Santa Cruz · Sports & events

A right-hand point break below West Cliff, watched from the clifftop railing for nothing. Contests run through the autumn, and the surfing museum sits above it.

Basketball in the NBA's development league from November to March, in a 2,500-seat shed downtown where the cheap seats are close enough to hear the coaching.

Six miles from the wharf to Capitola in July, fifteen thousand runners and live bands the whole way. Entry sells out months in advance.

Wilder Ranch and the forest trails above town run for miles, with hire bikes from downtown shops at roughly 50–80 USD a day.