Fifteen new murals are gracing the streets of Watsonville, a quaint city located in south county with a proud history of agriculture. The murals were created by local artists and are exact replicas of agricultural box and crate labels used in the early 1900s that were so abundant in Watsonville and the Pájaro Valley. Growers first started using fruit and vegetable crate labels in the late 19th century. Early labels were designed to appeal to the senses, conveying health, freshness, vitality, and flavor. This beautiful blend of artwork and history is now easier to access, thanks to a free map which can be used to navigate a self-guided walking or driving tour to view the murals. The brochure features directions to each mural, a map, a brief history of each packing label and information about the artists.
The Seymour Marine Discovery Center, part of the Joseph M. Long Marine Laboratory, a research and education facility of UC Santa Cruz announces a new shark and ray pool. This new exhibit gives visitors a chance to see sharks and rays up close and feel the “dermal teeth” that give shark skin its sandpaper texture. The laboratory is affiliated with the Institute of Marine Sciences, a university research unit and serves as a base for field research in Monterey Bay and the ocean beyond. Perched on the edge of the Monterey Bay, the “Seymour Center” features marine life at seawater tables and aquariums, and marine exhibits illustrating the work of resident scientists. Docent-led tours offer a behind-the-scenes peek at the lab’s facilities and Younger Lagoon Natural Reserve. A visitor favorite is Ms. Blue, one of the world’s largest displayed blue whale skeletons, once a living 87-foot mammal, which rests outside the center.
Near scenic West Cliff Drive and Santa Cruz’s Lighthouse Point, a family-owned restaurant has undergone major changes: a new name, updated menu and extensive remodel. Gilbert’s Fire Fish Grill, located on the Santa Cruz Wharf, features a redesigned open kitchen and panoramic views of the Monterey Bay. Offering wharf favorites like clam chowder, cioppino and fresh lobster, the Fire Fish Grill lines the wharf alongside fish markets, seafood restaurants, a wine tasting room and gift boutiques.
Visitors to the Museum of Art and History at the McPherson Center in Santa Cruz now can use their cell phones to supplement the history of Santa Cruz County provided in the permanent, long-term exhibit “Where the Redwoods Meet the Sea.” At 25 stations throughout the exhibit, visitors can dial a number on their cell phones and listen to two-minute recordings that make the exhibit more kid-friendly, appealing to the increasingly tech-savvy younger generations and reducing costs and paper usage. The technology draws people in with voice recordings of local researchers and historians, some of whom play historical characters giving their own accounts of Santa Cruz history.
Two new guided canopy tours at Roaring Camp Railroads will do what their vintage steam train has been doing for generations: inviting visitors to experience the redwoods up close! One canopy tour provides a sky-high adventure of eight ziplines, bridges and seven platforms. Visitors hook themselves into a cable and descend to lower platforms. Controlling their speed with a handlebar device, speeds could reach up to 60 miles per hour. A second guided tour, about 40 feet off the ground, will be a more educational experience that carries visitors through the history of the forest via ziplines, platforms and footbridges with nets that link to a 300-square-foot platform for educational talks. Roaring Camp Railroads’ property is located adjacent to Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park in Felton, in the Santa Cruz Mountains.
