Skip to content
visitorfun
BusinessesGrow
Sport & OutdoorLocal GemOutdoor Adventure

UC Santa Cruz Arboretum and Botanic Garden

1156 High St, Santa Cruz, CA 95064 · Santa Cruz, CA

Why you should go…

The Arboretum and Botanic Garden at UC Santa Cruz is a 115-acre living plant collection representing more than 300 plant families from Mediterranean-climate regions of South Africa, Australia, New Zealand and Chile. Run as an academic unit of the university, it includes an aroma garden, a succulent garden and an extensive conifer collection, and is open daily from 9am to 5pm. The garden offers free admission on the first Tuesday of each month.

  • #botanic garden
  • #plants
  • #nature walk
  • #santa cruz
  • #campus garden

Good to know

General sport & outdoor guidance

Habits that pay off across this whole category, not rules for this one venue. Always check the official site for the specifics.

  • Weather calls the shots

    Check the forecast the morning of and keep an indoor backup in your pocket for the day it turns.

  • Shoes, water, sun cover

    The three things that decide whether you last the whole outing or cut it short after an hour.

  • Parking and launches fill early

    On a nice weekend, lots and trailheads are often full by mid-morning.

  • Daylight shrinks in shoulder season

    Spring and fall visits need an earlier start than the same trip in July.

What's around here?

The closest stops to UC Santa Cruz Arboretum and Botanic Garden, ordered by straight-line distance. A few more like it, plus some different kinds of fun so you can build a full day.

  • Sightseeing
    Outdoor Adventure

    Santa Cruz County

    Free

    California coastal county known for its beaches, redwood forests, and the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk.

    1.6 mi awaySwitch it up: Sightseeing

  • Sightseeing
    Local Gem

    Downtown Santa Cruz

    Free

    Santa Cruz's walkable downtown shopping and dining district along Pacific Avenue.

    1.7 mi awaySwitch it up: Sightseeing

  • Shopping
    Local Gem

    Far West Fungi

    Free

    Mushroom store and cafe selling fresh, dried and cultivated fungi, grow kits, and mushroom snacks.

    1.7 mi awaySwitch it up: Shopping

  • Sport & Outdoor
    Outdoor Adventure

    Garrod Farms

    $50+

    A family-run stable and estate winery in the Saratoga foothills offering trail rides and wine tasting.

    21 mi awayMore like this

  • Sport & Outdoor
    Outdoor Adventure

    Monterey Bay Equestrian Center

    $50+

    A beachfront stable in Marina offering guided horseback rides along the dunes and shoreline of Monterey Bay.

    25 mi awayMore like this

  • Sport & Outdoor
    Date Night

    Refuge

    $50+

    Outdoor hydrotherapy spa in Carmel with saunas, steam rooms, cold plunges and hot pools.

    33 mi awayMore like this