Santa Cruz Activities
Vacation Ideas

The camp is actually a recreation of an old logging camp typical of the late 1800s. Although the camp is a recreation, the steam engines are the real thing, from the 1890s.  

Back then Steam Trains were used to haul the trees out of the mountains. Now they haul tourists to see the giant redwoods. There’s also a Beach Train that takes you to the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. You can see the redwoods on this trip too, as the train takes you through Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park.

In fact, Elkhorn Slough is a wonderful place for bird watching enthusiasts. Many rare birds can be found here and each season brings it's own selection of bird species. A great way to explore this natural wonderland is a guided safari tour with Elkhorn Slough Safari.

Just head to Moss Landing along the middle of the Monteray Bay shoreline. Elkhorn Slough Safari has been featured by National Geographic, NBC, CBS and others. Take a safe pleasant ride on their boat while you learn about the resident wildlife from the on-board naturalist, snap photos, watch the animals and enjoy nature.

One of these self-guided walking tours takes you to the Mission Hill District. This was the site of the first permanent European settlement in the county. Mission Hill played an important role in all the cultural and commercial activities of Santa Cruz County throughout the US history.

The Walnut Avenue Walking Tour shows off the 100 year old Victorian era homes along the beautiful tree-lined Walnut Avenue. Ocean View Avenue is also a nice walking tour with lots of upscale grand homes built by the wealthy. The Beach Hill walk takes in a section of the city that demonstrates the historical changes that the city experienced as transportation technology transitioned from shipping to railroad to the automobile.

There are lots of aquarium tank exhibits that hold interesting variety of marine animals for the researchers. Many of them, such as sea stars, sea urchins, hermit crabs and sea anemones can be touched by visitors at the seawater table. Outside is an actual skeleton of a blue whale that reaches 87 feet long. It's one of only four blue whale skeletons on display in North America.

This vacation idea is a fun way for kids to learn about science. Seymour Marine Discovery Center is located along the Santa Cruz coast and provides visitors with a beautiful view of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary.

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