Vacation rentals in Santa Cruz Beach

Known for its world-class surfing along the shores of the Pacific Ocean, Santa Cruz has 29 miles of coastline and soft sand beaches — each with its own unique vibe. The beautiful sandstone arches of Natural Bridges State Beach are the perfect place to picnic while watching migrating whales crest the glimmering waves of the Pacific Ocean. Lighthouse Field State Beach (also known as Its Beach) is an ideal spot to watch surfers catching the waves at Steamer Lane — or pop into the Santa Cruz Surfing Museum.

The Main Beach is by far the most popular in Santa Cruz, housing volleyball courts, beachfront dining, and the iconic Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. The Boardwalk is California’s oldest amusement park, complete with hundreds of carnival games and a century-old wooden roller coaster. The sounds of sea lions barking on the rocks fill the air on the nearby wharf, where you can take a stroll down the longest wooden pier in the United States.

Just south of Santa Cruz, Capitola Beach’s rainbow of angular, vibrant houses makes the area feel like a serene Mediterranean villa.

Santa Cruz’s location on the Pacific Ocean means mild and temperate weather year-round. Though the temperatures dip a bit during the winter months, it’s still warm enough to walk the trails of Natural Bridges State Beach and admire the moving orange and black clouds of Monarch butterflies that migrate to the region from October through February. Summer brings the warmest weather, though it never gets too hot or humid, and this is when the city sees the most visitors. Bring layers, though, for the morning fog that settles in the area.

The first major event of the year in Santa Cruz is the Clam Chowder cook-off in February, where local chefs dressed in eccentric outfits compete to make the best chowder while attendees sample the goods. Car enthusiasts flock to the city in June when 200 wood-bodied vintage cars are showcased during the Woodies on the Wharf event. When the weather cools down come November, surfers from around the globe make their way to Steamer Lane to compete in one of the biggest surfing competitions in California.

Santa Cruz Surfing Museum

Located in the Mark Abbott Memorial Lighthouse overlooking Steamer Lane, the Santa Cruz Surfing Museum is a living record of the beach’s connection to the sport. The museum has exhibits that feature a century’s worth of pictures, videos, and surfing memorabilia, and you can learn about the early origins of surfing in ancient Hawaii up to modern-day developments.

Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk

Built in 1907, this beloved landmark contains two century-old rides that’ve been designated as national landmarks, one of which was featured in a popular ‘80s movie about vampires. With two arcades, a two-story mini-golf course, and free Friday night concerts on the beach, the boardwalk is a great way to spend an afternoon or evening at the beach.

Roaring Camp

Ride some of the oldest and best preserved narrow-gauge steam engine trains still in use at Roaring Camp, where locomotives snake under towering canopies of Redwood trees in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Roaring Camp’s 19th century locomotives travel through forest groves to the summit of Bear Mountain or through Henry Cowell State Park to the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk while guides share insight into the history of the railroad and the surrounding area. Roaring Camp is located in Felton, a beautiful little woodsy town less than ten miles from Santa Cruz with great options for dining — and for sampling the brewing scene that’s put this region on the map with beer lovers.