California's Wealthy Santa Cruz Neighborhood Has A Family-Friendly Beach And Tasty Food

With its majestic coastline, California is home to several beaches suited to luxury lifestyles. Newport Beach is, after all, home to the nation's No. 1 Mercedes-Benz dealer. La Jolla, the upscale jewel of San Diego, boasts the world-renowned Torrey Pines Golf Course, which hosts a number of professional golf tournaments. And when in Malibu, you can expect to rub shoulders with some of the biggest celebrities. However, those looking for more laid-back — but still affluent — vibes will appreciate surf capital Santa Cruz's down-to-earth charms, including its sunny community of Seabright. With rows of beach cottages next to modern homes, Seabright residents may be sitting on a lot of wealth, but their lifestyle exudes relaxation, with a family-friendly beach, a walkable neighborhood, and a number of tasty eateries.

Tucked between Santa Cruz Harbor and the San Lorenzo River — which is the city's largest source of drinking water — Seabright isn't large, yet it's considered the second most expensive community in Santa Cruz (via The Desert Review). As of this writing, only a handful of residential properties are for sale on Redfin, including a one-bedroom condo for $740,000 and a $2.3 million, two-bedroom home with harbor views. Even as a beach city, it's accessible to jobs, transportation, and other destinations. Commuters are 2 miles from State Route 17, a major highway connecting to Silicon Valley, or they can hop on scenic Highway 1 for a drive to Half Moon Bay. Two airports are within driving distance: San Jose Mineta International Airport is 34 miles north, and San Francisco International Airport is 60 miles north. Beyond driving and flying, many residents simply use their two feet to get to work. NeighborhoodScout found that nearly 14% of residents walk to work and 4.1% bike to work, outpacing the majority of American neighborhoods.

Seabright's history is intertwined with its eponymous, family-friendly state beach, a half-mile of sandy shores once called "Castle Beach" because it was home to a bathhouse that looked like a Moorish castle, until a fire led to its demolition in 1967. Locals really don't like to advertise this majestic natural attraction to tourists who may beeline over from the busier Main Beach beside the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, considered one of the world's best seaside attractions. Here, it's quieter and sparser but offers beach amenities such as free street parking, summer lifeguards on the weekends, restrooms, and fire pits. You can swim, play volleyball, sunbathe, or watch a flock of sandpipers while eating lunch on picnic tables. From there, stroll to the nearby yacht harbor, or take a walk to the Walton Lighthouse, a 41-foot-tall beacon for mariners at the harbor's mouth.

For day-to-day outings with dogs or little ones, the Frederick Street Park is the go-to neighborhood venue near the marina, where both big and small dogs have their own off-leash areas to play, and kids can climb the play structures and ollie at the skate bowl. Kids will also go nuts for the slides at Ocean View Park, both long, open ones and enclosed, tubular ones. And, to get a sense of Seabright's close-knit bonds, look no further than the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History across the street from Seabright Beach. A beloved community fixture for 100 years, which receives glowing Google reviews for its wildlife exhibits on taxidermy, fossils, and a bee colony, the museum is ideal for a family outing and even offers free admission to those under 18 years of age.

Even though Trader Joe's is a mere 2 miles away from Seabright Beach, making it easy to stock up on groceries, eating out is a way of life in Seabright, since it's so easy to walk to your favorite restaurants. Your morning outing can start at Verve Coffee Roasters, near the specialty chain's headquarters and roastery, for a velvety latte and a pastry, or a cup of the medium-roast Seabright blend. Heartier appetites can load up on a full breakfast of omelettes at Seabreeze Cafe, but be prepared to wait in line. Locals head to Seabright Deli to pick up freshly made sandwiches and wraps, featuring house-smoked brisket, oven-roasted turkey, and blackened fresh snapper. In the evening, you can meet friends for pool, darts, and pinball at Hold Fast Lounge. Italian restaurants are also popular here. Enjoy date night at family-owned Lillian's Italian Kitchen for boneless short ribs and black truffle gnocchi, or try the brick-oven pizzas and seafood ravioli at Tramonti.

The usual sunny mood in Seabright, however, has dimmed with the March 2025 closure of the Murray Street Bridge, which crosses the harbor. It's undergoing a $50 million earthquake retrofit, with repairs expected to finish by January 2028, according to KSBW. The bridge links east and west Santa Cruz, and SFGate reports that a detour now takes 20 minutes to get into Seabright compared to three minutes. Businesses are feeling the impact with sales down, and brewpub Seabright Social is calling it quits after Labor Day weekend. For now, the Santa Cruz Sentinel notes the bridge is closed to all vehicles, bicycles, and pedestrians and will reopen to one-lane vehicle traffic and two-way pedestrian access tentatively in February 2026. Meanwhile, Seabright is open for business.