13 Things to do in Santa Cruz: Beaches, Parks, Chocolate & Roller Coasters

Just went last week to Henry Cowell and the lady at the parking booth actually said my parking pass for the day would grant me parking access to all 6 of the State Parks in that area! Neat cuz they're pretty close to each other and don't take to long to get the gist of!

Love this vid, looking forward exploring some of the spots

I have been wanting to visit Santa Cruz for years now and I will admit, it is due to one of my favourite films and the Mystery spot. But I have slowly been finding more and more reasons to want to go and your video just added even more! 😁 Definitely need to go now!

as someone who has lived there whole life there pizza my hart is the beat thing in ever:)

How’s the weather in October?

Thank you so much for the wonderful info ! Very valuable for a short trip ! Appreciate 👍

If you have a dog, Mitchell's Cove Beach (roughly between Steamer Lane and Natural Bridges ust off West Cliff Dr.) is a great place to take them in the morning and early evening. Most people may say you can let your dog off leash here any time, but I think technically you're only supposed to do it before 10 AM and after 4 PM (to sunset). I also recommend the many nice Bed & Breakfast places, especially the ones in restored old houses.

As for food, there are some great local places like Zachary's Restaurant for breakfast thru lunch, Hula's Island Grill (technically this is a small chain from Hawaii) for great Hawaiian food for lunch and dinner except on Mon/Tue (dinner only?), El Palomar for mexican food, Riva Fish House is good for on the wharf (if not as iconic as Stagnaro's), and Avanti on Mission is great for outdoor dining. I also second Zoccoli's Deli that has been mentioned by some other folks.

Lived in Santa cruz 2 years, best time of my life

No chocolate, allergic

Man this video was great. Don't forget to mention all the shirtless surfer guys walking around next time. The shirtless surfer guys is the only reason I love this place! Nice job though!

Pacific Cookie Company is all about goodness!

You forgot to add the vast amount of homeless people, criminals, open drug sales and usage that have taken over the entire city. The place is a disgusting dump of town

Tron legacy 3d on IMAX was actually really good but I've hated every other 3d film

That was awesome having lived in Santa Cruz n my kid's still there u missed Brookdale lodge in bolder creek n lock lomand n mount Madonna in watsonville n mount herman atop summit road all in Santa Cruz county tks

When i was in Santa Cruz we hiked up in the mountains near Bonnie Dune. There was this area with carved sandstone that was magical and fantastic.

Thanks so much for this

home of o'neill

How about doing meth and going to aa meetings. Yup pretty much sums it up.

Funny. 2400 mile road trips see me alone in the dark under Santa Cruz County.
Expanding my exploration into what none of my species have trod. To start I'd
suggest the coastal sea caves until discovering one with a doorway. Caution:
I have heard barking seals inside..

I live in Santa Cruz

Excellent video. Thank you.

Thanks for the video. I miss that place. I live in Scotts Valley from 1986 to 1993 but continued to visit until my mom passed in 2014. She practically lived at Henry Cowell park. It was her favorite place. The only place that I haven't seen recommended by others is Mackenzie's Chocolates. It's a tiny shop but it's been there for several generations. Seeing all of that made me smile!

BRANDON IS WORKING HARD ON THE "BUILD BACK BROKE" PROGRAM SO PRICES HAVE RISEN !

This place, looks awesome!✌️🙏✨🎉🤗❤️

Awesome places to visit. Thank you so much

Lovely videos. a soothing voice and cool personality u got there. It would be great if u can include the map and the distances from a common point. Thanks

Santa Cruz was one of my second homes ( besides Half Moon Bay and Sonoma County) as a child. The beaches in Santa Cruz, Monterey and Pacific Grove are unsurpassed ( you can throw in Pebble Beach in Carmel as well into this mix).

i live in santa cruz and i checked out all of these places i recomend all of these places

Thanks for mentioning about the parking. That helps to know before going to some of these places.

I lived with my parents at lighthouse for 40 years after 15 years in torrance. I get a bsme from long beach and my dad throws away stuff. sent me reeling real bad. jobs fell off real bad. The city budget was at 234 million a year. epa budget. I did 20 years of crv. Cold air 10 months every year. cold house with windows. obama stopped bank interest. 190 miles downwind I know where that cold breeze is from. 90's here. pods thieves from rutledge moving struck.

Wilder ranch is one of my favorites spots in California 😍

Hello, I lived in Santa Cruz from 1976 till 1990! Lived right off West Cliff drive on Oxford Way! So cool to see these videos now and a little old lady! Thank you so much for them!

Beatyful Santa cruz

In addition to the arboretum, I would suggest taking a lap around the UCSC in the car while you’re up there. The campus basically runs in a circle and there’s only two ways in and out of main campus by car. Its a truly unique university, unlike any other college in the U.S.

You did well with the more wholesome activities. But if imbibing is on the agenda, then an urban wine tasting on the west side or a beer tour through the excellent local breweries would have been good additions to the video.

my hometown (Westside represent !!) ,... I'd recommend the UCSC fire trails (not too many people walk them), Crow's Nest, Shadowbrook restaurants and Zoccoli's Deli,... and just for local fun, a visit to Shopper's Corner.

I love that place on the wharf

If your going to visit please respect the town, pack your trash and don’t be a kook thank you.

You forgot marianne's ice cream

I recommend to anyone new to Santa Cruz to look up “Santa Merida/the weekly dump it’s a blog that was going on for over five years posted weekly. I’m surprised no one here is mentioning the mass amounts of drug addicts and criminals just roaming around 24/7. Im also surprised that there not a public service announcement that warns tourists and students that this town is dangerous and is a “sanctuary city” that means criminals and drug addicts are not punished for Doing ANY CRIMES.

Great job doing this video! My daughter and son in law run a church in Santa Cruz. I didn’t know about that chocolate shop so I need to plan a short trip soon🙂

Here's something you may wish to include for family fun: the long Marine Lab

Awesome presentation and great information Thank you for sharing One thing to mention near Natural bridges is the butterfly seasonal migration on Monarch trail

Spot on video

The wharf is awesome!!

What about the Eastside. Your list is lacking.

Your videos are amazing. The best ice cream store in Santa Cruz is Mary Ann's, with 105 different flavors!!

As someone born and raised in Santa Cruz I wanna thank you for making this video it made me happy to see some of the small businesses getting recognized and the recommendations for some of our cool places we like to go in our free time

The Dolphin is better than Stagnero's. And you didn't tell folx where to buy their speedballs?! Haha!!