Santa Cruz beach weather is beyond temperamental. You will find the climate hard to predict even during the summer. Summers here usually last from May to September with overcast gloomy mornings and bright sunny afternoons.

The remainder of the years is a tossup; sometime you can catch a nice warm summer day in the winter and other way around during the summer.  You will often experience an Indian summer in S.C., with warmest temperatures occurring in the fall.

Make sure to bring extra layers for your kids and of course yourself, you never know what to expect from unpredictable seaside breeze.

Every trip we’ve taken to Santa Cruz the beach was cold melancholic and gray.  Instead of staying at the beach one time we ended up going to their little downtown area – which unfortunately is infested with the homeless in Santa Cruz.

On another occasion we checked out the Santa Cruz Wharf Pier to watch the marine life –specifically sea lions. Other trips included the Shark Fin Cove and Natural bridges venture. Of course we explored the redwoods including Henry Cowell State Park and the Mystery spot.

Finally! On our last visit the weather was just right! We took a train from Roaring Camp on the Big Trees and Pacific railway and ended up hanging at the Santa Cruz Beach later on that day. That trip was totally blastastic and we’re glad that we finally made it to the Santa Cruz Boardwalk.

Hands down, the best theme park by the Pacific Ocean in all of California if not the entire United States. Just taking the train from Roaring Camp at Felton was already exciting. I’m sure that some parents have surprised their kids before by promising them a hike in the Redwoods trees and then ending up at the Boardwalk.

Boardwalk is probably the reason why people from all over the word travel down to Santa Cruz. It is the largest arcade / entertainment theme park on the ocean coast in the U.S. There are so many games for kids and adults to indulge in and of course the insane rides!

There’s such a variety of roller-coasters and rides that your eyes will literally run away from you. (And yes you can get a “Day Pass” wrist band and ride them all unlimited amount of times).

I can’t wait for our lil guy to grow up fast enough to go on those rides with us. Nevertheless, there are a couple of rides even for little kids, of course height dependent.

If you were lucky enough to play Rollercoaster Tycoon as a kid this place would probably look like ultimate magic to you. Various rides stretching along the shore of the Pacific draw the crowds from all over the Bay Area.

I mean where else you get to arrive to a park on a steam engine, spend entire day screaming your lungs our on the coasters, indulging in arcade games, hang out at the beach and just have illegal amount of fun? That’s right Santa Cruz is definitely a place unlike any other.

One negative thing though – the carnival food served at the Boardwalk was absolutely repugnant. Even I who eats all sorts of unusual delicacies decided to resort to homemade sandwiches and fruits. Unfortunately American carnie food and snack food in general leaves you hoping for something better.

Last but not least – make sure to check out the largest sand box in Northern California south of San Francisco – the Santa Cruz Beach. Located immediately adjacent to the Boardwalk the beach boasts its unusual terrain.

There is a backwater/pond right on the beach known as the Boardwalk tide pools where kids get to go insane while building sand castles and mots. Our guy spent half the day bulldozing sand and building sand mounds… probably the best part of the Boardwalk that he enjoyed.