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➡️ Comment “GUIDE” for my complete Santa Cruz guide, including this one-day itinerary and my favorite places to eat and drink!

🌊 This is your local’s guide to Santa Cruz, California! I grew up here, and this is one of my favorite ways to spend a day, mixing iconic spots with local gems.

🍳 Breakfast: Start your morning at Aldo’s by the harbor for a relaxed, harbor-view breakfast with some of the best outdoor seating in town.

🎢 Morning Activity: Head to the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, the city’s iconic oceanfront amusement park. Buy your wristband online the night before to save $15 (or you can pay per ride with the My Boardwalk card), and enjoy the rides, mini golf, or just the beachside vibes.

🥙 Lunch + Downtown: Stroll downtown Santa Cruz — get the sopes from El Palomar, browse local shops on Pacific Avenue, grab beans from Santa Cruz Coffee Roasting, and treat yourself to hot chocolate from Chocolat or a cookie from Pacific Cookie Company.

🥾 Afternoon Activity: Choose your adventure: hike the Old Cove Landing Trail at Wilder Ranch State Park for jaw-dropping cliffside views, or relax at Natural Bridges State Beach and explore tide pools at low tide.

🌅 Scenic Walk: From Natural Bridges, walk along West Cliff Drive to Lighthouse Point, home to the Santa Cruz Surfing Museum and the legendary Steamer Lane surf break. If you can time it right, this is a beautiful place to be at golden hour and sunset.

🦞 Dinner: End your day with fresh seafood at Riva Fish House on the Santa Cruz Wharf, and wave to the otters or sea lions playing below before you head home.

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