Gay clubs in santa cruz

Lupulo Craft Beer House is a terrific place to sample mostly West Coast IPAs, farmhouse ales, and artisanal ciders. You’ll find a wealth of outdoorsy diversions, engaging cultural attractions, and festive dining and drinking spots. If you need wheels, visit Family Cycling Center, in Santa Cruz near the Capitola border, which rents both cruisers and e-bikes.

Then pedal your way south to Capitola Beach, cross Soquel Creek, and spend some time exploring Hooper Beach and Capitola Pier.

Continue your cycling tour along the coast, taking picturesque Cliff Drive around scenic Soquel Point and past Blacks Beach, once again passing by Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk and onward to Lighthouse Point, an excellent place to learn about the region’s renowned surfing culture.

For venues, The Neighbor’s Pub is the go-to LGBTQ+ bar, with gender-neutral restrooms, solid mocktails, and an inclusive crowd that’s good for trans and sober folks. Inside, you’ll find a trove of photos, antique boards, and memorabilia that traces the region’s nearly 140-year history with surfing.

Depending on how much time you have after returning your rental bike and checking out of your hotel, you might consider extending your coastal explorations by leaving town via Highway 1, which offers a stunning scenic route up the coast toward Half Moon Bay and San Francisco.

In Scotts Valley, fuel up with coffee (or perhaps a mimosa?) and a plate of huevos rancheros or cinnamon swirl French toast at the Heavenly Roadside Cafe. About a half dozen highly regarded winemakers who produce Pinot Noir, Gruner Veltliner, Chardonnay, and other cool-climate-varietal wines are situated within this pastoral area.

Great bets for food and drinks include the classic Downtown Santa Cruz restaurant, Chocolate, where you can sup on crafted cocktails and fine hot chocolates, and have a variety of plates from around the globe.

For events, start with Santa Cruz Pride, usually in late summer, with a parade and festival energy that brings locals out.

The sunny courtyard at Storrs Winery & Vineyards, complete with a full-size bocce court, is a particularly enchanting spot to while away an afternoon of wine tasting.

After resting for a bit back at your hotel, plan for an evening of savoring some of the county’s most sensational cuisine—and most inviting settings.

If you have a little extra time—and especially if your traveling wit kids—don’t miss the Roaring Camp Railroad, which offers scenic narrated excursions on antique locomotives through the surrounding forest, either up to the summit of Bear Mountain or down the valley to the Santa Cruz Boardwalk. 

In the early afternoon, drive back into Santa Cruz and pick up Highway 1 east to charming Aptos Village for a relaxing alfresco lunch at Mentone, where you can sample the tantalizing pizzas, bountiful salads, and refined Italian fare of Michelin star chef David Kinch.

Running through April 24, 2022 and co-created with the city’s Diversity Center, the museum is currently presenting “Queer Santa Cruz” among its rotating exhibits—it’s a fascinating look into the history, culture, and contributions of Santa Cruz County’s LGBTQ community. Around the corner, Laili, a casually smart purveyor of Afghan and Middle Eastern fare, brings bright flavors with their kabobs, flatbreads, and more.

When it comes to nightlife, Santa Cruz doesn’t have any gay bars per se, but virtually all of the popular establishments downtown draw a mixed crowd and warmly welcome all.

On the other side of the bridge, you’ll see before you the colorful rides of the beloved Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, where you can experience a slew of adrenaline-pumping amusements—including the fabled Giant Dipper wooden roller coaster—that have delighted visitors of all ages for more than a century.

Beyond the boardwalk, if possible at around sunset, venture out onto the bustling Santa Cruz Wharf, soaking up views of the bay clear across to Monterey—about 22 miles south—and listening to the animated barks of seal lions, which you can view through observation windows, cavorting below the wharf on wooden planks.

Cross back over the San Lorenzo River via the cantilevered pedestrian bridge that runs alongside a handsome steel-truss trestle bridge built by the Southern Pacific Railroad in 1904.