Garie Beach

What are the best Santa Cruz area beaches for general family fun?

Playing in the sand, swimming, etc. Don't care about surfing. I am already very familiar with the Beach / Boardwalk, and I also like Sea Cliff. I'm just looking for other good ones. Things to consider: Easy parking. Parking not too far away from the beach itself. Not a huge amount of stairs to climb.

Public Comments

1. Cardiff state beach, moss landing, marina state beach
2. Capitola is nice. You can park further away and take a shuttle bus. Or drive north along the coast. In San Mateo County there are many small beaches without too much trouble to park. There is some climbing but some are not too bad.
3. Just north of the harbor is Castle beach, by the museum with the whale outside, there are few access points that have fire pits and sometimes volleyball post (bring your own net and balls). Twin Lakes is just south of the harbor. It has a fair amount of parking. and the lagoon often empties out to form good skim boarding. Good spot for meeting up with folks. Seacliff (Cement Ship) is a well kept area. Lots of parking spaces (fee to get in) right at the beach. Picnic tables, shade structures, BBQ pits.
4. We've got a place named Santa Cruz here in Jamaica, whenever ur here just stop by the beach- Little Ochi (smile)