Immediately I need to share my itinerary for Capitola and Santa Cruz, California with you. These beachfront cities in Northern California have all the pieces from nice browsing to lovely shoreline and enjoyable retailers and eating places to find. In case you’re curious, learn on for my Santa Cruz and Capitola itinerary for two days by the Pacific Ocean.
Capitola and Santa Cruz
I’m dwelling in San Francisco, and one in every of my associates has deliberate us a visit to Capitola and Santa Cruz for a pair days.
These neighboring locations are a few of my favourite seashore spots in California, and their proximity to the Metropolis by the Bay makes them a straightforward day journey or weekend getaway.
I’m spending 2 days in Capitola and Santa Cruz with my pal and their lovely canine, and we’re excited to see what our California highway journey has in retailer for us.
If it’s anyplace close to nearly as good because the journey I took to Santa Cruz and Half Moon Bay some time again, it’s going to be a good time.
Day 1: Capitola
We begin our journey in Capitola. This gem in Santa Cruz County is understood for being the oldest seaside resort city on the Pacific coast. It’s beloved by locals and guests for its golden sand seashores, colourful waterfront, and enjoyable eating places and retailers.
Monarch Cove Inn, Capitola
We arrive in Capitola within the early afternoon and test into our room on the Monarch Cove Inn. This dog-friendly lodge in Capitola is located proper on the cliff on historic Depot Hill.
It’s in a terrific location in a residential neighborhood, and it makes us really feel like locals. It’s additionally ideally located for strolling to Capitola Village and two sunny seashores on Monterey Bay.
The visitor lodging on the Monarch Cove Inn are nestled amongst flower gardens and a monarch butterfly habitat, making us really feel related to nature as quickly as we arrive.
Our room is a stand-alone Victorian cottage with a kitchen and an enormous again backyard for the canine to run round in. It’s good for our keep.
New Brighton State Seashore
After getting settled in on the lodge, we stroll alongside a path via the timber to get to New Brighton State Seashore, a dog-friendly seashore in Capitola.
This place is known as after the well-known seaside resort metropolis in England, which makes me really feel proper at dwelling. New Brighton Seashore is understood for its forested bluffs, sandy shoreline, and oceanfront homes. You possibly can see all the way in which to Monterey from right here, too.
We meet associates on the seashore, organising our chairs and towels so we are able to absorb the California sunshine. We’re fortunate sufficient to identify dolphins off the coast, to not point out a lot of pelicans fishing within the ocean.
Dinner in Capitola
Within the night we’ve dinner at My Thai Seashore in Capitola. It’s proper on the waterfront, and all the pieces from basic pad thai to fats summer season rolls goes down a deal with.
Day 2: Capitola and Santa Cruz
The subsequent morning our 2 days in Capitola and Santa Cruz proceed with a stroll alongside the cliffs from the Monarch Cove Inn to Capitola Village. We take the Grand Avenue strolling path, which runs atop the Capitola Bluffs.
Alongside the way in which we take within the colourful homes on Depot Hill and the surfers within the water under. We even spot a whale breaching off the coast.
Capitola Village
After we arrive in Capitola Village we stroll via the streets, window procuring as we go. There’s all the pieces from outfitters to present retailers and artwork galleries right here.
We additionally cease to admire the Historic Garden Method Cottages. These early Twentieth-century beauties are set on a pedestrianized avenue that’s mentioned to be the location of vacation tents that shaped the beginning of Camp Capitola on July 4, 1874 by Samuel Corridor, the city’s founder.
Finally we make our technique to the waterfront, the place we take within the colourful buildings of the Capitola Venetian Lodge on Capitola Seashore. There’s a historic wharf right here, too, and we stroll out to the top of the pier for sweeping views of the city.
Again on land, we stroll up Wharf Street alongside Soquel Creek. It’s lined with vibrant murals on one aspect and views of colourful waterfront homes and a railroad bridge on the opposite.
After taking within the scene, we head to Zelda’s, a beachfront restaurant in Capitola, for brunch. We sit outdoors on the dog-friendly deck, having fun with ocean views as we tuck into heaping plates of chilaquiles and huevos rancheros.
Downtown Santa Cruz
After consuming, we stroll again to the Monarch Cove Inn and hop within the automobile for the following leg of our Capitola and Santa Cruz itinerary: downtown Santa Cruz.
It’s a brief drive to Santa Cruz, a metropolis recognized all through the world for iconic browsing spots like Pleasure Level and Steamer Lane.
This place can also be well-known for its hippie tradition and Santa Cruz Seashore Boardwalk amusement park. I grew up crusing right here nearly each weekend with my household, and I like town.
We head straight downtown, an space beloved for its retailers, eating places, and cafes. With someday in Santa Cruz, it’s a should.
We stroll up and down Pacific Avenue, the primary avenue on this a part of the metropolis. As we go, we pop into well-known surf retailers like Berdels and O’Neill. We will’t resist the cookies from the well-known Pacific Cookie Firm, both.
We additionally decide up a scented candle on the Homeless Backyard Challenge Retailer. It’s a store run by a company that gives job coaching, transitional employment, and help companies to people experiencing homelessness. We’re completely satisfied to help a superb trigger.
Wine Tasting in Santa Cruz County
After exploring downtown Santa Cruz, we hop within the automobile for the 15-minute drive to a dog-friendly vineyard known as Hallcrest Vineyards.
Positioned in Felton within the Santa Cruz Mountains, this historic vineyard has a sunny out of doors tasting space with views over golden fields and dense forests.
A family-owned operation, the vineyard produces all the pieces from Cabernet Sauvignon to Riesling. We style a flight of pink wines starting from Pinot Noir to Petite Sirah whereas we absorb the peaceable ambiance round us.
Capitola and Santa Cruz
After the tasting, we head out to the well-known Freeway 1 for the coastal drive again to San Francisco.
We totally loved our Capitola and Santa Cruz itinerary and the two days we spent on the California coast.
From the world-class seashores to the picturesque cities and scrumptious wines, it’s been a terrific reminder of how a lot there’s to see and do on this a part of my dwelling state, with or and not using a canine (however ideally with…he’s lovely!).
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