Guidebook for Santa Cruz

Daisy
Guidebook for Santa Cruz

Food Scene

Very good authentic Italian! Yummy seafood, great knocci…yummy polenta! Everything is delish!$$
125 místní doporučují
Lillian's Italian Kitchen
1148 Soquel Ave
125 místní doporučují
Very good authentic Italian! Yummy seafood, great knocci…yummy polenta! Everything is delish!$$
walking distance, fun atmosphere, not just a bar, their food is amazing!Awesome outdoor patio..pet friendly! Local brews & wine served!! Yummy fish n chips!
74 místní doporučují
Seabright Social
519 Seabright Ave
74 místní doporučují
walking distance, fun atmosphere, not just a bar, their food is amazing!Awesome outdoor patio..pet friendly! Local brews & wine served!! Yummy fish n chips!
best burgers and sweet potato fries in town. also walking distance!$
65 místní doporučují
Betty Burgers
505 Seabright Ave
65 místní doporučují
best burgers and sweet potato fries in town. also walking distance!$
one of the very breakfasts or lunch in all of Santa Cruz…get there early, or be prepared to wait, they're worth it! $
67 místní doporučují
Linda's Seabreeze Café
542 Seabright Ave
67 místní doporučují
one of the very breakfasts or lunch in all of Santa Cruz…get there early, or be prepared to wait, they're worth it! $
excellent prime rib, salads, and my favorite is the monterey cesar salad! Yum!!!$$
88 místní doporučují
Café Cruz
2621 41st Ave
88 místní doporučují
excellent prime rib, salads, and my favorite is the monterey cesar salad! Yum!!!$$
it's actually 1410 mission street, sc wonderful!$
79 místní doporučují
Cafe Brasil
1410 Mission St
79 místní doporučují
it's actually 1410 mission street, sc wonderful!$
Yummy Italian family owned restaurant...walking distance..reservations recommended! $$$
62 místní doporučují
La Posta
538 Seabright Ave
62 místní doporučují
Yummy Italian family owned restaurant...walking distance..reservations recommended! $$$
This is a MUST!!! Call ahead and make a reservation on their beautiful patio....You'll feel like you're dining in Italy somewhere...even though it's a mediterranean place...The trout is TO DIE FOR!$$
104 místní doporučují
Laili
101 Cooper St
104 místní doporučují
This is a MUST!!! Call ahead and make a reservation on their beautiful patio....You'll feel like you're dining in Italy somewhere...even though it's a mediterranean place...The trout is TO DIE FOR!$$
BEST SUSHI IN ALL OF SANTA CRUZ...HANDS DOWN!! ONLY THREE BLOCKS FROM OUR HOUSE!!!$$
54 místní doporučují
Akira Sushi
1222 Soquel Ave
54 místní doporučují
BEST SUSHI IN ALL OF SANTA CRUZ...HANDS DOWN!! ONLY THREE BLOCKS FROM OUR HOUSE!!!$$
Awesome authentic Italian pizza.. Walking distance, outdoor patio.$$
TRAMONTE ITALIAN RESTAURANT
528 Seabright Avenue
Awesome authentic Italian pizza.. Walking distance, outdoor patio.$$
Yum!
133 místní doporučují
The Buttery
702 Soquel Ave
133 místní doporučují
Yum!
Best Thai in santa cruz!
9 místní doporučují
Pacific Thai Santa Cruz
1319 Pacific Ave
9 místní doporučují
Best Thai in santa cruz!
Rated #1 brewery..walking distance from our place!!
15 místní doporučují
Sante Adairius Santa Cruz Portal
1315 Water St
15 místní doporučují
Rated #1 brewery..walking distance from our place!!
Awesome brewery and food!
94 místní doporučují
Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyard
334 Ingalls St
94 místní doporučují
Awesome brewery and food!
Dumpy neighborhood...Great beer!
8 místní doporučují
Shanty Shack Brewing
138 Fern St
8 místní doporučují
Dumpy neighborhood...Great beer!
Pet friendly..and great beer, great corn hole..great fun!!!
82 místní doporučují
Beer 30
2504 S Main St
82 místní doporučují
Pet friendly..and great beer, great corn hole..great fun!!!
Deeeeelicious wines!!!
6 místní doporučují
Storrs Winery
303 Potrero St
6 místní doporučují
Deeeeelicious wines!!!

