While planning our Spring Break trip, I googled for family-friendly things to do in Santa Cruz Beach, California with kids and options of itineraries we could follow during our short stay. What I found wasn’t realistic especially when you are traveling with kids. So, I decided to make my own family-friendly itinerary for our short stay, one in which we wouldn’t have to rush and that included something fun for all of us. Here is what you need to know before visiting this beautiful beach town.
Granted, I am that mom who likes to plan everything prior to our family travels. I am flexible and have no problem improvising when needed, but I think it’s a good to have a clear idea of what you’ll be doing during your trip so that you can use your time wisely and make the most out of your stay. So, if you are like me, then keep reading!
Santa Cruz offers lots of options for things to do with kids. In this blog post, we share our Santa Cruz itinerary for our three days and two nights stay.
Day 1: Explore the Hotel & Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf
We arrived on Wednesday afternoon. We had to make a three-hour drive to Santa Cruz and check-in at the Dream Inn hotel was at 4pm. We checked out our room, unpacked, relaxed a little bit, and then walked around the hotel to get familiar with it. Read this post if you would like to learn more about this hotel.
After checking the hotel, we explored the Santa Cruz Beach Municipal Wharf. This wharf is over 100 years old! It was constructed in 1914 and it is considered the gateway to the bay.
We enjoyed taking pictures at several instagramable spots and learning about the history behind the place. My favorite thing about it was the many small shops. If you need souvenirs, this is the place to go! You will find clothes, stickers, and many personalized goods. The girls loved running around. My husband enjoyed watching the seagulls and the otters.
We finished our visit to the Wharf with an outdoors dinner at the Dolphin restaurant (read our review here). Walking back to our hotel we saw a lot of people fishing and engaged in conversation with some of them. People is very friendly in Santa Cruz.
Day 2: Santa Cruz Beach and Pool Time
On Thursday we woke up early and headed to the Jack O’Neill Restaurant for breakfast. We enjoyed our food and the beach view. Then we headed to the beach after a short stop at the pool to grab beach chairs that are provided by the hotel for free.
Mom Pro Tip: If you are staying at the Dream Inn, please note that due to the COVID19 safety measures implemented at the hotel, there is limited capacity at the pool area. Each family at the pool needs to have a seating area. If all seating areas are occupied, then you need to register for a waiting list. Once your area is ready, they text you and hold your spot for a reasonable amount of time while you to get to the pool. My recommendation is to do this before heading to the beach. You will use your time wisely as you will go grab your chairs and enjoy the beach while you wait for your turn.
We had a great time in Santa Cruz Beach. It is nice and clean, and it wasn’t crowded. The water was a bit cold but that didn’t stop my daughters from playing in the water. They also liked the seashells in the sand. My husband and I relaxed and soaked in the view, the breeze, and the sun.
Around noon we got our text and headed to the pool area. This was one of my favorite parts of the trip. We got a cabana which was super comfortable. At the pool we made some friends, played volleyball, made cannon balls, and all the good stuff you do at the pool. Gigi was able to practice her swimming skills and even learned how to swim below the water. It was amazing!
We took a snack break and purchased some nachos and pina coladas right there at the pool, provided by Jack O’Neill restaurant. Everything was tasty! Then we headed to the hot tub.
Mom Pro Tip: If you are staying at the Dream Inn, be mindful of this. The hotel requires use of masks at all times, this includes the pool area. You can remove your mask only while you are in the pool or in your seating area. You do need to wear it if you are walking around (for example, to buy food and drinks or to get to the restrooms) and when using the hot tub.
After 10 minutes at the hot tub we headed back to the pool and spent the rest of the afternoon there. Around 5pm we went to the room to get shower and change clothes. Then we had dinner -nothing fancy- and returned to our room. We were super tired, so we went to bed after watching a little tv.
Day 3: Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk
Friday was our last day in Santa Cruz. We had room service for breakfast and packed all our stuff as check out was due at 11am. After dropping our belongings in the car, we headed to the famous Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. You guys, this was SO MUCH FUN!
The Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk is recognized as one of the best seaside parks in the world. Operating since 1907, this is the oldest amusement park in California and one of the last seaside amusement parks on the west coast of the United States. Two of its rollercoasters are National Historic Landmarks and the boardwalk property is a California Historic Landmark.
It offers many family-friendly options for kids and adults and it certainly didn’t disappoint.
Mom Pro Tip: You are required to purchase a wristband or card with points ($1 per point) for games and rides. Due to the State of California’s COVID19 safety measures, they can only accept a certain amount of people for games and rides. How do they count? By the wristbands & cards registered. Which means, if they reach capacity, only people who registered will be allowed for games and rides. This happened the day we were visiting so, make sure to register as soon as you buy your card or wristbands.
We don’t care much about the carnival games, but we do love fun rides! Some of the rides were not open yet due to the pandemic, and my daughters (5 and 7) are not tall enough for some of the big rides, however we were still able to enjoy many of the rides available.
Our favorite rides are:
- Pirate Ship
- Rock and Roll
- Wave Rider
- Sky Glider
- Cyclone
- Bouncin’ Buggies
In terms of food and drinks, at the Santa Cruz boardwalk you will find all the comfort food options you could think of! From pizza, corn dogs and hamburgers, to ice cream, slushies, funnel cakes and donuts.
We chose hamburgers and chicken nuggets for lunch and ice cream for dessert/snack. Although a bit pricey, everything was super yummy as you can imagine.
Mom Pro Tip: Santa Cruz County takes COVID safety measures very seriously. click here to learn about the boardwalk's latest COVID guidelines.
Around 5pm we head back to our car and drove home. Our day at the boardwalk was one of the highlights of our trip for my daughters. They could have stayed there for days! A must-do if you visit Santa Cruz with kids for sure.
Thanks for the memories Santa Cruz! This trip is one for the books, after such a long quarantine it was long overdue. We are grateful for our time there and will be looking forward to visit this small beach town again soon.
If you are considering visiting Santa Cruz, check our post on the reasons why you should choose this destination for your next family trip.
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This looks so fun! I love the old fashioned boardwalk which reminds me of my childhood. We will definitely add this to our list of places to visit!
Santa Cruz is such a fun destination for families! Thanks for sharing these tips!
This looks like so much fun! I always wanted to visit California. Now that I have 2 daughters, I have to make it a more kid friendly trip. Thanks for sharing your suggestions on what to do and where to go!