5 Best Beaches and Beachfront Attractions in Santa Cruz, CA

Published on: 11 October 2018 Last Updated on: 31 October 2024
Best Beaches

California is home to some of the world’s most popular beaches, and on California’s coastline, you’ll find one of its best beach towns, Santa Cruz. Santa Cruz is is a city along the Monterey Bay that provides beach-goers with an endless array of activities and attractions. If you’re planning a trip to Santa Cruz, California, consider visiting some of these beaches and beachfront attractions.

Natural Bridges State Beach:

Natural Bridges State Beach is hands down one of the most beautiful beaches in Santa Cruz. Whereas other beaches have become overrun with bars, restaurants, and other attractions, Natural Bridges State Beach has preserved its austere grandeur. It’s also a California state park with biking and hiking trails, picnic areas, tidepools, and is known for its Monarch Grove — a temporary home for Monarch Butterflies in the winter.

Santa Cruz Main Beach:

Santa Cruz’s Main Beach is a popular stop for tourists and locals alike. It’s close to Santa Cruz’s most popular hotels, restaurants, nightclubs, and of course, the Boardwalk. Main Beach runs from the San Lorenzo River to the Santa Cruz Wharf, which is a large wooden pier with dining, shopping, and entertainment options. Even though Main Beach is one of the largest beaches in Santa Cruz, it quickly becomes crowded because of the many attractions surrounding it — so be sure to get there early for a great spot!

Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk:

CA

Image via Flickr by sneedy

Adjacent to Main Beach in Santa Cruz’s most popular beachfront attraction — the Boardwalk. After you’ve finished basking in the sun at the beach, explore the Boardwalk. From roller coasters and family rides to arcades and games of skill, the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk has a multitude of activities for kids and adults. The Boardwalk is free, but you’ll need to purchase tickets if you want to ride any of the attractions or play any of the games.

Santa Cruz Surfing Museum:

Santa Cruz is a surf town. It’s also home to the Santa Cruz Surfing Museum, which is an excellent activity for those looking to get out of the sun for a few hours. It overlooks Steamer Lane, which is a world-famous surfing hotspot in Santa Cruz. The museum features surfing photos, artifacts, surfboards, and other relevant paraphernalia.

Mitchell’s Cove Beach:

If you’re traveling with your four-legged-friends, then you may want to block off some time to visit Mitchell’s Cove Beach. This public beach is dog-friendly with designated off-leash hours after 4 PM and before 10 AM. It’s in a slightly more secluded area which means it’s less crowded than a lot of other beaches in Santa Cruz. As a result, Mitchell’s Cove Beach is the perfect spot to relax and unwind while on your vacation.

A trip to Santa Cruz would not be complete without visiting the beach or seeing some of the popular beachfront attractions in this coastal city. From tourist-traps like Santa Cruz’s Main Beach to more secluded gems like the Natural Bridges State Beach, you’ll have plenty of beach options. When you’ve grown tired of the white sand and crashing waves, you can explore some of the surrounding attractions like the Boardwalk, Wharf Pier, and Surfing Museum.

Read Also:

Content Rally wrapped around an online publication where you can publish your own intellectuals. It is a publishing platform designed to make great stories by content creators. This is your era, your place to be online. So come forward share your views, thoughts and ideas via Content Rally.