Shopping

one of the best organic grocery stores in town, only three blocks away!
69 místní doporučují
Staff of Life
1266 Soquel Ave
69 místní doporučují
one of the best organic grocery stores in town, only three blocks away!
heart of downtown Santa Cruz. Everything is there!!! food, shops, lots to look at, movies, night clubs!!!
88 místní doporučují
Pacific Avenue
Pacific Avenue
88 místní doporučují
heart of downtown Santa Cruz. Everything is there!!! food, shops, lots to look at, movies, night clubs!!!
Super fun and only two blocks from the Cottage!!!
13 místní doporučují
Santa Cruz Roller Palladium
1606 Seabright Ave
13 místní doporučují
Super fun and only two blocks from the Cottage!!!
Just six miles away from Santa Cruz, Capitola is a picturesque beach town with a charming village atmosphere. This historic seaside resort has a great selection of restaurants, cafés, and boutiques. Tourists will enjoy spending a few hours here for a meal and shopping. The town is an especially inviting place for brunch on a sunny day because many of the restaurants and cafés have gorgeous views of the Monterey Bay. Shadowbrook Restaurant is an upscale restaurant with a unique tropical ambiance. An elevator takes guests down a mountain to enter the restaurant.
151 místní doporučují
Capitola
151 místní doporučují
Just six miles away from Santa Cruz, Capitola is a picturesque beach town with a charming village atmosphere. This historic seaside resort has a great selection of restaurants, cafés, and boutiques. Tourists will enjoy spending a few hours here for a meal and shopping. The town is an especially inviting place for brunch on a sunny day because many of the restaurants and cafés have gorgeous views of the Monterey Bay. Shadowbrook Restaurant is an upscale restaurant with a unique tropical ambiance. An elevator takes guests down a mountain to enter the restaurant.
Pick up some local shirts or stickers for someone special!
36 místní doporučují
O'Neill Surf Shop
110 Cooper St
36 místní doporučují
Pick up some local shirts or stickers for someone special!
Best Surf shop in Santa Cruz!! Awesome local designers!
27 místní doporučují
Pacific Wave
1502 Pacific Ave
27 místní doporučují
Best Surf shop in Santa Cruz!! Awesome local designers!

Essentials

a wide variety of ready made meals, plus everything else you could hope to find…and then some!
157 místní doporučují
Whole Foods Market
911 Soquel Ave
157 místní doporučují
a wide variety of ready made meals, plus everything else you could hope to find…and then some!

Everything Else

The very best family run grocery store in all of Santa Cruz county!!! They have the most friendly butchers, and such a wonderful selection of fresh locally grown produce, everything is top notch!
76 místní doporučují
Shopper's Corner
622 Soquel Ave
76 místní doporučují
The very best family run grocery store in all of Santa Cruz county!!! They have the most friendly butchers, and such a wonderful selection of fresh locally grown produce, everything is top notch!
A must if you're in the area!!! Especially the jellies exhibit!
668 místní doporučují
Akvárium Monterey Bay
886 Cannery Row
668 místní doporučují
A must if you're in the area!!! Especially the jellies exhibit!
acupuncture academy..sliding scale health, healers.
Five Branches University, Santa Cruz
200 7th Ave
acupuncture academy..sliding scale health, healers.
Yoga Institute.
6 místní doporučují
Ashtanga Yoga Institute at Pacific Cultural Center
1307 Seabright Ave
6 místní doporučují
Yoga Institute.
For more than 100 years, the Santa Cruz Wharf has been used as a fishing pier. It was constructed from 70-foot-long Douglas fir pilings driven 21 feet into the ocean floor. More than 2,000 feet in length, the wharf was built in 1914 to serve deep-water vessels. The original steamship dock and freight warehouse no longer exist. Nowadays, the pier is only used for recreational fishing and tourism. Visitors enjoy strolling the pier, taking in the serene views of the bay, and shopping at the boutiques. With several excellent fish restaurants, it's a great place to enjoy a fresh seafood meal. Birdwatching and sea lion viewing are other favorite pastimes. Sea lions make their home here year-round
143 místní doporučují
Přístaviště Santa Cruz
21 Municipal Wharf
143 místní doporučují
For more than 100 years, the Santa Cruz Wharf has been used as a fishing pier. It was constructed from 70-foot-long Douglas fir pilings driven 21 feet into the ocean floor. More than 2,000 feet in length, the wharf was built in 1914 to serve deep-water vessels. The original steamship dock and freight warehouse no longer exist. Nowadays, the pier is only used for recreational fishing and tourism. Visitors enjoy strolling the pier, taking in the serene views of the bay, and shopping at the boutiques. With several excellent fish restaurants, it's a great place to enjoy a fresh seafood meal. Birdwatching and sea lion viewing are other favorite pastimes. Sea lions make their home here year-round

