The Santa Cruz Pier is definitely worth a visit, particularly if you want to taste some local wine. It's also a great place for dining. If you like lots of touristy shops, there are plenty of those too, including one that offers lots of items with Santa Cruz logos.
You pay to park on the Pier, but it wasn't expensive.
First, walk all the way to the end of the Pier and look down at the sea lions through the viewing areas. I was there just before sunset and there were at least a dozen or so in plain view, basking in the last sun rays of the day. A couple were frolicking in the water, including one very noisy one who was barking up a storm.
Of course you will take in the views of the bay, including the moored sailboats, a few that were sailing, and some kayakers paddling around. It's very relaxing.
I stopped at a wine bar, Vino Prima, which was about halfway along the row of shops, upstairs. It was wonderful. They had lots of different tasting options, including a long list of different flight to try. The price was very reasonable ... I think it was $12 for a flight of 5 wines. I opted to go with the daily special, which was tasting 5 different wines all from a Paso Robles winery called Tarica. They offered small plates of appetizers, but I didn't order one because I was saving room for dinner. The servers were all very friendly and knew a lot about the wines they were pouring as well as the ones they sold off the shelves. The other customers appeared to be more locals than tourists, and I struck up a conversation with a couple of them, who were very friendly.
After Vino Prima, I went across the way to Las Olitas Mexican Cantina restaurant. It was also upstairs, and the food was wonderful. See my separate review of the restaurant if you'd like more details.
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