Excursion to Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz seems to be one of those annual rights of summer for many families. A little time for some sun and relaxation on the beach, scare yourself on a couple of rides up on the boardwalk, watch the taffy pulling machine make salt water goodness, and maybe a round of mini-golf. On Monday and Tuesday nights they usually have discounted rides after 5, then other nights they have movies on the beach and free concerts. What could be a more quintessential experience for summer than seeing the boardwalk all lit up at night?

Santa Cruz and its neighboring communities have so much more to offer though, and all you have to do is scratch the surface. Part of the key to discovering more is to spend more time there. For us it’s usually just a couple of day trips to Santa Cruz, but this year I think we are going to do an overnight or two (depending on what kind of accommodations I can dig up at the last minute).

A couple of things I’m looking to take the kids to are the ropes courses at Mount Hermon Adventures (http://www.mercurynews.com/2013/06/27/top-10-things-to-do-with-kids-in-santa-cruz/) to test our fear of heights and to the Mystery Spot (https://www.mysteryspot.com/) before they get too old to believe all of it.

Also here are a couple of links to check out and see what else you can come up with

http://www.santacruz.org/things-to-do/family-fun

http://www.mercurynews.com/2013/06/27/top-10-things-to-do-with-kids-in-santa-cruz/

What are your favorite Santa Cruz activities?