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visiting art exhibits. The outdoor rooftop sculpture garden is an exhibition space highlighting pieces from the museum’s permanent collection in granite, clay, bronze and other mediums. The museum also manages historic Evergreen Cemetery and the Davenport Jail Museum. For more art, the Pajaro Valley Arts Council and Gallery in Watsonville offer themed exhibits on a year-round basis. Just across from Seabright Beach in a quaint cottage, the century-old Museum of Natural History was the city’s first public museum and holds a wealth of information on Santa Cruz’s native Ohlone Indians and local habitats and animals. Exhibits at the Neary-Rodriguez Adobe at the Santa Cruz Mission State Historic Park offer a glimpse into the lives of the Ohlone Indians and Spanish settlers of the 1800s. Tour the single-story Adobe at Mission Santa Cruz, the 12th mission built in California and the oldest building in town. And the newly restored historic Meder farmhouse at Wilder Ranch State Park is a hands-on living history museum where visitors can experience daily life on a turn-of-the-century dairy farm. Communities throughout Santa Cruz County have small but captivating museums of their own. Rancho Del Oso Nature and History Center is a ranch-style house complete with courtyard, exhibit rooms, and a large deck overlooking Waddell Valley and the Pacific Ocean. Exhibits at the Aptos History Museum reveal an historical perspective on native settlements.

For art lovers, on the first Friday of every month, local galleries and artists’ studios open their doors to visitors. Showcasing spectacular local creations, this free First Friday Art Tour is a unique way to view art at its core. Self-guided walking tours are a great way to enjoy art and history and there are many from which to choose. Pick up a map at the Capitola Historical Museum and trace the history of California’s oldest seaside resort town on your own. In the Santa Cruz Mountains, the San Lorenzo Valley Museum presents historical displays on the valley’s logging, railroads and daily life as well as a walking tour map. In south county, opt for a self-guided walking or driving tour of historic homes and buildings in Watsonville and Pajaro Valley. Many of the county’s architecturally-significant buildings were designed by William Weeks, and are prominent in historic neighborhoods in Santa Cruz and Live Oak showcased on free walking tour maps. In Downtown Santa Cruz, the SculpTour public art exhibit showcases works of contemporary outdoor art. Seaside, the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk’s 28 points of interest is another historical gem. The Cultural Council of Santa Cruz County’s Open Studios Art Tour hosts a self-guided countywide tour of hundreds of local artists’ studios in the fall. However you choose to enjoy Santa Cruz County’s cultural community, an amazing number of choices await.

Photo: Paul Schraub

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Santa Cruz Travel Guide 2013

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Santa Cruz Travel Guide 2013