There’s something about Mother’s Day in Santa Cruz County that feels different from anywhere else. Maybe it’s the way the morning fog lifts off the bay just in time for brunch, or the way the redwoods seem to stand a little taller, as if they too are paying respect to the women who’ve shaped this community. Whatever it is, this place has a way of making the second Sunday in May feel personal.
Santa Cruz County mothers are a breed apart. They’re the ones who pack the car for a sunrise surf session before school drop-off, who know the best tide pool spots near Natural Bridges by heart, and who can navigate the farmers market at Cabrillo College with a toddler on one hip and a bag of organic strawberries in the other hand. They volunteer at the food bank, coach the soccer teams, sit on the school boards, and somehow still find time to catch a sunset at West Cliff Drive. They make it look effortless. It isn’t.
Motherhood here is woven into the landscape. It’s in the community gardens of Watsonville, where abuelas teach grandchildren how to coax tomatoes from the soil the way their own mothers taught them. It’s in the quiet strength of the women who work the fields in Pajaro Valley, rising before dawn so their kids can have a different life. It’s in the artists and teachers and small business owners of downtown Santa Cruz who build something meaningful while building a family at the same time. These women carry so much, and they do it with a grace that deserves more than one day of recognition.
But one day is what we’ve got, so let’s make it count. Take your mom to breakfast at one of the spots along the wharf, where the sea lions bark their own noisy tribute below. Walk the boardwalk before the crowds arrive, when the morning light turns everything golden and the air smells like salt and possibility. Drive up to Henry Cowell and wander the redwood loop together, where the cathedral of trees makes even a simple walk feel sacred. Pick up flowers at the Live Oak farmers market — not the grocery store kind, but the ones grown by someone local who knows the soil. Sit on the beach at Capitola and do absolutely nothing, because sometimes the greatest gift you can give a mother is stillness.
Special Activities For Mother’s Day
Here are a couple of other special activities: take Mom to see the Scottish Fiddlers: SF Scottish Fiddlers Stravaig Spring Concert at the Crocker Theater in Aptos on Mother’s Day, May 10, at 2pm. It’s the perfect way for the entire family to celebrate Mom! Music Director Caroline McCaskey promises a musical journey like no other! Over 90 musicians on fiddles, cellos, piano, drums, and guitars deliver a spirited performance — ranging from high-energy dance tunes to soulful, romantic melodies. Rooted in Scotland, the adventure expands to Brittany, Galicia, Scandinavia, and Cape Breton. Toe-tapping, seat-dancing, and aisle-dancing are encouraged! Tickets and info. sfscottishfiddlers.org.
Here’s another interesting one… and I’m involved. It’s in Salinas at Rustique Wines, which is presenting a special party for Moms from 1-4pm. Enjoy live music from Jam & The Buttered Biscuits, set against beautiful spring weather, while you sip wine, wander the grounds, and enjoy an afternoon made for connection. They’ll have incredible local food, sweet treats, fresh florals, and a curated mix of local vendors offering something special to shop and discover throughout the day. It’s free and all ages are welcome. Hint: I’m a Buttered Biscuit and this band, which plays original songs, and is much loved by Moms!! Address: 1010 River Rd Salinas, CA rustiquewines.com
Mothers give us our first experience of being loved without condition. They teach us resilience not through lectures but through example — by getting up every single day and choosing their families, their communities, their hopes for the future. In Santa Cruz, that spirit runs as deep as the roots of the oldest redwoods in Big Basin.
To every mother here — by birth, by choice, by circumstance, by heart — happy Mother’s Day. This beautiful, weird, wonderful corner of California is better because of you.
