The best family beaches in Santa Cruz are Main Beach, Cowell Beach, Capitola Beach and New Brighton State Beach, and for a first day with kids Main Beach is the easy one. Right below the Boardwalk, it has public restrooms and 18 volleyball courts, and city lifeguards cover it daily in summer from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Cowell, just around the wharf, is where the surf schools teach beginners. Capitola is the small village cove four miles south with its own lifeguard towers, and New Brighton is the quiet state beach below the bluffs, with no confirmed lifeguards. The water is cold.
| Beach Name | Key Amenity | Booking Options |
|---|---|---|
| Main Beach | Volleyball Courts | View Details → |
| Cowell Beach | Nearby Dining | Booking.com Expedia VRBO |
| Capitola Beach | Picnic Tables | Booking.com Expedia VRBO |
| New Brighton | Fire Pits | Booking.com Expedia VRBO |
Family Beaches in Santa Cruz
Main Beach
Main Beach is the heart of the action, situated right at the boardwalk. It is perfect if you want to pair ocean time with classic seaside entertainment.
- The Beach: Soft sand, and city lifeguards cover the stretch from Cowell Beach to the San Lorenzo River daily from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. between Memorial Day and Labor Day, and on weekends in spring and fall (City of Santa Cruz).
- Key Amenities: Public restrooms, rentals and 18 volleyball courts, with public transit nearby.
- Tip: Set up near a lifeguard tower so you can watch the kids without wandering far.
Good to know: Parking in the boardwalk lots is convenient but fills up incredibly fast on sunny weekends, so aim for an early arrival.
Cowell Beach
Cowell Beach sits just around the wharf from Main Beach, and nearly every surf school in Santa Cruz runs its first lessons here.
- The Beach: Cowell sits inside the stretch city lifeguards cover daily in summer, which runs to the San Lorenzo River.
- Key Amenities: Restrooms, showers and board rentals are all a short walk away, and the wharf restaurants are right there when someone gets hungry.
- Tip: Book a beginner lesson with one of the surf schools that teach here.
Good to know: Search this beach and you will turn up old headlines calling it one of the most polluted in California. That was true for years, but the city traced the problem to birds roosting under the wharf and dealt with it. Cowell has since scored an A on Heal the Bay’s report card four years running and is off the Beach Bummer list entirely.
Capitola Beach
Capitola Beach is a four mile drive south of Santa Cruz, tucked into a cove where Soquel Creek runs out into the bay.
- The Beach: A small cove where Soquel Creek meets the bay, and the City of Capitola staffs two lifeguard towers here in summer.
- Key Amenities: Esplanade Park sits directly behind the sand with picnic tables, and the 855 foot pier has benches the whole way out.
- Tip: In summer, set up within sight of one of the two lifeguard towers.
Good to know: Capitola village is small and its parking fills early through the summer. Arrive before ten or plan on parking up the hill and walking down. Warm evenings bring twilight concerts and movies on the Esplanade, which is either a bonus or a bedtime problem depending on your kids.
New Brighton State Beach
New Brighton is the quiet one, a state beach in Capitola where forested bluffs drop down onto a wide stretch of Monterey Bay sand.
- The Beach: The sand runs wide at low tide.
- Key Amenities: Restrooms, showers and drinking water are up top by the 114 site campground, along with a small visitor center.
- Tip: Come at low tide and walk south toward Seacliff. The sand opens out and the crowds thin within about ten minutes of walking.
Good to know: Beach access is down a bluff trail and the main stairway closes for maintenance from time to time. Pack light, because whatever you carry down you carry back up. Bonfires are allowed only in the fire rings the park sets out seasonally, so leave your own fire pit at home.
More Family Travel Guides for Santa Cruz:
Santa Cruz sits in the Northern California section of our statewide roundup rather than the ranked list, because up here the beach is scenery more than a swimming plan. See how the whole state compares in our best California beach towns for families.