Redwood Village in Aptos came to being in 1929. It was built on the former site of Claus Spreckels‘ horse stables, located along the road from Watsonville to Santa Cruz. Back in the day, this may have been the first experience for visitors coming from the south to see a redwood forest up close and personal.
Over time, the redwood trees were thinned out and the timber milled to construct the guest cottages. Decades later, in 1974, the property was converted into use by shops and businesses.
It is located on Soquel Drive, conveniently closed to the freeway exit / on-ramp at Rio del Mar Boulevard, which gets a lot of Rio del Mar neighborhood and Rio del Mar Beach traffic.
