36 Hours in Santa Cruz, California: Things to Do and See

On Pacific Avenue, Mad Yolks is a popular spot for variations on the theme of the egg sandwich. The classic is scrambled egg, melted Cheddar and caramelized onion ($11), or you can go wild with sandwiches that include Spam, fried chicken or mushrooms. The house-baked brioche buns are so good that customers began asking to buy them separately, so the twin brother owners, Peter and Henry Wong, put them on the menu ($4 each). After breakfast, head just south to reach the start of West Cliff Drive, a meandering, three-mile long seaside road, which you can stroll for spectacular views.

Along West Cliff Drive is a small lighthouse that details an intriguing local history. In 1885, a Santa Cruz newspaper reported on a group of Hawaiian princes “giving interesting exhibitions of surf-board swimming as practiced in their native islands” — one of the first known documented instances of surfing in mainland North America. Learn about Santa Cruz’s long history with the sport through photos, placards and antique surfboards at the Santa Cruz Surfing Museum, founded in 1986. The museum couldn’t be in a more perfect location: After your visit, step just outside to watch some of the world’s best surfers in action at Steamer Lane, a famous surf spot. If you’re inspired, you can take a lesson with Surf School Santa Cruz (from $125 for a two-hour, small-group class).

About a mile and a half from Steamer Lane is the westside location of Venus Spirits, a distillery (making gin, whiskey and aquavit), tasting room, bar and restaurant all in one. While distillery tours and guided tastings ($25) are only offered on Saturdays, you can grab a table in the restaurant, Venus Spirits Cocktail & Kitchen, to graze on saffron-laced mussels ($23) and mango salsa-topped blackened salmon ($35) while sipping cocktails with Venus Spirits, such as an aged gin and tonic or an apricot-accented bourbon smash (both $14).