Beaches, Redwood Forests -- Santa Cruz Has it All

Want to sample the best that California has to offer? Santa Cruz offers a surprising combination of some of the state's best attractions -- beaches, redwood forests and a big city just an hour away.

Give up? Try Santa Cruz. Built along some of the Golden State's most scenic coastline, this city gives you many of the state's famous attractions in one easy-to-drive area.

We were amazed, for example, when we topped off a morning of beach sightseeing with a little seven-mile drive up to the sleepy town of Felton. Almost instantly we were taken from a bustling beach town to a forest so thick you could hardly see through the trees. It's no wonder that the famed "Bigfoot" was spotted in the Redwoods not too far from here, and that today there is a Bigfoot Museum beckoning both the curious and the amused.

Fifteen minutes later we were back in Santa Cruz, enjoying the sweeping coastal views and watching as visitors and locals basked in the winter sun while enjoying lunch at one of the city's many outdoor cafes. Most likely their menu choices included lots of fresh produce ' apples, berries, spinach, squash, tomatoes, etc. ' as these and other fruits and vegetables are all grown close to Santa Cruz. In fact, there does seem to be a lot of attention paid in Santa Cruz to diet and exercise. It's hard to be unhealthy in a place where you can easily jog along spectacular ocean cliffs or hike the trails of a half-dozen area state parks.

If we were so inclined ' and we weren't on this particular trip ' it would be a reasonable day trip from Santa Cruz into the San Francisco Bay area. And that's why you'll want to allow plenty of time for your visit: there is something new every direction you turn.

If you have the opportunity, we'd suggest a midweek visit to Santa Cruz. That's what we did and, while it's not exactly a ghost town during the work week, there do seem to be plenty of wide-open spaces to explore with little or no concern about traffic. Santa Cruz motels and inns had big empty parking lots during this January visit, and we're told all of that changes on weekends.

Our base of operations was the Hilton Scotts Valley, a good choice for travelers who want their lodging a little ways away from the bustle of the beach. Scotts Valley is only a 10-minute drive to Santa Cruz, so it's really not at all remote. Yet this hotel features huge luxury rooms -- just as you would expect from a Hilton -- and, we should add, some of the most courteous employees you'll find anywhere.

Driving into Santa Cruz, you first wind your way through the downtown area where it soon becomes apparent that this is a beach city in every sense of the term. Like many other coastal cities, Santa Cruz does attract down-to-earth non-conformists who, for example, don't have any hesitation using hair colors that looked like they were chosen from a box of crayons. Think about your worst fashion nightmare for your teenage kids, and that's what you sometimes see on the streets of Santa Cruz ' which, of course is part of the charm. You don't travel just to see places exactly like home.

Out on West Cliff Drive, where the views from these coastal bluffs are painting-perfect, you encounter the surf crowd. On any given day, dozens of free-spirited surfers are paddling out to ride some of Northern California's most challenging waves. Long, narrow concrete stairways give the surfers easy access to the water not far from where the waves break. On the bright, sunny day we visited, maybe half of the pedestrians along West Cliff Drive were carrying surfboards.

Indeed, this part of Santa Cruz is Surf Central. And be sure and check out the tiny but informative Surfing Museum, just above the rocky shores, that features exhibits showing how the sport came about. Housed in a former lighthouse, the Surfing Museum includes lots of memorabilia and examples of different types of surfboards ' some so big and heavy that one wonders how the original surfers ever managed to get these things to and from the beach.

About a five-minute drive and we were back in downtown Santa Cruz. Just another few blocks out to the beach and we had arrived at the famed Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. The roller coaster, thrill rides and buildings of the Boardwalk are an indelible part of the Santa Cruz skyline and visitors enjoy the nostalgia of visiting the West Coast's only seaside boardwalk. The 75-year-old roller coaster is said to be just as thrilling as any of the newer ones, and that has been augmented by a host of other, more modern rides. Of course there are the bumper cars, the carousel, the huge arcade and, uniquely, a broad and beautiful beach where you can sun yourself and, in summer, enjoy a dip in the ocean.

The Boardwalk area is only one of the many beaches and coastal vantage points in the Santa Cruz area. Just south of Santa Cruz, there are some scenic state beaches near Capitola and at La Selva Beach. You can carve out a few hours and take a scenic drive on north on the Coastal Highway wher eyou'll find many more beaches including Waddell State Beach. You'll also want to check out the Roaring Camps Railroad, just a short distance north on Highway 9, where you can ride a historic steam train.

Our own drive north on Highway 9 was short but productive. Not only did we get a look at Henry Cowell State Park with its towering redwoods, trickling streams and recreation trails, but we also had a chance to stop by the small, inconspicuous wood building that now houses the Bigfoot Museum. Most days, proprietor Mike Rugg is watching the store all by himself and, no doubt, will be more than willing to share with you his many Bigfoot stories -- as he did with us.

Understand that Mike has never actually seen a Bigfoot ' at least not that he can say with any degree of certainty. But he became convinced about the creature's authenticity when he did a college term paper on the subject. While the professor gave him only a "C" on the report and dismissed his research as having as much ' or little ' validity as a UFO sighting, Rugg was undeterred.

Bigfoot is supposed to be a creature perhaps eight feet tall that resembles a gorilla and is said to roam remote mountain regions of the Pacific Northwest, Northern California and other locations. While little scientific evidence supports the claim, there are hundreds of sightings reported and one grainy home movie that Rugg is convinced is the real deal. Inside the Bigfoot Museum you'll find a six-foot blowup of a picture taken from that movie, and there are also several footprint casts and other evidence of Bigfoot's existence. Since the museum opened in July, visitors have added many more sightings to his wall-size pin map showing just where Bigfoot has been spotted.

Whether it's Sasquatch or modern-day hippies, Santa Cruz has plenty to keep your vacation interesting and unique.

AT A GLANCE

WHERE: Santa Cruz is on the California coastline between San Francisco and Monterey.

WHAT: A particularly scenic area that offers many miles of scenic beaches, coast drives, state parks and several access points to Redwood forests and parks. The city itself offers the West Coast's only beachfront boardwalk.

WHEN: Year-round, as temperatures are typically moderate. In winter, the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk is open only on weekends. From Memorial Day to Labor Day, it is open all week.

WHY: Santa Cruz offers many different getaway experiences and visitor attractions in an area that is easy to navigate.

HOW: For more information on Santa Cruz, contact the Santa Cruz County Conference and Visitor's Council at (800) 833-3494 or visit www.santacruz.org. For more information on the Hilton Santa Cruz/Scotts Valley, phone (831)-440-1000 or visit www.santacruzscottsvalley.hilton.com.