Capitola Beach
Located just past Santa Cruz in the South Bay, the Capitola Beach is a great place to hang out with friends and enjoy the summer weather. It's near perfect at 70 or 75 degrees when the sun is beating down and there is a slight breeze -- warm, but not too hot that you can't stay out past much an hour or so.
We took some friends to the beach last weekend and were able to lay out for about 3 hours before we decided to get some seafood at one of a number of restaurants situated right alongside the sand.
There are free parking lots on the weekends within walking distance to the quaint beach town. Bring a few drinks and snacks and enjoy the summer while you still can.
Directions - Highway 880 south turns into Highway 17 south - continue until you hit Santa Cruz, take Highway 1 east toward Monterey, exit Bay Avenue and turn right, follow the road until you hit the beach.
