Happy Holidays!
Our roundup of events is lighter than usual this weekend, as the big event will be time with family.
If you’re entertaining out of town guests, see our top 10 picks for things to do this weekend, plus a day-by-day guide of music, nature walks, and more:
10 Things To Do With Family This Weekend
Toy Trains at the MAH
When: 12/15 – 12/31 (closed Christmas Day and closes early at 3pm on Christmas Eve and New Years Eve.)
Where: Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History
Cost: Free
Calling all model train lovers, young and young at heart: Bring the whole crew down to marvel at these mighty mini machines, speak with experts, master the controls, and even bring your own toy train to put on the track!
Felton Toy Train Days
When: Weekends through 12/31: Saturdays from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm and Sundays from 12:00 pm to 5:00 pm
Where: Felton Presbyterian Church
Cost: Free
If you’re heading into the Santa Cruz Mountains, make tracks for Felton Presbyterian Church and take in a toy train masterpiece in a festive wintery setting. Enjoy refreshments, a photo booth, holiday music, train tables, and more!
Santa Cruz Holiday Lights Train
When: 12/16 – 12/23 and 12/26 – 12/31
Where: Train Departs from the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk
Cost: Adult $33, Child $27
All aboard! The Santa Cruz Holiday Lights Train is your chance to enjoy some old fashioned holiday cheer aboard vintage train cars. Sip hot spiced cider as you listen to holiday music, partake in carols, and visit with Santa Claus. UPDATE: Due to popular demand, the Holiday Lights Train is extending its dates with special New Year’s celebration rides that will have you singing and dancing into the new year!
Holiday Lights Train Photo Credit: Native Santa Cruz
Annieglass Studio Pour and Tour
When: Thursday-Sundays at 1:30 pm, or by appointment (Closed Christmas & Dec. 31 – Jan. 2)
Where: Annieglass Watsonville
Cost: Studio tours are Free; Wine tasting fee waived with bottle purchase.
Fun Fact: Annieglass is on permanent display at the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, D.C. Take a tour of the production studio and see how Annieglass is handcrafted. Enjoy wine tasting, and shop some great deals at the store on both first quality and discounted second pieces.
Bowl for Free at the Boardwalk Bowl
When: Sunday through Friday and Saturday before 8:00 pm
Where: Boardwalk Bowl
Cost: Free with donation (shoe rental not included)
Bowl for free and for a good cause when you bring canned food donations to help “Strike Out Hunger” at the Boardwalk Bowl. Donations go to Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Cruz County to help feed local families.
Tour the Monarch Grove at Natural Bridges
When: Dec 23 & 24, at 11:00 am and 2:00 pm
Where: Natural Bridges State Beach
Cost: Day use parking $10
There’s still time to visit the monarchs at the their winter home, the eucalyptus grove at Natural Bridges State Beach. No reservation is necessary for groups fewer than 10.
Visit the UCSC Arboretum
When: Open daily from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm (Closed 12/25-1/4)
Where: UC Santa Cruz Aboretum
Cost: $5 for Adults and $2 for Children (6 to 17 years old), and free under 6.
The arboretum is a wonderful place to visit and take in a diverse collection of plants as well as native plants from Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and California.
Boardwalk Holiday Ice
When: Open now through January 7, 2018
Where: Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk
Cost: $12 per 1-hour session, skate rental included
Save yourself a trip over the hill and get your holiday ice skating on in Santa Cruz! In addition to an ice rink, the Boardwalk’s winter festivities include a craft cottage, classic holiday movies, and magical snowfall at the top of each hour. Select rides and games will also be in operation.
Farley’s Christmas Wonderland
When: Through New Year’s Eve. See website for hours.
Where: 108 Seaview Ave.
Cost: Donations accepted
Tucked away in Seabright is a one-of-a-kind local neighborhood attraction: Farley’s Christmas Wonderland. Pat Farley, a local Seabright resident, creates an elaborate Christmas-themed oasis each year in his front yard and opens it up for the public to walk through and view. If you’re looking for a uniquely local Christmas experience to share with family then consider stopping by Farley’s Christmas Wonderland.
Visit the Farley’s Christmas Wonderland website or Facebook page for more information.
