Platforms Beach is located between Rio del Mar Beach and Hidden Beach, and is accessed via a drive down Beach Drive from the Rio del Mar Beach Round-a-bout. There’s a state beach parking lot that requires that you either pay $10 to park or have a state park parking pass. There are some free parking spots around […]
Pot Belly Beach
January 27, 2015 by
Pot Belly Beach is located between Seacliff State Beach and New Brighton State Beach, on the border of Aptos and Capitola. The beach is partly privately owned (up to the high tide water mark, anyway), with a number of multi-million dollar homes built right up on the sand. As this is mostly a private beach, […]
Beer Can Beach in Aptos
December 31, 2014 by
Beer Can Beach is located just to the north of the Seascape Resort, at the end of Clubhouse Drive and down Via Gaviota. It’s a popular spot to take your dog for a walk, as dogs are allowed to run off-leash there. It’s also just a great place to enjoy the beach away from the […]
Hidden Beach Aptos
June 9, 2014 by
Hidden Beach Aptos is located just south of Platforms Beach and a bit to the north of Beer Can Beach. It is used mostly be local Rio del Mar neighborhood residents because the beach does not have its own parking lot. There is some parking available at the Hidden Beach Park and playground, but other than […]
The SS Palo Alto (the Cement Boat)
December 15, 2013 by
If there is one image that identifies Aptos, California it would have to be that of The SS Palo Alto (the Cement Boat), the sunken concrete ship on the shore of Seacliff State Beach. A lot of people wonder how the ship got there – and it’s an interesting story. The ship was one of […]
Seacliff State Beach
December 8, 2013 by
Seacliff State Beach Park is one of the major draws to Aptos for out-of-town visitors. It is perhaps best known as the spot where “the cement boat,” aka the SS Palo Alto, lies sunken offshore. The beach can be crowded on summer days, particularly on any three-day weekend. Some of the biggest crowds, however, can […]
New Brighton State Beach
December 8, 2013 by
New Brighton State Beach is technically located in Capitola, however it is considered by many to be in Aptos, as the beach is directly connected to Pot Belly Beach and Seacliff State Beach, and not connected directly to the beach in Capitola. New Brighton Beach was formally known as China Beach, as during the 1870s […]
Rio del Mar Beach
November 16, 2013 by
Rio del Mar Beach is perhaps the most well-known beach in Aptos, if only because it shared the name with the Rio del Mar neighborhood. Of all the beaches in Santa Cruz county, it is among the most accessible. There is a free public parking lot along the esplanade, and when that is full (as […]
Aptos Parks and Recreation Overview
November 16, 2013 by
Welcome to the Aptos Parks and Recreation Overview page at AptosCommunityNews! Aptos is home to a large number of well-known and popular state and county parks. Among the most prominent are: New Brighton State Beach Seacliff Beach Park Rio del Mar Beach Beer Can Beach Seacliff Village Park Pot Belly Beach Forest of Nisene Marks […]