View all posts

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related

Pripyat tour

Nuclear excursion and Pripyat tours as the chance to feel the spirit of the past

The exclusion zone is undisputedly a symbol of legal nuclear tourism and the destination goal that satisfies not only the interest of gamers and lovers of extreme journeys but also becomes a new way to understand the causes and consequences of the worst nuclear accident in human history. Why is this type of tourism considered the most extravagant and not comparable to anything else? The thing is that going on a Pripyat tour is not the same as, for example, having a seaside journey or an excursion to the Eiffel Tower. Chernobyl is a kind of open-air museum that presents to humanity the ruinous power of the atom. Pripyat tours are a chance to see an almost deserted territory, an empty ghost town, Soviet architecture, wild animals, and the world-famous power plant with a new shelter above power unit 4 known as the new safe confinement. Famous sites every tourist must-see during Pripyat tour Palace of Culture Energetik. It is one of the brightest symbols of the zone that played an important role in the cultural and educational life of Pripyat residents. Now, this abandoned building is just a reminder of the peaceful communistic past. Ferris Wheel. An amusement-park that supposed to be the main entertainment for people, today is a silent symbol of unfulfilled dreams. Apartments of Pripyat residents. Plundered by marauders, empty and unfriendly buildings in the past were someone's home. Here, it is possible to find a forgotten doll on the floor, newspaper, or a book on dusty shelves. Unfortunately, all things that had some value were taken out and sold. Be careful, tourists also are not allowed even to touch such things or take them as souvenirs. Duga or Chernobyl-2. Also, during the official Pripyat tour, you will see the most impressive secret objects of the Soviet military program — the Duga radar station for the detection of intercontinental ballistic missile launches. It is an impressively big construction with huge antennas. And nearby, there was even a military town for its maintenance that was hidden from ordinary people. But today, anyone has an opportunity to explore USSR secrets. Factory Jupiter. According to legends, the factory operated for the defense industry of the USSR. However, officially, Jupiter workers were engaged in the production of electrical components for tape recorders. It is still unclear what was manufactured there for real. Of course, due to the high levels of radiation and the fact that in the basement of the factory there was a laboratory in which research on the radiation effects was carried out, you will not be able to get inside. But many stalkers are not afraid of being irradiated. Therefore, you can discover the building from the inside on the YouTube channels of illegal zone guests. Why should you visit Pripyat and Chernobyl right now? Chernobyl tourism performs an educational function of spreading knowledge about the Chernobyl disaster. Also, it is a platform for studying accident aftermath, how to overcome explosion consequences, how to deal with radioactive waste, and what is the impact of atom on nature and animals. Don’t miss your life-time chance to visit Pripyat and Chernobyl using the help of professional trip organizers Trips-to-Chernobyl. The agency will take care of your safety and comfort and will ensure an unforgettable journey to the past. Read Also: 5 Irresistible Reasons to Embark on a Golden Triangle Tour Plan The Perfect Road Trip Getting Ready for a Trip to Costa Rica

READ MOREDetails
Haridwar- The pilgrimage site surrounded by pristine getaways

Haridwar- The pilgrimage site surrounded by pristine getaways

Haridwar is often called the gateway to the Hindu pilgrimage sites of the Char Dhams and draws a large number of travelers due to its stunning mountains, rivers and old temples. You can either go for a Delhi to Haridwar taxi or you can reserve your seat in the bus for the amazing journey to this holiest place. Gracefully located at the place where the Ganges rises from the Himalaya, Haridwar is Uttarakhand’s most divine Hindu city, and devotees arrive here in the throng to bathe in the serenity of fast-flowing Ganges. The sheer number of people associating around Har-ki-Pairi Ghat give Haridwar a helter-skelter but reverential feeling. Within the religious hierarchy of India, Haridwar is much more compelling than Rishikesh, an hour further north, and every evening the river comes alive with fulgurating flames as floating offerings are discharged onto the Ganges. It's particularly busy during the yatra season from May to October and is the spot of the annual Magh Mela spiritual festival. During the time of the festival, many visitors take Delhi to Haridwar taxi to come and enjoy the fresh air of Haridwar. Haridwar’s prime street is Railway Rd, becoming Upper Rd, which rushes corresponding to the Ganges canal. Generally, only rickshaws are allowed between Lalta Rao Bridge and Bhimgoda Jhula and Lalta Rao bridge, so vehicles ride around the opposite bank of the river. The pathways of Bara Bazaar are at the south of Har-ki-Pauri Ghat. Har-ki-Pauri Ghat Har-ki-Pauri which means “The Footstep of God” is where Lord Vishnu is said to have shoved some divine nectar and left a footprint behind it. Every eve hundreds of devotees gather for the Ganga aarti. Officials are there in blue uniforms to collect donations and, as the sun goes down, bells ring out in a swing, torches are burnt, and leaf baskets with flower petals inside and a candle on top are lit and placed on the river to flow away downstream. Tourists can blend with the crowd to experience the customs of an age-old religion that still retains its power in the contemporary age. If you want to make a donation, it's best to give to a professional collector. The best times to visit the ghat are dawn or just before dusk. Chandi Devi Temple Chandi Devi Temple was constructed in 1929 by Raja Suchet Singh of Kashmir. Many pilgrims and tourists combine this with a cable car to the jam-packed hilltop temple of Mansa Devi known as a wish-fulfilling goddess. At Mansa Devi, you can ride on both cable cars or take an AC coach between the two temples. Mansa Devi Temple Take the cable car to the throng hilltop temple of Mansa Devi, a wish-fulfilling goddess. The path to the cable car is placed with stalls selling packages of prasad to take up to the goddess on the top of the hill. You can walk up 1.5 km but beware of prasad -stealing monkeys. Photography is banned in the temple. You can reach this place 5 hours as  Delhi to Haridwar distance is 204 km. Read More:  A Visit To Darjeeling Is All You Need This Vacation Planning For A Religious Tour? How About The Birthplace Of Lord Rama, Ayodhya? How About A Royal Visit To The Magnificent Mysore Palace?  

