The Heart Of Downtown Santa Cruz Boasts One Of America's 'Most Celebrated And Innovative Independent Bookstores'

About 90 minutes south of San Francisco along California's Central Coast, Santa Cruz is known for its buzzing surf culture and famous boardwalk. It's also fun to head inland to explore downtown with some of Santa Cruz's best restaurants and some fun shops. One notable stop is the beloved Bookshop Santa Cruz. One of Samantha Brown's tips for finding the perfect place for a day trip is to see if the place has an independent bookstore, and Bookshop Santa Cruz is one of the best around. Good Times has called it "one of the most celebrated and innovative independent bookstores—not just locally, but even among booksellers nationally."

Bookshop Santa Cruz has been a mainstay of downtown since its opening in 1966, and it's been family-owned since 1973. One of the most impressive things about the store is its size: 20,000 square feet packed with books for all ages and of all genres. It's well stocked with new releases and best sellers, along with local authors, and you can also buy and sell used books here. Living in Santa Cruz, I've definitely whiled away plenty of hours browsing the stacks here. And I love reading the staff recommendations throughout the shelves; they're always thoughtful, and it's like getting book suggestions from your most well-read friend.

Along with getting recommendations and new books for myself when I visit Bookshop Santa Cruz, it's also a go-to place to buy gifts for pretty much everyone I care about. Along with the impressive collection of books, it has a great selection of toys, games, and puzzles, as well as some cute home goods, like tote bags, mugs, and candles. I'm definitely not alone in loving this indie bookstore and all it has to offer. One person on Yelp called it a "magical bookstore with all the book sections your heart and mind desires!" Another posted: "Super cute with a huge selections of books, puzzles and other goodies. Loved the ambiance. Employees were super friendly and helpful on where to find specific books." Bookshop Santa Cruz also hosts literary events throughout the year. You can attend author readings by local and best-selling authors, poetry competitions, and the like.

The bookstore even inspired local author Wallace Baine to write "A Light in the Midst of Darkness: The Story of a Bookshop, a Community and True Love." In the book, you can learn more about the history of the store, including what happened after the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, which devastated parts of downtown Santa Cruz. The community came together to help remove what books they could in the aftermath of the earthquake. "A community doesn't come out to help a store proprietor," poet, teacher, and Santa Cruz local Patrice Vecchione told Good Times on the 30th anniversary of the earthquake. "A community comes out to restore something that matters to them. This was our bookstore."