May 26, 2017 9:30AM
$30.00
Here is a fun, all-ages field trip at the end of May in Santa Cruz! Students will have the chance to spend a day at the famous Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, participate in an Ocean Ecology class, and of course, play at the beach.
TRIP DETAILS: The trip is scheduled for Thursday, May 25th and Friday, May 26th. Thursday, 5/25, will be our beach day. We will gather at Twin Lakes Beach at 2 pm. Our meeting spot will be near the harbor, on the ocean side of all the catamarans on the beach, to the left of the lifeguard stand at the end of Lake Ave. Families can swim, boogie board, make sand castles, walk the 1/2 mile beach, play beach games, and get to know other Inspire families.
Plan on having a bring-your-own picnic dinner at the beach, or you can purchase food from one of the restaurants located right there on the beach (great Mexican food at Palomar Cafe or deli items and pizza at Crow’s Nest Deli).
We will be there until sunset. Families will have the evening on their own to explore Santa Cruz. There is a list of hotels at the bottom of this email. Friday, 5/26, will be our morning Ocean Ecology class and Boardwalk day. We will meet in front of Neptune’s Kingdom on Beach Street at 9:30 a.m., before the Boardwalk opens. From there, we will learn about the Monterey Bay ecosystem from marine biologists and experts in the field in this one hour class. After that, families will spend the afternoon at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. We will have an optional lunch time gathering (bring your own or purchase at Boardwalk) on the beach in front of the bandstand at 1 pm. This is the first day that all rides will be open for the summer. The park will be open until 7 pm that day and families are free to stay as long as they like.
You are welcome to join any/both parts of the trip, but you only need tickets for the Friday class and Boardwalk excursion.
For those of you who want to come on Thursday or stay Friday night, there are several hotels that still have availability, but be sure to book soon as hotel rooms are usually fully booked Memorial Day weekend. Here are a few of our favorites that currently have availability for those days (note that Friday night is more expensive than Thursday): Sea and Sand Inn, 201 West Cliff Dr., Santa Cruz, CA 95060 (831) 427-3400 (walking distance to Boardwalk and on the water) Hotel Paradox, 611 Ocean St., Santa Cruz, CA 95062 (831) 425-7100 (on Ocean St., newly remodeled, has great pool area) Bella Notte, The Inn at East Cliff Drive, Santa Cruz, CA 95062 (831) 600-0001 (walking distance to Twin Lakes) Beach Street Inn and Suites, 125 Beach St., Santa Cruz, CA 95060 (831) 423-3031 (across the street from the beach and Boardwalk) If you are planning on coming earlier in the week, or want to stay through the weekend, we are happy to give you ideas of many fun things to do in Santa Cruz while you are there: forest hikes in Nisene Marks or Henry Cowell State Parks, Chardonnay sailing charters, whale watching, surf lessons, mountain biking, Mystery Spot, and more are all possible activities for those wanting a longer stay.
If you have any questions, please contact field trip coordinators, Theresa Herning (theresa@inspireschools.org) and Trish Canepa (trish@inspireschools.org). We hope to see you at the beach!
If you would like to register for this event, click here: