About Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz is a seaside town buzzing with life throughout the year. During summer, it is one of the favorite vacation destinations of Bay-Area residents. It has many wonderful eating venues, pubs, cafes, and is home to many renowned artists. There are several theaters with good choices for the culturally-minded people. During summer, wonderful outdoor plays are performed by the Shakespeare Santa Cruz company, and weekly free concerts are offered by the boardwalk. Santa Cruz is particularly famous for its outdoor activities: surfing, beach volleyball, sea-kayaking, bird-watching, sailing, whale-watching, biking, hiking, rock-climbing and many, many more. See the Santa Cruz County web site for activities and events.

The Santa Cruz campus of the University of California is located in an idyllic setting between the ocean and the Santa Cruz mountains, at the edge of the town of Santa Cruz. The campus is on a steep hill, with the central part of the campus (Science Hill) located about 1 mile from the campus main entrance. During the summer months, the campus hosts a reduced number of classes but is nonetheless quite lively. The main bookstore and many of the campus cafes and cafeterias are open, as well as the main sports center and swimming pool. The campus has a beautiful natural environment, with interesting wildlife and stunning forests, and provides several opportunities for outdoor activities.