Pigeon Point – Maritime Measurements – Jr. Rangers
Do you have what it takes to be a lightkeeper? Learn about the job of a lighthouse keeper and create your own logbook based on your observations and measurements of the world around you.Welcome Junior Rangers! Each program will last about 45 minutes and consists of a mini-tour of the lighthouse grounds and a hands-on activity. While children of all ages and their parents are welcome to participate in the activity and tour, only kids aged 7-12 are able to become Junior Rangers and earn badges.Sign Up for Maritime Measurements Junior Rangers
Santa Cruz Harbor: Free Water Taxi
Santa Cruz Harbor 135 5th Avenue, Santa Cruz, CA, United StatesThe free, inner-harbor water taxi operates between 11:00 AM – 6:00 PM, on summer weekends and holidays. In addition to weekend service, the water taxi will operate on Thursday evenings during the Crow’s Nest beach barbecues from 5:00 PM – 9:00 PM. Passengers may be picked up and dropped off at the following locations: X1 Gate (northeast harbor) AA Dock (southwest harbor) Launch Ramp (southeast harbor) Please visit the Port District’s website to view the map for all water taxi pick-up and drop-off locations in the harbor. Visitor parking is available for water taxi passengers in the north harbor near X Dock.
Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park – Redwood Loop Tour
Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park 101 N Big Trees Park Rd, Felton, CA, United StatesCoast Redwoods offer a 100% satisfaction guaran-treed! Every Saturday at 12:00pm, we are taking folks on a guided walk through the Redwood Grove to talk about coast redwoods and to experience the forest together. On this 1-mile stroll, we will be chatting about life histories, ecology, etc. and sharing a wonderful adventure among these giants. Click here to RSVP. Let's plan to meet in the front of the Visitor Center, we hope you can join us!
Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park – Redwood Loop Tour
Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park, Felton, CA 95018, USACoast Redwoods offer a 100% satisfaction guaran-treed! Every Saturday and Sunday at 12:00pm, we are taking folks on a guided walk through the Redwood Grove to talk about coast redwoods and to experience the forest together. On this 1-mile stroll, we will be chatting about life histories, ecology, etc. and sharing a wonderful adventure among these giants. Click here to RSVP. Let's plan to meet in the front of the Visitor Center, we hope you can join us!
Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park: Redwood Loop Tour
Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park 101 N Big Trees Park Rd, Felton, CA, United StatesEvery weekend day at noon, the Friends of Santa Cruz State Parks will be taking folks on a guided walk through the Old Growth Redwood Grove to talk about coast redwoods and to experience the forest. On this 1-mile stroll, you will be chatting about life histories, ecology, etc. and sharing a wonderful adventure among those old-growth giants over 200 feet tall. They say that the Coast Redwoods offer a 100% satisfaction guaran-treed!
Wilder Ranch State Park: Historic Ground Tours
Wilder Ranch State Park 1401 Coast Rd, Santa Cruz, CA, United StatesDiscover what life was like a century ago on this innovative dairy ranch. This hour-long tour includes the 1896 water-powered machine shop, horse barn, uniquely constructed 1860’s cow barn, 1858 farmhouse, and 1897 Queen Anne Victorian home. *This is a 1 hour tour that starts at 1PM on both Saturday and Sunday *Vehicle day-use fee is $10. For more information, call (831) 426-0505
Wilder Ranch: Historic Grounds Tours
Wilder Ranch State Park 1401 Coast Rd, Santa Cruz, CA, United StatesDiscover what life was like a century ago on this innovative dairy ranch. This hour-long tour includes the 1896 water-powered machine shop, horse barn, uniquely constructed 1860’s cow barn, 1858 farmhouse, and 1897 Queen Anne Victorian home. Vehicle day-use fee is $10. For more information, call (831) 426-0505. Please reserve your spot online.
