Growing Up in Santa Cruz

Growing Up in Santa Cruz

Best of 2025

We asked you to share your favorite places to take your kids and places you enjoy as a family. We wanted to know what businesses you consider the Best in Santa Cruz, and man, did...

Trail, no Rail

Finally, the truth came out. For the past decade the local Regional Transportation Commission has been working on a plan for train service between Watsonville and Davenport under the direction of local officials and voters...

Respecting Pronouns While Keeping Grammar Clear

As a lifelong educator and a stickler for grammar, I’ve always valued precise language. I believe clarity matters—especially when teaching, writing, or communicating across generations. So, I’ll admit that the use of they/them as a...

Navigating the Ups and Downs of Friendships

We’ve all experienced friendship fallouts one way or another, whether as kids or adults. As I see my daughter forming friendships at preschool, I see how joyful and full of promised those early connections can...

Passenger Rail Price Tag Estimated at $4.3 Billion

The proposed 22-mile rail/trail from Watsonville to Natural Bridges will cost an estimated $4.3 billion to build and as much as $41 million a year to operate, according to a new study released by the...

Embracing the Best of Summer

The beautiful weather, gorgeous flowers in bloom, the camps, vacations and hopefully some R+R. Personally, This year is the first time I decided not to put my kid in any camps and zero planned vacations...

Miracles Santa Cruz Transforms Lives and Builds Community Through Theater

In Santa Cruz, a uniquely joyful and heartfelt theater troupe has taken root, transforming lives through performance and community: Miracles Santa Cruz. This ensemble of performers with special needs shares more than a stage—they share...

James Durbin Rocks Santa Cruz and Beyond

In mid-June, Santa Cruz-born musician, James Durbin, kicked off his “All Over the Place” summer tour. The tour takes place throughout Santa Cruz County, with shows in Santa Clara and Sacramento counties, as well. The...

The Santa Cruz Effect

Have you ever wondered if a place can dictate your style? Here are four individuals from all over who wound up in our little town, one way or another. Every one of these characters has...

Caroline’s Non Profit Thrift Shop Changes Lives

Nestled in the heart of Aptos, “Caroline’s Non Profit Thrift Shop” is more than a store, it is a space for hope, healing, and happiness. What started as a mother’s tribute to her daughter blossomed...

Prepping Your Pet for Summer Travel

My partner and I are both educators, and July offers us a wonderful respite, a chance to change the scenery and spend more time outdoors asking questions than answering them. Because we’re away for weeks...

Henry Cowell Campground Reopening Delayed

California State Parks announced that the seasonal campground at Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park (SP), which had been scheduled to reopen Aug. 1 following renovations, has been delayed until the 2026 camping season. Significant supply...

To Drink or Not to Drink: The Truth About Prebiotic Soda

The buzz on prebiotic soda; should you be drinking it? Recently, I was browsing the aisles at Staff of Life when I overheard a mom ask her son, “Why are these Poppi drinks so popular?”...

It’s All Fun and Games for Local Designer

Do you love playing games and meeting new people? Have you ever met a board game or card game creator? Well, here’s your chance! The Golden Gate Gamemakers are opening a local tabletop gaming chapter...

Building a Thriving Santa Cruz County for Our Youth

Santa Cruz County leader and philanthropist Diane Porter Cooley (1928-2022) knew what it takes to build a thriving community, and she left us instructions. “Community is about living life together. It’s about getting through hard...

Falling in Love for the First Time

One of the true joys of volunteering at the Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter is witnessing the moment a person falls in love. It happens almost every day. A potential adopter walks in, scanning faces...

Celebrating Our Fathers

Let’s cheer this month for all the dads who take their job in fatherhood to heart! Our kids, families and communities are blessed to have you in our lives and the world is better because...

From Cap and Gown to Countdown

This season brings feelings of pride, nostalgia, excitement, and, let’s be honest, financial worry to many. Whether your child is heading off to college, taking a gap year, or jumping straight into the workforce, the...

New Ice Cream Shop in Live Oak Features Fresh, Unique Mexican Flavors

In the world of food, there are some classic combinations that have stood the test of timepeanut butter and jelly, bacon and eggs, coffee and donuts and wine and cheese. The owners of El Jardin...

Meals Without Meltdowns: A Parent’s Guide to Dining Out with Kids in Santa Cruz

I remember a heavy conversation with my then 4-year-old son in a restaurant where we watched pelicans hunting fish. Fish eat worms and bugs, I explained. Then birds eat the fish. Then bigger birds or...

La Manzana’s Summer Lunch Program Returns

The annual Summer Lunch program, sponsored by La Manzana Community Resources (LMCR), a program of Community Bridges’ Family Resource Collective, will kick off on June 9. Kids 18 and younger can pick up a free...

Strawberry Season in Santa Cruz is the Berry Best Time of Year

In Santa Cruz, strawberries are practically part of the scenery—we’re surrounded by some of the biggest berry farms in the country. But even with berries in stores year-round, there’s something extra magical about local, in-season...