READ MOREDetails
slider-img

The Mouthwatering Foodie Tour to Mumbai

Savouring delicious food hits the list of every traveller who loves to gorge on good food. People do turn out to be travellers to witness the beauty of places, their culture and customs. Some even travel to discover the best of them, whereas some travel to taste the popular food of particular places. If you are one of such an avid traveller cum foodie, then indulge yourself in a gastronomic tour to the City of Dreams, Mumbai, and amaze yourself exploring the eating side of Mumbai. And wy to wonder about how to reach there? Where there is will, there is a way. You can check for a number of flights which land up in Mumbai and run from there. Chennai to Mumbai flights are quite ubiquitous, along with Delhi to Mumbai ones. There are also flights from every major city of India, and not only flights, if you are looking for a budget tour, then hop into a train which leads to Mumbai. There are several which run every day. So, choose the best mode which suits your pocket. Also, one can enjoy the bus or the car ride, and look for the taxi service which is available from all the nearby cities of Mumbai, like Pune, Nashik etc. So, once you reach Mumbai, make haste to devour the creme de la creme dishes of the place, and satiate your stomachs like never before. Here is a list of the categories you must go through while looking for food in Mumbai. SeaFood The Arabian Sea which embraces the land of Mumbai makes it a perfect paradise for seafood. Goan, Malwani and Mangalorean are the major Seafood types available in Mumbai. Savour the best seafood at Mahesh Lunch Home, which serves the creme de la creme Mangalorean food, of which ladyfish and pomfret are their signature dishes. Trishna is another popular place which served the best Hyderabadi fish tikka, crab delicacies and variants of jumbo prawns with green chillies and pepper sauce. The place is quite expensive, but who minds shelling out some bucks for a perfect feast of these scrumptious dishes! Soul Fry serves delicious prawns and Goan crab curries, that one can wolf down an entire meal. Try it out yourself. Desserts Experience the sweetness of Mumbai devouring its sweets and desserts. All those you have a sweet tooth, this is something which can elate them. The popular dessert here is the jalebis. Sold at every sweet shop dotted in Mumbai’s nook and corner, the mouthwatering, sugar soaked jalebis are the perfect sweet to complete a meal. Try out the best kulfis of the country at the New Kulfi Centre at the Chowpatty Beach, which serves a wide variety of yummy kulfis, like saffron, pistachio and mango. And it’s a sin to leave Mumbai without gorging on the famous faloodas at Badshah Snacks and Drinks. Street Food Mumbai’s street food is the most sought for throughout India. From spicy and scrumptious chaat and pav bhaji to bhel puri, samosa and vada pav, even the sight of these foods would leave you drooling. Try these lip smacking dishes and make your Mumbai trip memorable. Read More: 5 Irresistible Reasons To Embark On A Golden Triangle Tour Planning For A Religious Tour? How About The Birthplace Of Lord Rama, Ayodhya?

READ MOREDetails