Wilder Ranch State Park – Ranch History Tour
Wilder Ranch State Park, 1401 Coast Rd, Santa Cruz, CA 95060, USAWant to learn about the rich dairy history of Wilder Ranch State Park? Dreamt of peeking inside our beautiful Victorian homes and barns? Join us weekly on Saturdays and Sundays for a 1.5 hour long tour of the historic buildings of Wilder Ranch! Meet at the visitor's center at 1 pm. Pre-register here or join us on the day-of. This tour is free. Parking in Day-use lot is $10. Questions? Call (831)426-0505 or email [email protected]
Butano State Park Guided Walk
Butano State Park Visitor Center, 1500 Cloverdale Rd, Pescadero, CA 94060, USAJoin a State Park Interpreter and enjoy the flora and fauna of Butano State Park on this moderate 2.5 mile loop. This hike features creekside riparian habitat, redwood forest, and oak woodlands. Hike includes a short section of steep terrain; trekking poles are encouraged.Meet at the Butano State Park Visitor Center. Vehicle day-use fee is $10.Remember to bring water as none is available in this park!Walk-ins welcome, pre-registration encouraged! Use this link to register.
Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park: Advice from a Redwood Hike and Craft
Big Basin Redwoods State Park 21600 Big Basin Way, Boulder Creek, CA, United StatesExperience the beauty of the Santa Cruz Mountains with a unique blend of nature and creativity. Enjoy a walk among the redwoods coupled with an engaging art activity. You’ll explore the Redwood Loop at a leisurely pace, drawing inspiration from these ancient trees and learning about their lessons on healing, community, and resilience. After the walk, you’ll have the opportunity to express your newfound inspiration through monotype printmaking. This accessible art form allows everyone, regardless of prior experience, to create one-of-a-kind prints to keep or share. Even if you don’t consider yourself an artist, you are encouraged to participate – art, like nature, is for everyone. Your walk will cover no more than a mile on the mostly flat, unpaved Redwood Loop. For the art-making session, you’ll use picnic tables where you can comfortably sit or stand while you work. Meet at the Visitor Center in the main parking lot at Big Basin. Detailed directions and additional information will be provided via email to those who register – ADVANCED REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED. Enjoy this enriching and creative outdoor experience!
Pigeon Point Lighthouse History Walk
Lighthouse History Walk with Pigeon Point LighthouseJoin us for a 45 minute walking tour of the historic grounds of Pigeon Point Light Station. Meet by the fence in front of the first cottage. Hear tales of whalers, bootleggers, shipwrecks, the building of the lighthouse, the “Wickies” and their families, and the restoration of the tower (currently closed to the public). Visit the Fog Signal Building to view the magnificent First Order Fresnel lens and explore the exhibits. ADA accessible.https://SantaCruzStateParks.as.me/PigeonPointHistoryWalk
Natural Bridges State Beach
Join us during the summer for a free 1-hour program for the whole family focused on nature topics. Kids age 7-12 can use this program to earn Junior Ranger logbook stamps and prizes. Weekly topics and themes vary. Previous themes have included: frogs, sand, marine mammals, birds, and many others!
Cabrillo College: In The Heights
Cabrillo College Crocker Theater 6500 Perimeter Dr., Aptos, CA, United StatesThe musical, In the Heights, tells the universal story of a vibrant community in New York’s Washington Heights neighborhood – a place where the coffee from the corner bodega is light and sweet, the windows are always open and the breeze carries the rhythm of three generations of music. It’s a community on the brink of change, full of hopes, dreams and pressures. Where the biggest struggles can be deciding which traditions you take with you, and which ones you leave behind.
Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium: Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music
Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium 307 Church Street, Santa Cruz, CA, United StatesIn late July and early August each year, audiences are joined by both preeminent and emerging composers, spectacular guest artists, and an orchestra of dedicated professional musicians from across the globe to give voice to works which are rarely more than a year or two old, and sometimes still wet on the page. The Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music, even at a seasoned 60 years old, is all about the new—the here and now of contemporary works for orchestra. To quote Financial Times music critic Allan Ulrich, “…in the surf mecca of Santa Cruz, 75 miles south of San Francisco, the Cabrillo Festival has made the contemporary repertoire sound urgent, indispensable and even sexy.”
Gizdich Ranch: Olallieberry U-Pick
Gizdich Ranch 55 Peckham Rd, Watsonville, CA, United StatesPlants are notoriously unreliable for sharing their arrival and departure itinerary, so please call the ranch in advance before you go! Experience the most fun part of growing fruits at the Ranch! Combined with fresh air, sunshine and a little sweat, it’s a whole lot of fun for the kids and the entire family. Don’t forget your camera. When everyone’s ready for lunch, picnic behind their sales barn and let the kids play.