Santa Cruz City Guide: Hiking, Restaurants, Beaches & Museums

Santa Cruz is a fun coastal city on the northern part of Monterey Bay. It is a popular destination for those that live in San Jose to visit, and it has lots of history, beautiful beaches, and fantastic restaurants. While I have only been able to spend a little time in the city, I have explored enough to know that Santa Cruz is a place you want to visit. Here are some of my favorite places in the city. Let me know what I left off in the comments.

Activites & Adventures

Santa Cruz is known for the boardwalk and the Mystery Spot. Both of them are fantastic adventures you can have in the city, but there are many other places worth exploring as well. Here are some of my favorite activities and experiences you can have in Santa Cruz.

State Parks

There are a surprising amount of California State Parks that are in the Santa Cruz area. These parks protect beautiful beaches, historic sunken ships, and even some coastal redwoods. Here are some of my favorite state parks in the Santa Cruz area.

Restaurants

Of course, Santa Cruz is also full of unique places to eat. In comparison, there are quick spots like Pizza My Heart and The Penny Ice Creamery, and there are also excellent sit down locations like Lillian’s Italian Kitchen. You can read all about my favorite places by clicking the image below.