Santa Cruz Wharf

The Wharf is no longer functional, so its mainly used as a great place for a stroll with some sightseeing. Its located right next to the Boardwalk, so you can knock off two tourist destinations at once. We weren’t really interested in the touristy parts of the Wharf and the «street» food didn’t have the same appeal as other places we’ve visited in California. However, we highly recommend that you come here for the Sea Lion Sanctuary.

Great place for parking, shops, food, and bathrooms. If you come here often, get the parking pass

A great place to walk, jog or bike. You can access to the boardwalk attractions, the beach, the ocean & parks.

So the Santa Cruz Wharf (hereafter referred to as The Wharf) is one of those historical touristy scenic things to do in Santa Cruz.
This is currently a destination location in Santa Cruz. Although this is now a tourist kind of thing, the wharf predates the tourist industry by a hundred years or so. Back before there were roads or railroads sea travel was the only way to get up and down the coast and this was the largest and best equipped of Santa Cruz’s seven or so wharfs intended for cargo/​passenger/​fishery ship activities. It’s also right next to the main beach and boardwalk.
There’s parking all over the wharf itself for a price, but it’s cheaper (and in the summer less traffic hassle) to park somewhere else and walk/​bike/​bus or trolley it on in. Be warned that in the summer season everyone in the entire world will be trying to get here, so count on traffic.
Now it has about a dozen restaurants and shops along with a tackle and bait store (no permit required if fishing from the wharf-​but you’ll want one for fishing from the shore. sold at the bait shop) places to rent boats or kayaks, a chocolatier (where you can watch the chocolate goodies being made via a plate glass window), a shaved ice stand, a hot dog stand, and numerous other activities that can part you from your money. There will be street performers of varying quality, and there’s events such as car shows periodically throughout the year.
The restaurants… well some are better then others but most of them aren’t all that great. The shops are actually decent enough and well worth a look. The kayaks and boats are pretty standard for the area but there’s cheaper places to rent surfboards and paddle boards close by.
The best thing here are the views and the seal colony that lives underneath the wharf. You can see seals anytime year round when you come here-there’s special places just for looking at them up close. the wharf offers great views of the main beach, the boardwalk, any surfing activity on steamers lane, and of course the sunsets are spectacular.
The worst thing here is the level of human stupidity. I’ve seen people throw bags of trash off the wharf as they couldn’t be bothered to walk 30 feet to a trashcan. I’ve seen people kill the seabirds. I’ve seen fisherman snag a seal in their fishing line and then run away. Trashy men seem compelled to spit off the wharf-​right into a swimming area. Classy. And of course there are typically a number of, shall we say, independent businessman hanging out especially late at night. Not to mention people who have continued to use drugs or drank alcohol long past the point where they should have stopped. Not too cool to be a part of any of that with your family, but such is life in this urban age.
Overall this is one of the things you should totally see and do in Santa Cruz, especially on a fun summer weekend.

I love the Santa Cruz Wharf. Great place to get a good view of the Boardwalk, grab a couple of drinks and see the Sea lions or watch the surfers catch some waves. We walked from the Boardwalk, but there was plenty of parking for those who wish to drive. Fishing can be done off the Wharf as well and although most of the shops close up early, the Wharf is open till 3am. Cute shops to get Santa Cruz souvenirs and some great little restaurants for fresh seafood.

Dirty n smelly. Only cool thing was the seals docking under the pier to take a nap. Fun to watch seals interact with one another. The baby seals were cute

Great shops, great place to see seals and what not. I love the clothes at all the shops and the restaurants were great. The only complaint is that everything g is extremely over priced. I know you pay a lot in tourist spots but this was insane! I’m talking $ 15 key chains lol. I did get a great shirt and sweatshirt but those two items cost me $ 80.

Been coming here since I was a kid
Some of my best family and fishing memories are from here. Lots to do Food, Fishing, Crabbing, shopping or just hanging out
You can fish for free no license needed just grab your parking pass and find a spot and enjoy

Each time that I vacation in Santa Cruz, my family and I always walk out onto the wharf to shop, eat at Gilda’s and have ice cream at Marini’s. I’m a big people watcher (if it were a real job, I’d be the first to apply) and this is a prime spot to see some sillies especially Robert the umbrella man — you all know who I’m talking about. Whether you want to take a nice stroll on the wharf, grab some food, or shop your brains out then the wharf is for you.

A few shops and restaurants on the pier, didn’t stop in any of them. Fun to look for the seals sleeping under the pier.

Stopped by here on a road trip. Interesting to take a quick wander and look around; you’ll see quite a few people fishing but otherwise there isn’t much else happening in the early afternoon.
Parking was free although maybe because we were only there for about 15−20mins. There are a lot of restaurants and a small café but if you’re looking for good coffee go to The Abbey only a very short drive away!

strolling the length of this wharf is a must do whenever i’m visiting santa cruz. i get to see the fishermen, sea lions, local runners, and other tourists. my favourite is definitely the sea lions, as i hang out by the ledge, just staring down at them, watching them sleep, play, spar, and make their sea lion calls. there are some beautiful views to be taken in from the wharf as you can see the length of the boardwalk/​amusement park from here, as well as monterey bay on a clear day. definitely a great place to take some photos and remember your visit to santa cruz. parking is $ 1/​hour inside the gate of the wharf. you can also find street parking and other surface lot parking near the wharf.

