Santa Cruz: Boardwalk, Town...​& Capitola-by-the-Sea

We drive you to distraction—the classic beach town of Santa Cruz and its neighboring small wonder, Capitola-by-the-Sea. The famous Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk has kept all the things you love about boardwalks—rides, amusement arcades, unhealthy snacks, surf rolling on the sand, even a small surfing history museum. There're 2 very popular horror movies made here--"Us" (2019) and "Lost Boys" (1987)...but we promise to bring you back safe and unsound :-)

Pick up anywhere in the San Francisco Bay Area. Enjoy a day full of fun, relaxation, and beautiful California seaside scenery.

Tour Highlights

• Ride an historic open-air train through redwoods!*
• Hang out for hours on the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk…

          Scream! on the Giant Dipper, one of the world's best wooden roller-coasters!

• Take a funicular (specialized railway car) down to the unique and romantic Shadowbrook       restaurant… if you stay for dinner
• Window shop, or just work on your tan in picturesque Capitola-by-the-Sea​

Why Tour With Us?
Why go to the beach with A Friend in Town and not just rent a car yourself? Because driving yourself, you'll discover--too late--that finding parking on sunny weekends can be a nightmare. With us, you can run around having fun, relax on the beach, eat the stuff you usually avoid, then nap all the way home. And if it's too foggy on the coast, we'll take you somewhere inland that's fun.

If we're there in the high season, we start with a ride aboard a turn-of-the-century train, the "Suntan Special"* for a trip through towering second-growth redwoods, snaking along a river canyon and across high trestles…arriving an hour later at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, an authentic old-fashioned amusement park, but with modern thrill rides too. You'll have as many hours as you choose to enjoy the Giant Dipper (a 90-year-old yet still exciting wooden roller-coaster), the sandy beach and many other attractions.

In late afternoon we can cruise into Capitola-by-the-Sea, a tiny seaside village known for its Begonia Festival, where you can rent boats to row along its placid creek, shop its quaint esplanade, or hang out on the beach.

If you'd like to stay in the area for dinner, we can visit the unique and stunning Shadowbrook restaurant by descending through a hillside garden in a funicular—it's certainly one of the most unique and romantic places you'll ever dine. As we drive back home, you'll want to run the whole day through instant re-play.
      * Late spring to late autumn only