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Lighthouse Field State Beach's Santa Cruz Surfing Museum at Steamer Lane
Santa Cruz Surfing Museum
in the Mark Abbott Memorial Lighthouse is located at the famous Steamer
Lane, a surfing destination for surf vacations. But there's also
another interest for tourists. The Lighthouse Field State Beach
located here is strikingly beautiful and offers not only
opportunities to stroll, sunbathe and relax, but also watch
butterflies and birds that include the Black Swift. Sea lions
populate the offshore rocks at Point Santa Cruz, which forms the
northern boundary of Monterey Bay and is recognized as one of the
few remaining open headlands in any California urban area.
Mark Abbott Memorial
Lighthouse at West Cliff Drive is home to Santa Cruz Surfing Museum and
Lighthouse Field State Beach.
The Santa Cruz Surfing Museum is in the Mark Abbott Memorial
Lighthouse at Lighthouse Point on West Cliff Drive. Overlooking
internationally renowned surfing hotspot Steamer Lane, the museum
has photographs, surfboards, and other interesting items tracing
over 100 years of surfing history in Santa Cruz. Each Christmas
tourists and local residents gather for "Caroling Under the
Stars."
Inside the museum guests
can enjoy displays of surf boards and memorabilia ranging from redwood
"planks" to modern high-tech designs and shapes, wetsuits, photographs,
videos and a gift shop with books, T-shirts, sweatshirts, posters, and more.
Steamer Lane is one of
the most famous surfing spots in California. Filled with love and lore, one
tale of how Steamer's got its name was that 1920's steam ships used the
waves breaking out over the third reef as a guide to turn into Santa Cruz.
Or possibly surfers watching a storm surge break on the outer reef joked
that the wave was so far out, it was in the Steamer Lane. It's waves are
often large and not recommended for novice surfers.
What a surprise and
delight for the Surfing Museum to see Paris Hilton's photo on the cover of
top fashion magazine, Elle, and on her chest Paris wears the Santa Cruz
Surfing Club t-shirt.
Surfing came to Santa
Cruz in the 1930s and has continued to grow ever since. Located in the Mark
Abbott Memorial Lighthouse at Lighthouse Point on West Cliff Drive, the
Santa Cruz Surfing Museum opened its doors in June 1986 as the first surfing
museum in the world.
Santa Cruz Surfing Museum
& Steamer Lane Surfing
701 West Cliff Drive
Santa Cruz, CA 95060
831-420-6289
Administration located at:
Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History
1305 East Cliff Drive
Santa Cruz, CA 95062
831-420-6119
831-420-6451 fax
santacruzsurfingmuseum.org
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