual events via Visitors Bureau. Music Stores: Sylvan, Union Grove, Rhythm Fusion, Starving Musician etc.
Natural Healing Lots of practitioners, workshops, centers. Gateways Bookstore, yellow pages, Connections magazine - www.TheConnect.com 459-8820.
Radio Stations Wonderful cultural addition to this area: FM stations w. eclectic music: KZSC (UCSC), KUSP, KKUP, KBOQ(classical), KPIG, etc.
Skateboarding Small area at Frederick Street Park;
Spirituality/Meditation Retreat Centers: Newspaper: Bookshop: Yellow Pages. Unity Temple, Quaker Center/service; Unitarians; Baptist churches; Zen Center; Land of Medicine Buddha; Temple Beth El, etc.
Surfing Pleasure Point, Steamer’s Lane on Westcliff, etc.4 mile beach... Respectful, careful sharing of waves. Lessons via:
Swimming Ocean generally cold, a wetsuit or short dips unless you’re comfortable; pools: Simkins, Harvey West, the high schools, Highlands Park....Ben Lomond when the river is dammed. No swimming in Loch Lomond!
Tennis Neary’s Lagoon and across river from Boardwalk along EastCliff. &?
Trains Pricey outings on Roaring Camp Railroad 335-4484 (roaringcamprr.com) - summers Santa Cruz to Felton and back; year round, steam train in Felton. Can picnic and watch trains, just paying(?) for parking.Occasional special deals. AMTRAK 800-USARAIL. CALTRAIN 800-660-4287
Volleyball Bring your own net - beaches include E of Yacht Harbor, Seabright, Boardwalk, etc.
Volunteering Volunteer Bureau weekdays #. Sierra Club cleanups/invasive plant removal weekends #. Many other opportunities by contacting local nonprofits. Nice booklet about youth opportunities for volunteering:
Wildlife Native Animal Rescue; City Museum for display of animals for i.d.
Windsurfing
Women’s Connections La Gazette monthly newspaper; Herland Bookstore; Women’s studies classes at UCSC and Cabrillo College; Walnut Women’s Center (formerly YWCA) Women’s morning at hot tubs, Heartwood on Sundays.
Yoga Lots of classes and styles; Cabrillo College is a bargain if you live here; Kali Rae, Yoga Center, and many other classes inc. ones next to Post Office downtown.

Splurges
Whale Watch off boat
Elkhorn Slough Boat tour / rent a kayak
Monterey Bay Aquarium
Roaring Camp trains
Retreats/workshps at Mount Madonna Center
Rent E-bikes or bicycles
Massage &/or hot tub
Shakespeare Santa Cruz during summer/Xmas 459-2159.
Esalen workshop or stay overnight