- Enjoy the sand and surf:
- Seacliff State Beach: 8-min walk or 5-min drive to paid parking lot
- Manresa State Beach: Good surfing; 12-min drive
- Natural Bridges State Beach: Tidepools, other sealife & migrating monarch butterflies (Oct-Jan); 25-min drive
- Other Santa Cruz beaches: 15-20 min drive
- Rides and amusements at Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk (20 min)
- Miles of hiking and mountain biking at The Forest of Nisene Marks State Park (15 min) and Wilder Ranch State Park (25 min)
- Shopping and dining in quaint Capitola Village (8 min)
- Learn about the Santa Cruz area's natural and cultural history at the Museum of Natural History (aka "The Whale Museum"; 15 min)
- Marine touch pools and hands-on exhibits at the Seymour Marine Discovery Center; good for rainy days (25 min)
- Organic strawberry U-Pick at Swanton Berry Farm (30 min)
- Enjoy wine tasting on the Corralitos Wine Trail (10 min)
- Check out The Mystery Spot in the redwood forests outside of Santa Cruz (15 min) or the Winchester Mystery House in San Jose (40 min)
- Steam train rides in the redwood forest or down to the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk with Roaring Camp Railroads (25 min); next to Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park, with its flat, stroller-friendly short trail through the redwoods - perfect for little ones!
- Kayak the Elkhorn Slough with the sea otters and sea lions (25 minutes)
- Visit Monterey's world-famous aquarium and landmark Cannery Row or Carmel-by-the-Sea's boutiques and art galleries (45 minutes)
- Hike in Big Sur (1 hour +)
- Spend a Saturday morning at the Aptos Farmers Market, voted America's Favorite Farmers Market in California
- Things to do with Kids in Aptos
- Restaurants within walking distance: Marianne's Ice Cream; Pizza 1; Ambrosia India Bistro; Manuel's Mexican Restaurant; Hole in the Wall Cafe
- Other nearby restaurants & cafes:
- Aptos St. BBQ - live blues nightly (6-8pm); heads up - they sell out so call ahead and pre-place your order!
- burger. aptos. - sister restaurant to buger. in Santa Cruz
- Aptos Coffee Roasting Company and Pacific Coffee Roasting Co. - two great coffee shops just 5 minutes away
- Aptos Yelp
