I did the sunrise special in May of 2021. Loved it! It was very organized, well planned and…read morebeautiful. I did the trip alone and felt completely safe and comfortable the entire time. Thank you Slow Adventure!

Fantastically organized and worth every penny! Walked from Santa Cruz to close to Monterey --…read morefollowed the guide's very detailed (but not overly so) book as we went and enjoyed many near deserted miles of lush and fabulous coastline -- so many of these beaches we probably wouldn't visit otherwise. Every detail was thought of and it was such a delight to not worry about luggage transfers and have our car nicely waiting for us at the end. Our guide (that we could call) was a big help, too. It was a very pleasant surprise that our accommodations were consistently quite luxurious, too. Love this company and can't wait to come back again next summer!

My boyfriend and I went on the Capitola Food Tour after getting a groupon for it, and it's been one…read moreof the best groupon purchases we've made! Brian, the tour guide, is full of a wealth of historical and foodie knowledge. I've lived in Santa Cruz for about 6 years and had never heard most of the stuff he told us! We went for the food, but got a fascinating history lesson in the process! During our tour we visited the following locations: Bloomsbury Tea Room Paradise Beach Grille Shadowbrook Gayle's Bakery The Tea Room had a yummy selection of scones with amazing jams and lemon curd. There were finger sandwiches and quiches, along with a large selection of teas. At Gayle's we had a yummy chocolate treat, and learned all about the history of the bakery. Paradise Beach Grille (which you should go to even if you don't take this tour) was amazing as always with a delightful shrimp dish. From there we made our way to Shadowbrook where we had delicious pork sliders and a scrumptious salad while learning all about the fascinating history of the restaurant and the site itself. Any of these restaurants are worth checking out by themselves, so to eat at all four of them is a real treat! Note: it looks like the tour now goes to Geisha Sushi instead of Gayle's Bakery - if there was any place that could be an acceptable substitute for Gayle's, it's Geisha! Love that place too! We loved the tour so much we forced all our parents to go on the Santa Cruz tour with us!

Loved this tour. I've been coming to Capitola since I was a kid and never know any of the history…read moreof the place. The day I went on his tour the sun was shining and Capitola never looked better. The food on this tour was ample and soooo tasty. My favorite was the tea room we visited. So thoughtful and tasty. Our guide really knew his stuff and as a result I will never look at Capitola the same way again. These folks also have a Santa Cruz tour. That's next on my to-do list. I recommend this for friends, couples and families. A great afternoon!

"What would you like for Christmas?". "I want you to find a person who we can spend all day in the…read morewoods with and they'll have answers for all the questions." Amazingly enough, this person exists in our own backyard. Christian has passion, knows his stuff, and as a result is an incredible teacher, a cool hang, and propagates a love for nature. I specifically wanted to level up my knowledge of mushrooms, but also hoped to gain a new understanding of plants and birds on the California coast. It was a deluge of info, and explained in a way that sticks. If you love the outdoors and want to spend time with someone who really gets it and has a contagious reverence for it, spend some time with Christian.

Redwood Coast Tours is a fantastic company and I was amazed by the mushroom tour we took with them…read morein Big Basin near Santa Cruz. Our expert guide, Christian, helped us find a multitude of different mushrooms as we meandered thru the Redwood forest. He filled our brains with practically a text book of information about mycology including mycorrhizal fungi. I highly and enthusiastically recommend Redwood Coast Tours for your educational tour on mushrooms!!

First, I got my first hat from this company many years ago at a little fair in WA state. Fantastic…read moreproduct and I got 2 more. This year I decided to get another and ordered it online. 1. AHM allows Shopify to skim your info off their cart and embeds their mass marketing in it.(This will result in dozens of emails) 2. AHM will then have their AI customer service pander you and lie about how they don't give or sell your information for half a dozen email responses. 3. Finally they will admit to giving Shopify your information with a CHATGPT-like response. You know, how chatGPT will come at you like it's a family member talking to you with fake familiarity.(Example) "We hear your frustration loud and clear, and I want to talk to you directly--from our family to yours--to clear the air on how our checkout process works and address the security concerns you've raised." Don't buy from this company unless you just don't care about privacy or respectable business practices. Also, my most recent purchase is clearly of lower quality than my first 3 hats. Skrinkflation in action.

I love my white felt Cattleman Hat 4 inch brim shipping was quick product came nicely. Package will…read moredo business again. My next hat will be the brown one or the black one will do business again.. PS one of the most important things is this is a American made Hat. Made in America

What to do after brunch on Sunday in Palo Alto? Head to the Foster! Parking is a breeze, the…read moreadmission is free, and the experience works for all ages! As a dabbler in watercolors, I was transfixed--some of these paintings are huge--and he does not use photographs! As an educator, my mind was brimming with opportunities to integrate his work into humanities and human geography classes. The Foster website has excellent resources. This is a must see if you are in the area!