When you first arrive at the Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf, it looks like a parking lot more than it does a wharf. Cars are parked everywhere, but keep going, don’t give up just yet.
As you keep walking, you can’t help but hear the sea lions. You hear them first, before you see them. In San Francisco’s Fisherman’s Wharf, these chubby little guys are perched on top of barges and are in plain sight.
At the Santa Cruz Wharf, they are actually located underneath the pier. If you walk towards the end of the pier, there are actually pits that have been cut out that allow you to look down and see them. It’s super cool.

I may be biased but I love the wharf. My dad brought me here when I was about five, taught me to bait my own hook and I caught my first fish here. You don’t need a fishing license on the wharf. Also if you arrive early parking charges don’t apply until 10 am. A fishing tip; there’s more fish when there are less sea lions. But you can still get smelt, small mackerel, sardines and if you have a crab net throw it in, you may get lucky.
The wharf is great, you can drive out and park so you can enjoy a walk, visit the shops, bars and restaurants or just people watch. There is a fee to park but considering you are over the Bay it’s pretty inexpensive. (BTW don’t ask me where my secret spots are, lol) Although if you ride a motorcycle you will find dedicated spots.
We never come to the wharf without getting some of the chowder. I think it’s the best you can get! Stagnaro’s has a fish market towards the end of the wharf, this is where we get out chowder to go and enjoy it on one of the benches.
Of course it’s a tourist magnet which is why we come early to beat the crowds. It’s also great during the week and during the winter months when there are fewer tourists.
There are always boats and kayakers to see. They do rent kayaks and small boats off the wharf.
If you go to the end there is often a pod (is that the right word) of sea lions just hanging out and floating together.
There were dolphins right off the wharf on our last two visits. I must be getting nostalgic because we’ve been coming here much more often lately. I guess the roots tend to pull you back occasionally.

Place is filled with lots of good seafood restaurants and some shops.
Con: Very crowded and can be very dirty. Parking is hard to come by also.

The Santa Cruz Warf… well, I’ve only been here a handful of times. I tend to come to do some late-​night fishing with the bf and friends. It’s really a little getaway. It’s not like we are catching a load-​full of fish or anything like that! Plus, warfs are the place to go to fish without a fishing license, so here we are.
It does get chilly, so dress appropriately or carry extra jackets cause while you wait for those fishies to bite, you’ll get cold from the cool breeze coming from the ocean. Even on summer nights!
Oh! The sea lions get loud by the way! Some sneeze, some cough, while others talk or make funny noises… o₀. It may not be your friend that farted next to you either… just saying. ;-)

I came here on New Years Eve!
Of course at the time, there wasn’t much worth doing. HOWEVER, in the warmer seasons, it’s a bustling little adventure. Wonderful views of the beach and the ocean, and plenty of options as far as eateries are concerned.
Shopping? Oh yes, they’ve got that. All your beach needs and desires are fulfilled. They also have boat rentals for a fairly decent price. The wharf really concentrates all the local flavor into one small area.
Even if you have no money, it’s nice to just take a stroll down the wharf and take in the beautiful scenery of Santa Cruz. A must-​see if you’re in the area. Parking is close and relatively ample depending on the day you go.

This 3,000 or 2,745 foot Municipal Wharf was constructed in 1914; it is the longest pier on the West Coast. Originally created for commercial fishing and fish markets, today it appeal to the tourist industry. There are restaurants, souvenir shops, and recreational activities.
And best of all, it is a great place to see: seals, birds, and once in awhile whales. Recently when I walked down this pier the whales were so close I could not focus on them. For me, the chance for nature photography standing on the wharf rather than sitting pale faced in a rocking boat is reason enough to come here. Of course the whales are only around once in a great while; however, the seals have made the pilings under the wharf their home. If there aren’t any seals or whales, there is a wide selection of restaurants and pelicans that might justify a 1−½ to 2 hour jaunt to Santa Cruz.

Nice wharf where you can get something to eat from seafoods, Mexican and sweets, don’t forget souvenir and a lot of beach activity that you can rent.
The best part are under the wharf is the home of sealions.
I saw a lot of peoples were fishing too.

This is a great place to take a stroll, check out some touristy shops, observe some sea lions that have taken over a floating dock and get a terrific view of the Boardwalk and coastline. There are plenty of benches to rest on along this very long wharf but look before you sit… the numerous seagulls in the area like to play the poop game on the benches. Okay, it’s not their fault… really…birds have no sphincters so it happens without any devious planning or pre-​mediation on their part.
There are a lot of folks who fish from here so be cautious if walking with small children as gear tends to be everywhere near the wharf’s railing.