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Surfing Museum Lighthouse Point
Rating Details »
Categories: Landmarks & Historical Buildings, Museums [Edit]
809 Center StSanta Cruz, CA 95060
(831) 420-6289
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
6 reviews for Surfing Museum Lighthouse Point
This is probably the smallest museum you'll ever visit that is jam packed with info about local (And not so local) history.
Today when I stopped in I watched a film about the Mark Foo tragedy at Maverick's. Not exactly local (Though it is NorCal) but a very compelling story about the contest that year all the same.
Be sure to read everything, study the pictures and look closely at the boards they have here and you'll be richly rewarded. It won't take too much of a time investment and you'll be glad you did.
The admission is free but it would really help them to donate or buy something at the gift shop. The City of Santa Cruz doesn't want to foot the 20g a year bill it takes to run the museum and they're threatening to close it down unless the tab can be picked up by private funds.
It would be a shame to lose this display of history from the original Surf City.
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If you have an interest or curiosity about California surf culture especially in Santa Cruz it's a must see. It's a tiny museum, but fun to check out while watching surfers line up at the Slot and Middle Peak. Like Chris said, it's a great place to get out of the cold and the break is not for beginners. ( If you're beginning then you should hit up Cowell's Beach just down the road).
The surf museum lies overlooking Steamer's Lane, a pretty nice stretch of surf, and you paddle into this line up, you better be damn good or your gonna hear about it. Within this converted light house lies a museum that fully displays the history of surfing and how it has become ingrained within Santa Cruz. They even have a small collection of boards, from a solid wood long board which should really be described as a hefty 90+ lbs. log to a foam and fiber-glassed board that has had a run in with a white.
It's a small little museum to go in and check out and warm up on those cold windy days, stop on my and check out the origins of the Santa Cruz surf culture and while admission is free, leave a little donation to show your support! They have a few trinkets and souvenirs in there as well!
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Visiting the surf museum is a really good way to get some education about surfing history and culture. It is a pretty small museum - it takes about half an hour to read literally everything there, but it gave me a really good sense of the origins of surfing in California and the directions it has taken over the past fifty years.
From Cowell Beach or the Boardwalk, the museum is about a fifteen minute walk up the cliff. I recommend the walk because the views from along the cliff are absolutely gorgeous, plus you can watch surfers on the way.
Oh yeah, and admission is FREE! But remember to leave a donation on your way out.
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This museum is probably the smallest museum you will ever visit. It is really fun to go see the huge old fashioned surfboards (up to 80 pounds!), surf paraphernalia from all eras and the board with a shark bite taken out of it. Plus, the museum sits in a pretty spot in Santa Cruz where you can see nice views up and down the coast and watch the surfers in Steamer Lane below you. Definitely worth a visit.
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The surfing museum is a great place to learn some real Santa Cruz History. And if you are really lucky, you will find one of the original surfers there like Harry Mayo, who can tell you what is was really like in the early days of surfing. He was one of the ones who made his surf board out of redwood in Junior High shop class. He's Great!