What to do in Santa Cruz, CA?
 

We'll be spending the day there, but not the night b/c we'll be staying at the home of our BIL. But, never having been there, are there must sees, must eats in Santa Cruz or the surrounding area?

I am really looking forward to seeing the area. Always love to discover something new. We will have two teenage kids with us. Thanks in advance.

Have you been to Vencie Beach? I thought they were very similar. We were there only briefly one morning but loved the boardwalk, it was definitly fun for people watching! Water is way too cold to swim, but your teens will love it! ;)

Roxy, our turn_it_on girl will likely have lots of helpful info for you!

With 1 day, I would focus on the boardwalk, the beach, and the wharf.

The boardwalk is great with rides, arcades, and food. The Giant Dipper rollercoaster celebrates it's 80th birthday this year.

The wharf has some great views, tourist shops, and restaurants. We like Stagnaros. My family used to go to Gilda's a lot, both are owned by the same family. Now we go to Stagnaros when we go out there.

The lighthouse at Steamer's Lane has a nice surf museum. Steamers is a spot right off the lighthouse on West Cliff Drive where you can see some world class surfing if the tides are good. Another good place is called Pleasure Point at the end of 32nd Ave, I think it is.

Is the train still running? There was a train from the beach/boarwalk into the redwoods. Your teens may enjoy an open air ride.

You could drive over to Big Basin and walk among the towering redwoods.

Teenagers will most likely enjoy the Boardwalk. If that's the area of Santa Cruz that you are going to then I'd also take a walk along West Cliff Drive and check ou the surfers and the surfing museum like J Correa suggested. Stagnaro's is also my favorite restaurant on the wharf.

You might want to head south for dinner and go to the Crows Nest at the yacht harbor for dinner, they have beautiful views and it's fun to watch the boats going by. Or you might want to try Capitola for dinner. There are a ton of restaurants lining the water. Paradise Grill is good, another good place is the the Lido Cafe. If you are looking for an extra special evening the you should try the Shadowbrook. It's the most beautiful and romantic restaurant that I know of. It's on the Soquel Creek and you can either take a little cable car to get to it or walk down a flowered plath.

Another vote for Stagnaros -- delicious seafood. On the Boardwalk, don't miss the carousel -- ride it and grab the brass rings and try to throw them in the clown's nose. It's more fun than you can imagine.
For carnival food, try to caramel apple sundaes or the Gilroy garlic fries.

There's also a cheesy "Mystery Spot" outside of town that my teens enjoyed.

They will enjoy the Boardwalk, the Big Dipper is really fun. We were there awhile back, and I could not stand the Stagnaro's where we ate.

I've heard The Crow's Nest is much better. Do they like to swim in the ocean? There's some great waves for boogey-boarding and surfing!! Have fun!! ***kim*** :)

Thanks all for the tips. UMMMM, garlic fries. Now that sounds awesome.

Where is Capitola from Santa Cruz and is there anything there to see?

We also plan to see the college there. Is that near the boardwalk?

Everything in Santa Cruz is pretty close to everything else. It's not really a very big place. UCSC is probably a 10 minute drive from the Boardwalk without traffic. If it's a weekend day, the beach traffic could add another 15-25 minutes. Cabrillo College is in Aptos, which is on the other side of Capitola - probably a 15 minute drive from the Boardwalk.

Capitola is the next town down the coast from Santa Cruz - they pretty much run into each other and sometimes it's hard to know where the border is. Capitola Village is a cute area on the beach with shops and casual restaurants.