What's New: Spring/Summer 2009

ASSEMBLAGE, COLLAGE, CONSTRUCTION ON EXHIBIT COUNTYWIDE
The Museum of Art & History and thirteen other Santa Cruz County venues will host congruent exhibitions on display January - April 2009 related to assemblage, collage and/or construction. Each venue will offer free viewing for all residents and visitors during the entire exhibition. As the leading institution of this county-wide collaboration, The Museum of Art & History at the McPherson Center provides a forum which supports and encourages the development, exchange, and presentation of creative ideas that are manifested in assemblage, collage and construction. For a full listing of venues and exhibitions throughout the county, visit www.accsantacruz.org

SANTA CRUZ BEACH BOARDWALK OFFERS FREE WI-FI
The Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk is now providing free Wi-Fi for visitors. The free Wi-Fi (no password needed!) is accessible along the Boardwalk and Cocoanut Grove, and on a portion of the Main Beach in front of the Boardwalk. The century-old beach boardwalk recognizes that an increasing number of visitors are using the Internet to identify hotel, restaurant and entertainment options when they travel. The boardwalk joins the Capitola Mall, Santa Cruz County's Natural Bridges State Beach and Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park offering this amenity so that visitors can stay in touch with family, friends, or the workplace, if needed while on vacation. According to the Travel Industry Association of America (TIA), 18 percent of travelers use the Internet to stay connected with family and friends while traveling.

HISTORIC MEDER HOUSE OPENS AT WILDER RANCH STATE PARK
Newly restored, the historic Meder farmhouse at Wilder Ranch State Park a mile north of Santa Cruz is a hands-on living history museum where visitors can experience the details of daily life on a turn-of-the-century dairy farm. The original farmhouse was built by dairy farmer Moses Meder in the late 1870s. Previously boarded-up and padlocked, the deteriorating Meder farmhouse was restored to its early 1900s grandeur. Complete with replica furnishings and supplies, the house is now open to visitors and hosts school groups during the year. Along with its Victorian homes, barns, living history demonstrations and tours, the park offers hiking, biking and equestrian trails that skirt the cliffs, as well as more challenging trails that climb steep hills and meadows overlooking Monterey Bay.

SOUTH COUNTY RESORT DEBUTS NEW NAME
Seascape Resort Monterey Bay has a new name! With 17 miles of beachfront, the newly christened Seascape Beach Resort is an ideal vacation spot. Sun-drenched, spacious, and tastefully designed, the accommodations at Seascape Beach Resort offer a beach-house feeling but with deluxe amenities not found in most beach homes: gourmet room service, plush cotton bathrobes, High-Speed Internet Access and High definition LCD TV with premium movies, select television programs, music and games on-demand. All suites and villas have fully-equipped kitchens, fireplaces, and private balconies facing Monterey Bay. At Sanderlings, the on-site restaurant, the tidal movements of a state-of-the-art aquatic reef tank mirror what is taking place right outside, in the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Seascape's in-room Bamboo massage treatment and beachfires-to-go are other extras which make the Seascape Beach Resort truly destination-worthy.

NEW OUTDOOR ACTIVITY SWEEPS THE WAVES
A Hawaiian sport originating as far back as the 1940s is gaining ground in California's surf capital. Stand-up paddle surfing began as a way for surfing instructors to manage large groups of beginning surfers by standing on their surfboards for a higher view. Paddle surfboards -average between nine and 11 feet long, while the paddles tend to be lightweight, and six to nine inches taller than the paddler's height. And because the goal of paddle surfing is to stand on the board and propel forward using a paddle, there is no pressure to catch a wave, so the sport can be enjoyed year-round, even when there is no swell. Kayak Connection in Santa Cruz provides paddle surfing lessons, including how to handle a stand-up paddle board, paddling techniques, turning and balancing skills. Paddle surfing improves balance and stamina and tones legs, arms and abs.