Contact: Christina Glynn, Communications Director/Film Commissioner
Phone: 831-429-7281, ext. 112, email: cglynn@santacruz.org

March 31, 2009
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

EVERY DOG HAS ITS DAY WITH SANTA CRUZ COUNTY’S PET-FRIENDLY ACCOMMODATIONS

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY, CA – From kitty cabanas to dog massages, Santa Cruz may be one of the pet-friendliest counties in which to visit. And this summer, traveling with Fido or Snowball just got easier. More vacation destinations, from rustic cabins nestled in the Redwoods to picturesque inns by the sea, are opening their doggie doors to pets. Santa Cruz County hotels, motels, and vacation rentals are recognizing the fact that for many tourists, leaving home without their animal companions is akin to leaving behind a sibling, parent or child.

Call it a feline mystique, but the Travel Industry Association reports that 14 percent of Americans — 36 million families — travel with pets. And pet-friendly Santa Cruz County is sitting up and taking notice.

The Santa Cruz County Conference and Visitor’s Council (CVC) can provide travelers with a list of lodging properties throughout the county that welcome furry friends with open paws. The Santa Cruz County Conference and Visitor’s Council’s website, www.santacruzcounty.travel, provides searchable listings of a variety of lodging options, including pet-friendly properties. In addition, the Council can recommend dog-friendly destinations in town, including parks, beaches, trails and off-leash areas that cater to canine critters.

Lodging choices abound for pet lovers. In Watsonville, the Best Western Rose Garden Inn offers exclusive rooms for pet owners. At the Hilton Santa Cruz/Scott’s Valley, hotel staff can recommend local pet groomers, vets, and animal service providers for guests traveling with their pets and provide maps of the local area to help navigate dog walks. If you want to give Fido his own yard, opt for a vacation rental property. Beach House Rentals offers vacation homes in Santa Cruz, Aptos and Capitola Village. You can sit with your canine companion on the deck of a beach house, enjoying panoramic ocean views of the Monterey Bay or opt for a cozy cottage in Mediterranean-inspired Capitola Village just steps to many boutiques, galleries, fine dining and casual restaurants. Santa Cruz’s Seaway Inn sits at the gateway to scenic West Cliff Drive, a two and a half mile scenic path overlooking the bay. The path is popular for walking dogs, bike rides and romantic strolls.

What could be a better bonus for a dog on vacation than a romp in a park, among glorious trees? State Parks within the county allow dogs within the picnic/campground areas on a 6-foot leash and animals must not be left unattended. In Santa Cruz city parks, dogs are allowed on leash at Pogonip City Park and DeLaveagea City Park. Other areas that welcome dogs include Polo Grounds County Park in Aptos, Jade Street Park in Capitola, and Watsonville’s Pinto Lake County Park. And at Sky Park’s Dog Park in Scotts Valley, a two-sided dog run accommodates dogs under 25 pounds adjacent to another side for larger dogs. A canopy area provides shelter during inclement weather. For four-legged campers, Santa Cruz KOA Campground in La Selva Beach and Santa Cruz Harbor RV Park welcomes dogs and cats.

As the warmer months of summer approach, the Santa Cruz County Conference and Visitor’s Council would like to remind travelers not to leave their pets in the car, even for a few minutes. The temperature inside a vehicle with the windows partially open for example, will reach 102 degrees within 10 minutes on an 85-degree day. In addition, the Humane Society of the United States recommends that when a pet travels, he or she should wear two ID tags—one with a home address and one with a destination address.

For a listing of pet-friendly hotels, motels, bed and breakfasts or vacation rentals, or for more information call the Santa Cruz County Conference and Visitor’s Council at 800.833.3494 or www.santacruzcounty.travel.

Contact: Christina Glynn, Communications Director/Film Commissioner
Phone: 831-429-7281, ext. 112, email: cglynn@santacruz.org

March 3, 2009
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

FOLLOW THE LEADER WITH SANTA CRUZ COUNTY WALKING TOURS

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY, CA – While the cry of “Hang ten!” can often be heard in this beachside destination, for some hanging ten means they may be more comfortable on a self-guided walking tour than a gnarly wave. Fortunately, Santa Cruz County has an array of options for those who choose to perambulate. Brochures about these self-guided walking tours are available free at the Santa Cruz County Conference and Visitors Council’s year round visitor center at 1211 Ocean Street in Santa Cruz, unless otherwise indicated.

Kicking things off, do-it-yourself walking tours offered by the City of Santa Cruz highlight four neighborhoods with architecturally historic roots: Ocean View Avenue – This historic street near Downtown Santa Cruz dates back to 1871 and sits on a terrace above the San Lorenzo River. Summer homes built long ago by wealthy residents of San Jose and the Central Valley grace Ocean View Avenue and nine homes of interest are incorporated into this 1/3-mile long, 15-minute walking tour. Beach Hill – This historic area near the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk and Main Beach offers four varieties of architectural styles, including Queen Ann, Stick-Eastlake, Vernacular and Spanish Colonial Revival. The Beach Hill walking tour is ¾-mile long and takes approximately 35 minutes by foot, with ten homes and buildings on the route, including a building that provided the inspiration to local resident Alfred Hitchcock for the decaying mansion in Psycho. Mission Hill – The Neary-Rodriguez Adobe if the first stop on this tour, which includes the Santa Cruz Mission Chapel and Reliquary. Visitors will also view a prime example of Gothic Revival and a New England style saltbox design.

Walnut Avenue – The Walnut Avenue area, in the heart of Downtown Santa Cruz, is an easy way to view a block thick with architectural designs. Nearly every home on this street is historically significant, including a pair of homes which date back to 1884.

Speaking of history, the legendary century-old Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk offers a self-guided walking tour with interpretive signs featuring 27 points of interest along the way. Pick up a walking tour brochure for $2 in the gift shop by Marini’s Candies (itself a point of interest on the tour!) and browse at leisure the colonnades, 1911 Looff Carousel- a National Historic Landmark – and other historic and scenic gems.

A mere six miles south of Santa Cruz, visitors can take a self-guided historical walking tour of Capitola Village, California’s oldest seaside resort town. The tour encompasses 12 landmarks and buildings dating between 1857 and 1950. The tour leads visitors to ancient sites inhabited by Ohlone Indians and then onto other historical points of interest such as the Capitola Depot, El Salto Resort, Capitola Theater, the Six Sisters and the famous Mediterranean-styled beach villas of the Venetian Court and other areas.

Established in 1850, Evergreen Cemetery was one of the first Protestant cemeteries in California and is the final resting place for Santa Cruz’s earliest settlers. Now visitors can wander through its dark paths, overgrown vegetation and crumbling stones and look for an array of ghosts, the most famous being Jack Sloan, who was killed by three Spanish compatriots in the late 1800s. A brochure outlines the locations of the Grand Army of the Republic, the Chinese Burial Ground and a Masonic plot, among other sites here.

For more information on walking tours and other activities, please visit www.santacruzcounty.travel. Or, call the Santa Cruz County Conference and Visitors Council at 800.833.3494 for more information.