Santa Cruz Travel and Things to Do Guide

Welcome to Cvent's Meeting and Event Planning Guide to Santa Cruz County, a guide for meeting professionals. A captivating meeting and leisure destination situated on California's Central Coast, Santa Cruz County is world renowned for its outdoor recreation, vibrant arts scene, organic farming, and culinary movement; and, it is one of the oldest wine-growing regions in the country. Home to natural beauty, from beaches to redwood forests, Santa Cruz County boasts a variety of settings and activities for groups. Groups have their pick of nine full-service venues in the county, as well as plenty of group dining spaces and team-building activities, ranging from ropes courses and ziplines to sandcastle building and group drumming. Santa Cruz County sits along the West Coast's iconic Highway 1, just 70 miles south of San Francisco, 32 miles southwest of San Jose, and 375 miles north of Los Angeles, and is within a day's drive from most Northern California cities. It is easily accessible from a number of major airports, including San Francisco International Airport, Mineta San Jose International Airport, and Monterey Regional Airport. Situated 65 miles from Santa Cruz and 14 miles outside of downtown San Francisco, San Francisco International Airport is one of the world's 30 busiest airports, serving more than 44 million passengers annually. Situated 33 miles from Santa Cruz and three miles north of downtown San Jose, the sleek, light-filled Mineta San Jose International Airport averages 120 commercial and 87 general aviation departures daily. The airport offers 31 gates among its Terminal A, International Arrivals, and Terminal C facilities, providing nonstop flights to destinations throughout the U.S., Mexico, Canada, and Japan. Located about 45 miles from Santa Cruz, Monterey Regional Airport provides charter and commercial service for the California Central Coast, with regular flights to San Francisco, San Diego, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Denver, and Las Vegas. Once in Santa Cruz County, meeting delegates can easily hop aboard the Santa Cruz Metro bus system, which operates along 41 fixed routes, providing local service in the cities of Santa Cruz, Capitola, Watsonville, and Scotts Valley and the unincorporated areas of Aptos, Soquel, Live Oak, Bonny Doon, Davenport, and the San Lorenzo Valley, as well as the Highway 17 Express route, which connects Santa Cruz County with downtown San Jose and Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) service. Aside from its full-service meeting venues, Santa Cruz County is home to a variety of unique venues that function as spectacular group gathering places. The downtown Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History showcases contemporary art and sculpture, as well as welcomes group events in a variety of spaces, including its Rooftop Sculpture Garden, enclosed Atrium, outdoor Courtyard, and more. Designed by golf legend Alister MacKenzie, the award-winning, semi-private Pasatiempo Golf Club regularly hosts group outings, meetings, and banquets in such spaces as its Hollins House, which overlooks Monterey Bay. Groups can catch a show or put on their own event at the 680-seat Rio Theatre in Santa Cruz, as well as enjoy a beach party, group picnic, or all-around fun outing at the historic Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, which has been recognized as the best seaside park in the world. The University of California at Santa Cruz-affiliated Seymour Marine Discovery Center welcomes groups to immerse themselves in the world of marine science and conservation at the 20,000-square-foot visitor center, complete with exhibit halls, an aquarium, touch pools, and private event spaces.