Central Coast - Coastal California - page 604

University of California, Santa Cruz UNIVERSITY
(UCSC; MAP GOOGLE MAP ; www.ucsc.edu )
Check it: the school mascot is a banana slug! Established in 1965 in the hills above town,
UCSC is known for its creative, liberal bent. The rural campus has fine stands of redwoods
and architecturally interesting buildings - some made with recycled materials - designed
to blend in with rolling pastureland. Amble around the peaceful arboretum ( MAP
GOOGLE MAP ; http://arboretum.ucsc.edu ; cnr High St & Arboretum Rd; adult/child 6-17yr $5/2, free
1st Tue of each month; 9am-5pm) and picturesquely decaying 19th-century structures from
Cowell Ranch, upon which the campus was built.
Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History MUSEUM
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; 831-420-6115; www.santacruzmuseum.org ; 1305 E Cliff Dr; adult/child un-
der 18yr $4/free, free 1st Fri of each month; 10am-5pm Tue-Sun; )
The collections at this pint-sized museum include stuffed animal mounts, Native Californi-
an cultural artifacts and a touch-friendly tide pool that shows off sea critters living by the
beach right across the street.
Museum of Art & History MUSEUM
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; 831-429-1964; www.santacruzmah.org ; McPherson Center, 705 Front St;
adult/child 12-17yr $5/2, free 1st Fri of each month; 11am-5pm Tue-Thu & Sat & Sun, to 9pm Fri)
Downtown, rotating displays by contemporary California artists and exhibits that dive into
local history are worth a quick look.