Santa Cruz is a beautiful place to visit.

From the many beaches tucked amongst coves along its coast to lots of walk-up restaurants to fuel your beach adventures, Santa Cruz is both for the young at heart and old in spirit.

I’ve visited Santa Cruz countless times due to growing up with a surfer dad. Each weekend when he was off work, we would pile into a retro green Volkswagen Type 2 bus with flower curtains and make the two-and-a-half-hour journey to Santa Cruz.

Recently I had the urge to book another trip to visit Santa Cruz made it happen. And guess what? We stopped halfway while driving a found a hidden gem. Hap Magee Ranch Park! The park is tucked into the country-suburban streets of Danville with a vast play area for kids, a gigantic grassy area, and a fantastic Magee Ranch Canine corral dog park. This is a fabulous spot to stretch your legs and take a bathroom break!

Santa Cruz Food Places & Restaurants

Now that I’m older, it’s fun to go back to Santa Cruz again and again and experience more that the unique city has to offer. When traveling, I like to go on walks, eat, and visit notable sites, so there’s always something to see or eat in Santa Cruz or even in cities nearby like Capitola and Monterey.

On our recent visit to Santa Cruz, food seemed to be the most crucial topic of worship for the moment — so we ate our fill across the town.

Here are a few of the notable food joints we stopped at:

  • Marianne’s Ice Cream — Well, you can’t visit Santa Cruz without stopping by Marianne’s Ice Cream and getting a taste for one, or a few, of their 105 flavors. It’s a bonanza in this place for anyone that loves a good ice cream cone! 50/50, 1020, caramel fudge crunch, mint chip, and nutty bananas are some flavors of note that I highly recommend.
  • Pizza My Heart — Inbetween meals, as a “second lunch” late in the day, we stopped by Pizza My Heart in downtown for a slice and beer. It’s easy to quickly walk up to the counter and order a slice or two from the pre-made pie selection or request a whole pie all to yourself.
  • The Picnic Basket — A new place we tried while visiting Santa Cruz is The Picnic Basket. They have amazing sandwiches and sit right across the street from the Santa Cruz beach boardwalk and Santa Cruz Wharf. We tried their smoked turkey sandwich and ham and blue brie baguette. An added bonus? A cup of dog turkey for our pomeranian! We were able to sit in their roadside patio area with our dog and then continue our walk along the boardwalk.
  • Lillian’s Italian Kitchen — Another unique and notable restaurant visit was Lillian’s Italian Kitchen in Santa Cruz. It’s a cozy restaurant featuring traditional Sicilian recipes and regional wines. Their meatballs were absolutely sublime!
  • Pacific Thai — On a late night, we dropped by Pacific Thai in downtown Santa Cruz for a few bites. We ordered yellow curry, fried spring rolls, shrimp rolls, and pad thai with tofu. Everything was fresh, prepared quickly, and hit the spot!

In Santa Cruz, you have low-key options and fancy options for food, so take your pick, whether sandy from a day at the beach — or dressed up. You can have it all if you want!

Soak Up the Sun at Santa Cruz Beaches

Apart from food, we made our way down the Santa Cruz beachfront and visited the main beaches, along with Lighthouse Field State Beach, Mitchell’s Cove Beach, Twin Lakes State Beach (Schwan Lake), and Black’s Beach. Each beach is a unique oasis of Santa Cruz spirit and nature. When visiting Lighthouse Field State Beach, don’t forget to stop by the Santa Cruz Surfing Museum in the old lighthouse!

We also explored the winding trails above Schwan lagoon and Twin Lakes State Beach, which can be accessed from the large parking lot at the Simpkins Family Swim Center & Live Oak Community Center. You can walk a few different directions on looped paths and get great views of the lagoon and its birds.

Where can I stay with my pet in Santa Cruz?

Although note a five-star property, the Quality Inn in Santa Cruz offers pet-friendly rooms at an agreeable rate. Budget-conscious hotels are a great choice in Santa Cruz, as you tend to spend most of your time outside when visiting anyway! The hotel sits off Ocean Street at the north of town and a bit south of Highway 1.