From Boardwalk to Butterflies: Best Day Trip for San Francisco Seniors

When San Francisco seniors want a quick day trip, Santa Cruz is just an hour or so away. Have fun on the beach boardwalk or watching the Monarch butterflies take flight.

The desire for a change of scenery hits all of us sometimes – whether it’s for a few hours or a day. This is a familiar wish for San Francisco seniors during the sometimes foggy summers or even early fall when residents want to enjoy the last good weather before winter.

For older adults who still enjoy driving, or joining up with a friend or a family member, an easy day trip from the city will drop you just south of the city into Santa Cruz, a quintessential beach town on the northern tip of Monterey Bay. It’s just a 75-minute drive along the Coast Highway 1 (a quicker inland route will get you there 20 minutes earlier, but there’s no view – always a trade-off, it seems).

Santa Cruz offers classic seaside fun and seasonal natural wonders, ideal for seniors. In summer, the main attraction is the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, the only major seaside amusement park remaining on the West Coast. And, when summer segues into early fall, most boardwalk amusements close and another attraction “opens” – the arrival of thousands of brilliantly colored Monarch butterflies.

Here’s a closer look at what a scenic day trip to Santa Cruz offers San Francisco’s older adults in these two back-to-back seasons before everyone heads indoors until spring.

The Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk is full of history – and for many seniors in the Bay Area – full of nostalgia as well. The paved, one-mile-long boardwalk runs alongside a white-sand beach and rolling ocean waves, its length packed with amusement park rides, arcade games and shops, accompanied by the aroma of fresh popcorn and cotton candy. Opened in 1907, the amusement park still features its original Giant Dipper, an iconic wooden rollercoaster that noisily climbs steep tracks and plunges into deep dives, replete with happily screaming passengers. (The Sky Glider, a chairlift, offers a gentler ride experience for seniors and plenty of scenic views). The 1911 Looff carousel, with 73 hand-carved horses, continues to charm riders with its slow-paced turns and reverberating organ music (both the rollercoaster and carousel are National Landmarks). 

The open-air boardwalk is free to enjoy year-round; there’s no admission price. Ride tickets can be purchased for single rides or a day’s worth (check the website for discounts). The amusement park operates from May through Labor Day, but its indoor rides and arcade games are open year-round. Numerous stalls offer fun food snacks and clam chowder, or pack your own lunch and enjoy people and wave-watching as you relax on one of the many benches.

One of nature’s most joyful and colorful events happens each fall when Monarch butterflies migrate from their home in the western Rockies and Canada to overwinter in Santa Cruz. Thousands of these beautiful orange and black butterflies roost here from mid-October through January, where flowering eucalyptus trees provide food and shelter along their journey. They cluster together on branches looking like hanging orange flowers, then flutter open in dazzling flight to catch the sun – a mesmerizing phenomenon for nature lovers and photographers.

The best place to view them is Natural Bridges State Beach, a coastal park with a designated Monarch Grove that protects their winter habitat. You’ll follow a short, accessible trail that leads to the grove, which offers benches and viewing platforms to observe these beautiful creatures. The best time to view them on chilly days is mid-day, when they emerge from their morning clusters and seek the sun.

The Monarch Grove is open from 8 a.m. to sunset daily. There’s no entrance fee, but parking costs $10 ($9 for seniors) per vehicle for day use. The Visitor Center is open Wednesday–Sunday, 11 a.m.–4 p.m.

Whether you choose the fun atmosphere of a beach boardwalk town or a quieter, but equally wonderful experience, Santa Cruz makes a refreshing day trip that San Francisco seniors are sure to enjoy.