Free Things to do on a Trip to Santa Cruz
Budget Travel in California is Easy with No-Cost Activities
This central coast area has 30 miles of lovely coastline that boast many free beaches. Near the Wharf and Boardwalk is Main Beach, where sun lovers can play volleyball or laze under an umbrella. Further south at Rio Del Mar Beach, there is a walking path along the sand where locals walk their dogs and can gaze out at the Cement Ship that was once used as a dance locale. Twin Lakes Beach is a popular strand where one can have a a beach fire at night. Capitola Beach is in the charming village of Capiltola, with great galleries and window shopping. Get more information at the Visitor's Center.
Celebrate the 100 year-old Beach Boardwalk Amusement Park and Hear Free Concerts
There is no charge to walk the picturesque Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, one of the oldest on the West coast. Watch visitors ride the classic wooden roller coaster and vintage Louff carousel with its hand-carved horses. With the money saved, visitors can buy some salt water taffy. Most Friday nights in the summer, the Boardwalk sponsors free beach concerts. Tourists bring blankets and sit on the sand to watch and hear classic oldie rock groups.
Watch Surfers and Sea Lions From West Cliff Drive or The Wharf
Santa Cruz is a famous surfing spot. Those dark objects bobbing in the water may be surfers in wet suits or California sea lions. See both from West Cliff Drive, near Steamer's Lane or close to the Mark Abbott Lighthouse From the Wharf one can also see surfers and sea mammals. Watcth the sea lions through two open areas cut in the Wharf's planking. The flocks of brown pelicans that frequent the wharf are also fun to watch. Cowell's Beach is also visible from the Wharf, where beginning surfers learn their skills.
Visit Santa Cruz Galleries and Museums at No Charge
The Santa Cruz Art and History Museum downtown has photos and objects from Santa Cruz history as well as rotating art exhibits. It is admission-free the first Friday of each month, and the Seymour Center at Long Marine Lab, with its aquaria and touch-pools, is free on the first Tuesday of each month. The Santa Cruz Surfing Museum in the lighthouse is free at all times. Art galleries feature everything from glass paperweights to watercolors to conceptual art. Some of them include the Santa Cruz Art League, the Porter Sesnon Gallery at U.C. Santa Cruz, and the Pajaro Valley Arts Council in the South county town of Watsonville,
It's Beach at Sunset
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