We recently visited Santa Cruz , a city on the Central California coast, and WOW this city has so much to offer. From hiking, beautiful views, beaches, water sports and more, this city has it all. Santa Cruz is California’s original surf city thus surf culture is at its core, so you’ll find that this city has more a relaxed and laid back vibe. Exactly what you’re looking for a on a vacation. My husband recently started surfing so this seemed like the perfect time for us to check out what this city has to offer.
Capitola is a charming coastal town that sits just south of Santa Cruz. So we decided to hop down to Capitola as well while we were in the area.
We were staying in Carmel by the Sea, which is about a 45 minute drive from Santa Cruz, so we decided to make a day trip out of Santa Cruz, although you can definitely use Santa Cruz as a vacation destination and stay a few nights here.
Check out my Guide to Carmel by the Sea & Road Trip Guide: LA to Big Sur, if you plan on traveling the Central California Coast.
This guide is a dog friendly guide! We brought our pup, Olli, along for the ride. Luckily Santa Cruz is a very dog friendly city and has so many parks and landscapes to take your pup on fun adventures.
Below is a day trip itinerary with recommendations on what you can eat, see, and do while spending a day in Santa Cruz & Capitola!
Morning
Hike | Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park
As you head north in California you’ll start to hit more opportunities to explore into California’s magical Redwood forests. This is something that I have never experienced before so this was a must see on my list of things to do while staying in the California Central Coast. Unfortunately most state parks in California do not allow dogs on the trails, just in the campground and parking areas. Luckily, Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park has 2 trails that allows dogs on leash! The trail that we took was Pipeline Rd. which starts right at the corner of the main parking lot. The other dog friendly trail is the Graham Hill Trail.
Note it cost $10 USD to enter and park in this State park.
Our dog, Olli, is still learning to socialize with dogs so we came here fairly early around 8:30am to beat the crowd (the park opens at 8am). The Pipeline Rd. trail was a paved and easy hike, but still very fun because you cross some grand Redwood trees and a flowing creek. The trail starts wide but starts to narrow as you get about 1.5 miles in, it is an in and out trail, and has an overlook view of the forest when you get halfway through. All of the other trails are dirt paths with endless possibilities of exploration along the trails.
There are so many other hiking and walking opportunities to take your pup (or just yourself). Here are just a few in the Santa Cruz area:
–Big Basin Redwoods State Park
–Pogonip
–Arcata Community Forest
Explore | The Mystery Spot
Something that we were not able to visit due to COVID limitations was The Mystery Spot (not because it was not open, because reservations were fully booked). The Mystery spot is a gravitational anomaly where earth’s gravitational pull is basically pretty wonky. I saw videos about the experience and it seems like something you need to see for yourself!
If you plan on coming here in the near future, make sure to reserve your ticket online in advance. The tickets are $8 USD per person, but they are only accepting 14 people per tour to keep visitors safe.
Explore | Natural Bridges State Beach
Natural Bridges State Park, is exactly what it sounds like, a natural bridge off the shore of Santa Cruz! You can enter the State Park and enjoy a beach day by paying $10 USD to enter & park. Also, right before the toll, there is a vista point parking lot that you can pull into if you’re just coming here to check out the view. That is was we decided to do!
Explore | West Cliff Drive
From Natural Bridges State Park, you have to drive down West Cliff Drive! Make sure to park and take a walk along this road. It has the best views in Santa Cruz hands down. The beautiful cliffs that show how the ocean chipped away at the land is spectacular and the breeze on a sunny day is a refreshing experience. The stretch between Natural Bridges State park and the Santa Cruz Wharf is definitely the most beautiful landscape, don’t miss it!
Explore | Surfing Museum
Like I mentioned earlier, Santa Cruz is the birthplace of surfing in America. Learn about how a Hawaiian prince brought surfing to Santa Cruz by stopping at the Surfing Museum that is right on West Cliff Drive. It is closed right now due to COVID, but there is still some information about surfing history around this area. You also might see some cliff jumpers jumping here!
Explore | Santa Cruz Wharf
The Santa Cruz Wharf is just like any other tourist attraction. It is lined with bars and restaurants with “just okay” food. So if you’re looking for some good food I would save your appetite for downtown, but I do recommend visiting the Santa Cruz Wharf for one reason, the seals! You’ll see them playing in groups along the pier!
For this reason, I recommend that you do not spend the money by parking on the pier if you do not plan on eating here. It’s generally a day rate and we only spent about 20 minutes walking up and down the pier. We parked on the street where they conveniently have a parking app so it makes for an easy experience.
Other things to do on the pier is fishing, kayaking, and of course enjoying a beach day.
Afternoon
Eat | Charlie Hong Kong
Santa Cruz is well known for its street food culture, so you’ll find many tasty small eateries in this area. We decided to check out Charlie Hong Kong, a plant based asian inspired street food spot right outside of downtown Santa Cruz.
I ordered one of their specialties, Chow Mein, and my husband ordered the Sweet Tofu Rice Bowl. We took our lunch to go and ate at our next stop, Pleasure Point!
Explore | Pleasure Point
Pleasure Point is a small surf community located in an unincorporated area of Santa Cruz County. As I mentioned before, my husband has started to take on surfing and one of the best places to surf and watch surfing is at The Hook in Pleasure Point. We enjoyed eating our lunch while we looked out onto the ocean from the cliffside. We watched some surfing, and then headed down 41st Ave. to check out the shops and restaurants around Pleasure Point.
While walking down 41st Ave. we stopped into some surf shops. I was also craving some dessert after having lunch so we checked out The Penny Ice Creamery.
I ordered the double scoop with Tahitian Vanilla Bean & Coffee ice cream on a waffle cone. It was exactly what the Food Gods ordered. The perfect topping to our time in Santa Cruz.
If you haven’t eaten lunch by this point, not to worry, there are many places in Pleasure Point to grab a bite to eat. I heard that Pleasure Pizza is highly recommended and a local’s favorite!
Just a quick ride away, our final destination for our day trip to the Santa Cruz area was Capitola Village by the Sea.
Explore | Capitola Venetian Hotel
These picturesque hotel suites that sit right on the beach & ocean is what Capitola is most known for. The view of these buildings are reminiscent of something you can find off of the Mediterranean Sea. You can of course stay in one of these suites, but, let’s be honest, I came here for the view!
Photography Tips:
-Come here around sunrise or sunset. I came while the sun was right above the hotel so it was not an ideal lighting situation. The colors would be much more vibrant if the lighting was not so harsh.
-The best view of the front of the hotel is from the beach, but while these are private suites, you can actually walk through the hotel as well! Head over the bridge and enter through the gate. But remember, these are hotel accommodations so be considerate of the guests staying here.
Shop | Ethos – Low Waste Living
Ethos is a low-waste living shop providing household essentials in bulk and products that help support or kick start your low-waste living journey. We loved that they highlight local makers and artists in this store, definitely check it out if you come this way and support local!
I only scratched the surface of what Santa Cruz has to offer so feel free to take a day like us or a few days in this awesome California Coast town. You will not regret it!
If you are exploring more of the California Central Coast make sure to check out the guides below!
–Travel Guide: Carmel by the Sea
–Road Trip Guide: LA to Big Sur
