Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf

The mile-long Municipal Wharf is so packed with restaurants and tourist shops that locals tend to avoid it on summer weekends. But it's always worth a visit if only to look in on the Stellar Sea Lions that live on crossbars between the pilings at the end, right below the snack shop that sells sea lion food. Whale watching tours leave from the wharf in spring and fall. It's also nice to simply ride a bike past the wharf and look at the sailboats.

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For more information, including tide tables and a live cam with current views of the wharf and the bay, visit the Municipal Wharf website.