Go on a Bucket List Hike
If you want to share some of the best of what Santa Cruz County has to offer with your out-of-town guests, then a hike just might be the answer. Here are two of our favorite ‘bucket list’ hikes. One features sandhills up in the redwoods while the other includes breathtaking waterfalls.
Berry Creek Falls: Big Basin’s Bucket List Hike
Three waterfalls within a mile of each other…that’s what we call a Santa Cruz Life experience. This is a true bucket list item and we want to help you cross it off your list.
Santa Cruz Sandhills: The Henry Cowell Trail Less Traveled
For a truly “only in Santa Cruz” experience, you can’t beat a visit to the Santa Cruz Sandhills. That’s because this naturally-rare ecosystem can only be found right here in our county.
Friday
- Winter Solstice Contra Dance @ Veterans Memorial Building, 846 Front St., Santa Cruz
- Friday Night Live: Jazz with a Twist @ Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History
- SOULWISE + Nomalakadoja & Pacific Roots @ Moe’s Alley
- Urban Theory, Spiller, Bananarchy @ The Crepe Place
- Unotheactivist, Tracy Minaj (Lil Tracy) & Smooky Margielaa @ The Catalyst
- B-Movie Kings @ Severino’s
- Los Dryheavers, Crucial Unicorn, Here Kitty Kitty, No Accion @ The Blue Lagoon
- Zeppelin Live @ Don Quixote’s
- Groovity @ Crow’s Nest
- Holiday Cookie Decorating Party @ Buttercup Cakes & Farmhouse Frosting
- Rydell Visual Arts Fellows Exhibition @ R. Blitzer Gallery
- Watsonville Farmers Market @ Downtown Watsonville
- iSKATE Capitola @ Capitola Village
- La Posadas @ Beach Flats Garden
Want to see all the best events in Santa Cruz every weekend? Click here to get these Weekend Roundup posts delivered straight to your inbox.Saturday
- Carie and the SoulShakers @ Poet & Patriot Irish Pub
- Redneck Christmas @ The Blue Lounge
- DANCE PARTY! Santa Cruz Waltz @ Market Street Theater
- Samba Cruz Channels Brazil @ Davenport Roadhouse Restaurant & Inn
- Saturday Night Live Music by Simple Creation @ Abbott Square Market
- Zion I at The Catalyst Atrium @ The Catalyst
- Extra Large @ Crow’s Nest
- SHLUMP, Um, Trevor Kelly, & Redublic @ Moe’s Alley
- Edge Of The West @ The Crepe Place
- Spun (Rock, Reggae, Blues, & Disco) @ Severino’s
- Westside Farmers Market @ Westside Farmers’ Market
- City of Watsonville Nature Walks @ City of Watsonville – Nature Center
- Aptos Farmers Market @ Aptos Farmers’ Market
- Rydell Visual Arts Fellows Exhibition @ R. Blitzer Gallery
- iSKATE Capitola @ Capitola Village
- La Posadas @ Beach Flats Garden
- Living History Demonstrations and Ranch Tour @ Wilder Ranch State Park
- Meteor Trail Hike @ Big Basin Redwoods State Park
- Coffee Talk and Crafts @ Big Basin Redwoods State Park
- Monarch Butterfly Tours @ Natural Bridges State Beach
- Nature’s Reading Room @ Big Basin Redwoods State Park
Keep up with us all weekend long, and see which events we’re attending, by following Santa Cruz Life on Instagram.Sunday
- Guided Hike in Burleigh Murray State Park @ Burleigh Murray State Park
- The Road Less Traveled – A Dog-Friendly Walk @ Big Basin Redwoods State Park
- Living History Demonstrations and Ranch Tour @ Wilder Ranch State Park
- Monarch Butterfly Tours @ Natural Bridges State Beach
- The Box @ The Blue Lagoon
- Rydell Visual Arts Fellows Exhibition @ R. Blitzer Gallery
- iSKATE Capitola @ Capitola Village
- Hope Church @ Rio Theatre
Featured Upcoming Event
Ready or not, here comes 2018!
Check out all the New Year’s Eve Events (and don’t miss out on First Day Hikes on New Year’s Day).
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