Entertainment & Activities

wonderful, expansive beach. natural history museum across the street, with big grey whale statue to climb on.
59 místní doporučují
Seabright State Beach
59 místní doporučují
wonderful, expansive beach. natural history museum across the street, with big grey whale statue to climb on.
This famous amusement park, overlooking the sandy shores of Monterey Bay, has been delighting visitors since 1907. It's considered one of the best seaside amusement parks in the world because of its fantastic setting and historic roller coaster rides. The boardwalk is the most popular tourist destination in Santa Cruz and is especially popular with families. The biggest crowds turn out during the summer months (around June through September) for the exciting rides and fun-loving games. Be sure to go on the park's most famous roller coaster, the Giant Dipper, a wooden landmark built in 1924 that still has a thrilling effect plus panoramic ocean views. On a hot day, the Logger's Revenge ride!
745 místní doporučují
Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk Amusement Park
400 Beach St
745 místní doporučují
This famous amusement park, overlooking the sandy shores of Monterey Bay, has been delighting visitors since 1907. It's considered one of the best seaside amusement parks in the world because of its fantastic setting and historic roller coaster rides. The boardwalk is the most popular tourist destination in Santa Cruz and is especially popular with families. The biggest crowds turn out during the summer months (around June through September) for the exciting rides and fun-loving games. Be sure to go on the park's most famous roller coaster, the Giant Dipper, a wooden landmark built in 1924 that still has a thrilling effect plus panoramic ocean views. On a hot day, the Logger's Revenge ride!
Ride the steam train, or just go on a hike through Henry Cowell Redwoods!!! Visitors can take an old-fashioned steam train ride through the most scenic areas of Santa Cruz. The Roaring Camp Railroad based in nearby Felton offers two different routes on its 19th-century narrow-gauge steam train: the Redwood Forest Steam Train and the Santa Cruz Beach Train. The Redwood Forest Steam Train travels through soaring redwood groves, winding through the mountains to the top of Bear Mountain. During the journey, the conductor shares information about the forest and the history of Roaring Camp Railroad since it was created in the 1880s to haul lumber out of the mountains.Santa Cruz Beach Steam Train!
150 místní doporučují
Roaring Camp
5401 Graham Hill Rd
150 místní doporučují
Ride the steam train, or just go on a hike through Henry Cowell Redwoods!!! Visitors can take an old-fashioned steam train ride through the most scenic areas of Santa Cruz. The Roaring Camp Railroad based in nearby Felton offers two different routes on its 19th-century narrow-gauge steam train: the Redwood Forest Steam Train and the Santa Cruz Beach Train. The Redwood Forest Steam Train travels through soaring redwood groves, winding through the mountains to the top of Bear Mountain. During the journey, the conductor shares information about the forest and the history of Roaring Camp Railroad since it was created in the 1880s to haul lumber out of the mountains.Santa Cruz Beach Steam Train!
Lots of fun on a rainy day!
46 místní doporučují
Boardwalk Bowl
115 Cliff St
46 místní doporučují
Lots of fun on a rainy day!
FUN FUN FUN!!!
745 místní doporučují
Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk Amusement Park
400 Beach St
745 místní doporučují
FUN FUN FUN!!!
This surprising site needs to be seen to be believed. Just outside Santa Cruz, the Mystery Spot is a gravitational anomaly that makes visitors question the laws of physics. In a circular area of the redwood forest that is 46 meters in diameter, the normal effects of gravity do not apply. Objects and people appear to be tilted even when attempting to stand up straight. The effect is utterly puzzling, and no scientific theory has been able to explain the Mystery Spot since it was discovered in 1939. After pondering the scientific mysteries, visitors may go for a hike on the nearby trail that winds through the redwood trees. 465 Mystery Spot Road, Santa Cruz Official site: https://www.mystery
34 místní doporučují
Mystery Spot Road
Mystery Spot Road
34 místní doporučují
This surprising site needs to be seen to be believed. Just outside Santa Cruz, the Mystery Spot is a gravitational anomaly that makes visitors question the laws of physics. In a circular area of the redwood forest that is 46 meters in diameter, the normal effects of gravity do not apply. Objects and people appear to be tilted even when attempting to stand up straight. The effect is utterly puzzling, and no scientific theory has been able to explain the Mystery Spot since it was discovered in 1939. After pondering the scientific mysteries, visitors may go for a hike on the nearby trail that winds through the redwood trees. 465 Mystery Spot Road, Santa Cruz Official site: https://www.mystery
The Redwood Canopy Tours at Mount Hermon Adventures offers guests exciting eco-adventures into the redwood forest canopy.
18 místní doporučují
Redwood Canopy Tour
17 Conference Dr
18 místní doporučují
The Redwood Canopy Tours at Mount Hermon Adventures offers guests exciting eco-adventures into the redwood forest canopy.

