Getting There -- Santa Cruz is 77 miles southeast of San Francisco. The most scenic route to Santa Cruz is along Highway 1 from San Francisco, which, aside from the "you fall, you die" stretch called Devil's Slide, allows you to cruise at a steady 50 mph. Faster but less romantic is Highway 17, which is accessed near San Jose from I-280, I-880, or U.S. 101, and ends at the foot of the boardwalk. The exception to this rule is on weekend mornings, when Highway 17 tends to logjam with beach-goers while Highway 1 remains relatively uncrowded.
Visitor Information -- For information, contact the Santa Cruz County Conference and Visitors Council, 1211 Ocean St., Santa Cruz, CA 95060 (tel. 800/833-3494 or 831/425-1234; www.santacruzca.org), open Monday through Saturday from 9am to 5pm, Sunday from 10am to 4pm.
Special Events -- Special events include Shakespeare Santa Cruz in July and August (tel. 831/459-2159; www.shakespearesantacruz.org), and the Cabrillo Music Festival in August (tel. 831/426-6966; www.cabrillomusic.org).
Santa Cruz Travel Experiences
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Santa cruisin'
T minus 14 days and counting!!Well I leave Ca in a week, and I leave USA in 2 weeks. Getting kinda antzy (but in a good way ofcourse)&nbs... Continue reading »
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Santa Cruz, well, it wasn´t that far.
Highway 1, with it´s pretty coastal views, took us to Santa Cruz, where I had spent a summer a few years ago. It´s still as cr... Continue reading »
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Surfing Santa Cruz
Having left Moab after a morning's mountain biking, we had 21/2 days and the small matter of 990 miles to travel before going we got to s... Continue reading »
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Remote Camping
I had selected this state park because it's the oldest in California, founded in 1902. The drive there once I got off 1 onto 9 was quite... Continue reading »
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Fun Day at the boardwalk
About 70 miles south of San Francisco and 48 Miles from San Jose, Santa Cruz is said to have more than 300 sunny days a year. A far cry f... Continue reading »
Popular Santa Cruz Hotels
- Coast Santa Cruz Hotel
- Hilton Santa Cruz Scotts Valley
- Inn At Pasatiempo
- Chaminade Resort And Spa
- Ocean Pacific Lodge
- Bay Front Inn Santa Cruz
- Hampton Inn Santa Cruz
- Ramada Limited Santa Cruz Water Street
- Coastview Inn Santa Cruz
- Best Western All Suite Inn
