Bite into a rosy plum while at a midsummer Capitola farmers market, and the words "earthly paradise" may pop unbidden into your head. To one side of you sits the beach, a wide swath of sand melting into a sailboat-dotted curve of Pacific; to the other, flower-lined streets wind past pretty Victorian houses. The sky is the blue of a child's crayon, and the breeze stirs up the spicy perfume of star jasmine and wisteria.
About 75 miles south of San Francisco, Capitola bills itself as "the oldest resort town on the Pacific." Beach-lovers have been sunning themselves here since the late 1800s, and it's easy to see why. Clear skies, spectacular views of Monterey Bay, and a picturesque beach all made -- and still make -- Capitola a postcard-perfect vacation destination. And the town boasts even more singable praises: a self-contained compactness that allows you to walk everywhere and proximity to dozens of additional outings in nearby Santa Cruz and aquarium-famous Monterey (about 30 miles south).
But don't hurry away before letting the pleasures of the seaside wash over you, as my husband, Michael, and I do when we return to our former home for a vacation with our kids, Ben, age 6, and Birdy, 3. At the front of town sits Capitola Beach, with the wharf at one edge, bluffs at the other, and the town itself rising behind in multicolored tiers like a pastel-frosted slice of the Riviera. Here, families can build sand castles while teenagers buoy volleyballs and kites speckle the sky. The biggest thrill for our kids is watching the school-age dudes and dudettes in the Junior Lifeguard camp performing their seaside calisthenics. We also like watching the colorful local culture -- skateboarders, drummers, surfers, students -- and like that the lifeguards watch us.
Should you get hungry, lunch is as simple as a half-block stroll to Pizza My Heart (831-475-5714), where $5 gets you a slice and a drink. From there you can wander the town, where the rows of galleries and boutiques are interrupted by kid faves such as The Chocolate Bar (831-462-6986), a shop stocked with newfangled jelly beans and old-fashioned chocolate pebbles, or the treasure-filled Capitola Seashells gift shop (831-465-0171).
Ice cream is a beach-town staple, and Cafe Violette (831-479-8888) -- half Greek American takeout (try the fantastic falafel), half homemade scoops -- puts out regional delights, including olallieberry and Mexican chocolate. But the real treat for us is a short walk up the hill from town to Gayle's Bakery & Rosticceria (831-462-1200; www.gaylesbakery.com). We spend our lazy Capitola mornings here, eating homemade croissants and breakfast burritos on the shady patio while waiting for the fog to burn off. Before leaving, we often pick up a delicious spit-roasted chicken and salads to take on the day's excursions.
For a less tame beach experience, we head a half mile south to a long stretch of sand at New Brighton State Park (831-464-6329; www.parks.ca.gov). It's the same water as Capitola's, of course, but backed by bluffs and pine trees instead of cafes and shops. Our little kids dig happily in the sand and dart in and out of the shallows while we watch intrepid "big kid" boogie-boarders plunge, blue-lipped, in and out of the chilly waves.
These may well be the same kids we see that evening at the historic Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk (831-426-7433; www.beachboardwalk.com), waiting in line for the Giant Dipper Roller Coaster while we make a beeline for the old-fashioned carousel. Afterward, we save our money with free spectacles: the taffy-pull machine at Marini's candy shop and the Ragtime automated band organ near the carousel. But here's the best secret: on Monday and Tuesday evenings in summer, rides and some concessions (hot dogs, cotton candy, and drinks) cost a mere 65 cents each. This means that $20 will get a family of four onto a half dozen rides, with enough left over for snacks and a round or two of Skeeball. For our Ben, it's the Skeeball -- with its chains of tickets cashed in for prizes -- that finally prompts him to exclaim into the blue California twilight, "This was the best day of my whole life."
We return to the boardwalk the next day for a three-hour ride on the Roaring Camp Railroad (831-335-4484; www.roaringcamp.com) up into the redwoods, where we hike through a grove of massive and ancient trees. This is the surprise hit of our trip -- especially for us parents, who'd imagined a touristy, toot-tooting chug through town. Instead, the breezy, sun-dappled ride exhilarates us, and the redwoods fill us with awe. So much so that we take our last picnic of the trip to the Forest of Nisene Marks State Park (831-763-7063; www.parks.ca.gov). We bid a fond farewell to the trees and vow that even if we can't move back to this area for good, we can at least vacation here as often as possible.