This turned out to be one of my favorite stops, especially when I'm in between appointments in Palo…read moreAlto. I knew in advance that on Thursdays (2nd & 4th weeks only), the public street parking in front of the building was off limits for street sweeping/no parking between 7am-11am, so I got very lucky pulling up in front at 11am sharp. Nice. Easy walk. The Foster Museum was very simple, decent, positive, and relaxing environment filled with gorgeous nature views/sketches/watercolor artworks by the U.K. artist, Tony Foster. Good feeling here. Free admissions and good customer service staffs. You can just walk in or register online. There's a tiny gift area not far from the public restrooms. I signed the guestbook at the end of my walk. Good place to hang around/includes unlimited paper, paper/pencils/samples/etc. If you like to sketch and get some creative inspirations, all the nature artworks in the gallery is definitely a good place to start. Not huge, but perfectly quite and calm for art lovers. You can request for an orientation and/or tour as desired. Great first impression during first visit. It's the positive feeling I get from observing the energy and various colorful artworks. Simple and stress-free. Good value/free admissions is totally worth the 1-2 hours here. They also host art classes too, but I will need to take time to browse around online. Good vibes. Staffs are friendly inside. Hidden place. Love it.

The first charter we booked had to be delayed for weather, and let me tell you--it was worth the…read morewait. I had no idea what was in store for us. They took us out to the center of about a dozen whales and those guys were having a heck of a day. We saw everything from feeding to fluking. We got so close we could see the barnacles on their tails. They were swimming under our boat! I thought it would be scary but it was just fascinating. Captain Smitty was funny and he really knows his stuff. He taught us a bunch about the whales, birds, and seals we saw. We had a great time and will definitely be booking again. Minimum of 4 people to book, and be sure to take your anti-nausea meds if you're prone to sea sickness--Captain Smitty gets you really close to the action, which means waves. Two in our group took dramamine and were just fine.

My family and I just went on a whale watching trip today…read more It's always part luck. Thankfully, we got lucky. Spotted a couple Gray Whales from a distance, and after a tip from another boat were able to get closer to two others swimming together and ride along with them for a while. Captain Smitty and Lee were great! Knowledgeable, friendly, informative, and great stewards of the sea, and marine life. We definitely recommend these guys. Go with an open heart, patience, and have fun!

From start to finish, Santa Cruz Bike Tours exceeded every expectation. The entire operation was…read moreprofessional, well-organized, and welcoming. Our guide, Marty, was outstanding--knowledgeable, full of integrity, and genuinely funny. He made everyone feel comfortable, shared interesting information throughout the ride, and, most importantly, kept the entire group safe while ensuring everyone had a great time. His attention to each rider, regardless of experience level, was exceptional. The scenery was absolutely gorgeous and made the ride even more memorable. If you're looking for a fun, scenic, and professionally guided cycling experience, I highly recommend SC Bike Tours. I can't wait to come back for another tour!

3.5 stars to be fair because the trail was beautiful. Let's get into to…read more My friends and I are from SoCal so we googled bike tours in Santa Cruz for an afternoon activity. Up pops up Santa Cruz Bike Tours- easy enough right? The website was pretty standard, nothing too flashy, professional and candid photos were shown. We called ahead to get some basic information about the Redwoods Tour and was greeted by Marty. Marty sent a very formal email confirmation and off we went to the meeting spot. Our meeting spot was Epicenter Cycling however the email indicated the tour wasn't affiliated with the Center. The guy inside the center even said and I quote, "oh yea that guy, he comes around here sometimes". We found Marty our tour guide parked on the street near the plaza, We walked up to his car and to our surprise were decade old bikes and helmets laid out in his truck to choose from. The quality was by far not what we expected but we rolled with the punches. Marty took us on a guided tour through the Redwoods which was beautiful. Offered water and 'snacks' during our ride and volunteered to be our photographer. All in all the tour was an event to remember. Did we get catfished? Yes. Will we have a story to tell and laugh about for a lifetime? Also yes. $65 a person for the tour. Marty accepts Cash or Check only. Parking in the plaza is a bit difficult as it is for customers only but the trail is easy enough to find.

Had a great time deep sea fishing on the 7 hour adventure leaving from Santa Cruz on Stagnaro's…read more Came with the scout troop and the staff helped for any snags, and the captain kept putting us on the fish. We all caught our limit, and really enjoyed the day. The staff also were able to clean and fillet our fish on the way back to shore to make it easier on us. Will definitely do it again.

Mind blown. No words. Amazing time with the most knowledgeable naturalists and a Captain who…read moreknows her stuff! Truly an experience I'll never forget.