Sightseeing

great eateries a stones throw from your towel and beach chair!
40 místní doporučují
Santa Cruz Harbor
135 5th Ave
40 místní doporučují
great eateries a stones throw from your towel and beach chair!
elephant seals and their pups, need to reserve in advance.
88 místní doporučují
Ano Nuevo State Park
88 místní doporučují
elephant seals and their pups, need to reserve in advance.
hiking and see the wild coast!
156 místní doporučují
Point Reyes Station
156 místní doporučují
hiking and see the wild coast!
mountain bike riding, hiking,….hike to the epicenter of the '89 earthquake. visit the tall redwoods and relax!
272 místní doporučují
Státní park Les Nisene Marks
Aptos Creek Road
272 místní doporučují
mountain bike riding, hiking,….hike to the epicenter of the '89 earthquake. visit the tall redwoods and relax!
Big Sur Coastline
PARADISE!
Also visit the Surf Museum.. For a breathtaking scenic walk or bike ride, head to West Cliff Drive. A six-mile pathway hugs the coastline and travels a scenic route with sensational panoramas of the cliff-fringed Pacific Ocean. The completely flat, wheelchair-accessible path along the road is designed for walking and cycling. Benches positioned at scenic spots invite passersby to sit back and soak up the panoramas of undulating deep blue seas as seagulls soar above and flocks of pelicans hover near the water. This picturesque section of the Monterey Bay is popular with surfers. A bronze surfer statue is found along the path and a tiny Surfing Museum (the world's first surfing museum) is hous
193 místní doporučují
West Cliff Drive
West Cliff Drive
193 místní doporučují
Also visit the Surf Museum.. For a breathtaking scenic walk or bike ride, head to West Cliff Drive. A six-mile pathway hugs the coastline and travels a scenic route with sensational panoramas of the cliff-fringed Pacific Ocean. The completely flat, wheelchair-accessible path along the road is designed for walking and cycling. Benches positioned at scenic spots invite passersby to sit back and soak up the panoramas of undulating deep blue seas as seagulls soar above and flocks of pelicans hover near the water. This picturesque section of the Monterey Bay is popular with surfers. A bronze surfer statue is found along the path and a tiny Surfing Museum (the world's first surfing museum) is hous

Arts & Culture

live music!
52 místní doporučují
Rio Theatre
1205 Soquel Ave
52 místní doporučují
live music!
oldest movie house in Santa Cruz, large screens, locally owned and run.
51 místní doporučují
Del Mar Theater
1124 Pacific Ave
51 místní doporučují
oldest movie house in Santa Cruz, large screens, locally owned and run.
What could be better?…Redwoods, hiking, and an old fashioned steam train!!! You can ride it to or from the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk!!!
335 místní doporučují
Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park
101 N Big Trees Park Rd
335 místní doporučují
What could be better?…Redwoods, hiking, and an old fashioned steam train!!! You can ride it to or from the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk!!!
Climb on the whale out front, and explore our local natural history. Definitely worth a trip!!!
50 místní doporučují
Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History
1305 E Cliff Dr
50 místní doporučují
Climb on the whale out front, and explore our local natural history. Definitely worth a trip!!!
Near Natural Bridges State Park, the Seymour Marine Center features a fascinating aquarium, shark pool, and touch pool filled with starfish, sea urchins, hermit crabs, and sea anemones. The Exhibit Hall educates visitors about oceanic research as well as topics such as elephant seal behavior and the sea otters' ecosystem. Address: 100 Shaffer Road, Santa Cruz Official site: http://seymourcenter.ucsc.edu
80 místní doporučují
Seymour Marine Discovery Center
100 McAllister Way
80 místní doporučují
Near Natural Bridges State Park, the Seymour Marine Center features a fascinating aquarium, shark pool, and touch pool filled with starfish, sea urchins, hermit crabs, and sea anemones. The Exhibit Hall educates visitors about oceanic research as well as topics such as elephant seal behavior and the sea otters' ecosystem. Address: 100 Shaffer Road, Santa Cruz Official site: http://seymourcenter.ucsc.edu