Family Activities in Santa Cruz: Parks, Museums, and the Beach

The Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk is an admission-free amusement park at 400 Beach Street, where you pay for rides rather than entry. You can decide on ride tickets or an all-day wristband once you know how much of the day you plan to spend on rides.

The park sells MyBoardwalk Cards for individual rides as well as all-day ride wristbands. Individual rides cost 5–8 points, and availability may vary with weather and maintenance. Check the official site before you go for current ride details and operating information.

Height limits can help you choose rides before you arrive. The Giant Dipper requires riders to be at least 50 inches tall. Fireball has a 55 1/8-inch minimum and a 77-inch maximum, while Dream Wheel requires riders to be at least 42 inches tall or accompanied by a chaperone if shorter.

For younger children, Bouncin’ Buggies, Convoy, Looff Carousel, Sea Dragons and Speedway allow riders under 36 inches with a chaperone; regular ride pricing applies to all riders. One qualified chaperone can accompany one unqualified rider, and each unqualified rider needs a separate chaperone. Ride operators make final eligibility decisions, so check each ride’s safety signs.

The Giant Dipper and the Boardwalk midway are part of the same seaside amusement park, making it easy to combine a ride with time by the beach. For ride-by-ride details, the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk and Giant Dipper guide covers the landmark coaster.

Santa Cruz museums offer different kinds of family visits, from local natural history by the coast to interactive exhibits in Capitola. Check each museum’s official site before you go for current hours and admission.

Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History

The Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History sits across from Seabright Beach at 1305 East Cliff Drive, a short walk across the river from the Boardwalk. Its exhibits cover local animals, plants and geology, with an intertidal touch pool, a life-sized gray whale sculpture, fossils and an observation beehive.

Admission is $5 for adults ages 18 and up, and $3 for seniors ages 60 and up and college students with valid school ID. Youth under 18 and museum members enter free; admission is free for everyone on the first Friday of each month.

The museum is closed Monday and on New Year’s Eve, New Year’s Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Thanksgiving, the day after Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

Bus stops at Murray and Seabright are a six-minute walk from the museum. Parking is available on Pilkington Avenue and surrounding streets, and a bike rack is in front. The guide to museums in Santa Cruz compares more local museum options.

Santa Cruz Children’s Museum of Discovery

The Santa Cruz Children’s Museum of Discovery has more than 5,000 square feet of interactive exhibits and daily educational programming at 1855 41st Avenue, C-10, in Capitola Mall. General admission is $12 per child or adult; children under 2 enter free. The museum also offers a $99 10-visit punch card and $5 admission with an EBT card or WIC.

Public hours are 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday; it is closed Tuesday and Sunday, though those days are available for field trips and private birthdays. Holiday closures include Mother’s Day, July 4, Easter Sunday, Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History

The Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History is at 705 Front Street in downtown Santa Cruz. Its hours are Monday 9 a.m.–1 p.m., Thursday and Friday noon–8 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday noon–6 p.m.

Suggested daily admission is $10 general admission and $8 for seniors, students, teachers and veterans. Members and children under 5 enter free; special ticketed exhibitions or events may have different admission.

Neary Lagoon Wildlife Refuge offers a nature-focused outdoor break within Santa Cruz. Its wetland path gives you a change of pace from the Boardwalk and museum visits.

The refuge is about a 32-minute walk or a six-minute drive from Motel 6 Santa Cruz CA. You can make it a separate outing or add it to a day that includes downtown; the Neary Lagoon Wildlife Refuge walking guide focuses on the path and visit.

Ride height rules, indoor exhibits and a wetland walk give you several ways to shape a family day in Santa Cruz. For a ride-focused visit, check height requirements before choosing attractions; for younger children, the Boardwalk lists several rides that allow riders under 36 inches with a chaperone.

The Boardwalk says ride availability can change with weather and maintenance. If rides are limited, the Natural History Museum’s exhibits offer an indoor activity near Seabright Beach, while the Children’s Museum of Discovery has interactive exhibits in Capitola.

Admission and schedules differ by venue. The Boardwalk is admission-free, but rides require tickets or a wristband; the museums charge admission according to their own rates and policies.

For the Natural History Museum, the Murray and Seabright bus stops are a six-minute walk away. You can also use street parking on Pilkington Avenue and surrounding streets, or lock a bike at the rack in front of the museum.

For a visit that combines the Boardwalk and Natural History Museum, their locations make it practical to plan both as one coastal outing: the museum is across the river from the amusement park and across from Seabright Beach.

Is the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk free to enter?

Yes. Entry is free; you need ride tickets or a wristband only if you want to ride.

Which Santa Cruz museum has interactive exhibits for children?

The Santa Cruz Children’s Museum of Discovery describes more than 5,000 square feet of interactive exhibits and daily educational programming at Capitola Mall.

What can families see at the Museum of Natural History?

Its exhibits cover local animals, plants and geology and include an intertidal touch pool, a gray whale sculpture, fossils and an observation beehive.