Discover Santa Cruz’s rich natural beauty, history

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From the shoreline of Monterey Bay to the peaks of the Santa Cruz Mountains, Santa Cruz is rich with natural beauty, and its diverse plant, animal and human communities have lured visitors from the Bay Area and around the world.

On your next visit, get to know the coastal region more deeply by paying a visit to the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History. Known by the life-size gray whale statue that rests near its entrance between Tyrrell Park and Seabright Beach, the museum has exhibits that cover the geology of the region, its First Peoples, its variety of habitats and local marine life.

Santa Cruz’s first museum

The Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History was the first museum in the coastal town, dating to 1904 with the founding collection of Santa Cruz lighthouse keeper and naturalist, Laura Hecox. Born in Santa Cruz after her parents had traveled overland from Illinois, she was interested in the natural sciences since childhood.

When her father was appointed keeper of the Santa Cruz Lighthouse and took up residence there with his family, Laura turned part of the lighthouse into a private nature museum, brimming with her collection of fossils, minerals, seashells and Native American artifacts.

After her father died in 1883, Laura was appointed lighthouse keeper and stayed in the post for 33 years. Aside from her duties, she gave public tours of the lighthouse and her natural history museum on weekends. When she deeded her collection to the City of Santa Cruz for the museum’s establishment, she felt that she was partnering with the public to share in the enjoyment of the region’s...