What's New: Fall/Winter 2008

CVC DEBUTS BIRDING AND WILDLIFE VIEWING KIT
The Santa Cruz County Visitors Council is proud to debut a brand new Birding and Wildlife Watching Kit. The kit features a 48-page guide, designed for use by both visitors to and residents of communities adjacent to the many birding destinations throughout the county. The guide provides information on a variety of habitats, from sandy beaches to lagoons, wetlands and rivermouths, as well as descriptions and photographs of the some of the area's most commonly seen birds, wildlife and the best times of the year to view them. It also includes maps of birding and wildlife hotspots, points of interest, and itineraries. The Santa Cruz County Conference and Visitors Council distributes the kit at its main visitor center at 1211 Ocean Street in Santa Cruz and via mail by request.

NEW BOOKING ENGINE MAKES TRAVEL PLANNING EASY
Visitors now have the option of booking a Santa Cruz County hotel, travel package or rental car online through customized reservation software on www.santacruzcounty.travel. With more travelers using the internet to book vacations, ARES, Advanced Reservation Systems' software enables an array of lodging, activities and added-value travel packages, to be featured on the site. Specifically tailored for families, arts and culture aficionados, and eco-and outdoor adventure-seeking travelers, Santa Cruz County's attractions and events are paired with an array of hotels and B&Bs from which to choose on www.santacruzcounty.travel. Bookings may be completed online, or through a call center, at 877.220.8155 which can provide additional visitor assistance. ARES, specializes in customized reservation options for the tourism industry.

ECO-TOURS SAIL ON THE MONTEREY BAY
Pacific Life Eco Tours now offers eco-tourism cruises aboard the 70-foot luxury yacht Chardonnay II. Each Saturday and Sunday, 49 passengers will have the opportunity to cruise the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, one of Santa Cruz County's most exquisite points of interest and an underwater world rich in biological resources. These two-hour sails will be narrated by biology experts in partnership with UC Santa Cruz's Seymour Marine Discovery Center and local nonprofit and environmental organization Save Our Shores. Guests will learn about the Monterey Bay's kelp forest ecosystems, adaptations for animals living in the oceans, and human effects on the sea. Passengers can pet otter fur, taste kelp straight from the ocean, and view amazing sea life up close.

NEW INN OPENS ON SCENIC EAST CLIFF DRIVE
This fall, visitors have a new option when it comes to lodging! Brand new, and within walking distance to Twin Lakes Beach and the Santa Cruz Harbor, the quaint, 10-room Bella Notte features luxury-appointed rooms, complete with free wi-fi, flat-screen satellite HDTV, Egyptian cotton bedding, terry cloth robes, heated bathroom floors, and more. Rates range from $250 (high season) to $179 (low season).

GIDDYUP! SANTA CRUZ BEACH BOARDWALK FEATURES NEW RIDE, ATTRACTION
The Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk announces that an exhilarating new ride called Sea Swings (sometimes known as a "carousel swing") is the latest addition to this century-old seaside amusement park. Up to sixty-four riders can twirl through the sky at one time, overlooking the Monterey Bay on the 36-foot-tall ride. Sea Swings also features a spinning-top canopy and extendable central column complete with an 18th century-style, hand-painted seaside scene. Sea Swings replaces the upside-down, twin-arm Typhoon ride, which had been at the park for 17 years. And for urban cowboys, a 16-player Desperados game is also new on the western front. Desperados is an interactive experience where you and 15 of your closest friends sit atop horse saddles complete with a grip handle and a holster for your pistol in a theater arcade-style shooting gallery. Before the game begins, the "Sheriff", trains you how to use your weapon before your mission to capture some real bad "cartoon style" outlaws. In addition to the shooting aspect, the saddle moves, providing the true feel shooting from horseback. The set features interactive lighting systems to spotlight the best and worst players (along with some verbal jabs from the Sheriff) and a camera unit provides pictures of the players in action poses after the game ends.