12th Annual Monterey Bay Strawberry Festival | Aug 3-5 (10 a.m.-6 p.m.)

The festival serves up a menu of delectable strawberry delights, nonstop live entertainment for all ages, arts and crafts activities, a carnival and much more. Everything is themed with strawberries including eating contests, relays and other activities. Free parking.

Ramsay Park, Watsonville
831-566-1230, www.watsonvillestrawberryfestival.com

Seaside Crafts at the Seymour Center | Aug. 5 (1-3 p.m.)

Create fun crafts that feature the cool creatures of the tidepools. Make a seastar suncatcher, or create your own sea anemone! There are activity sheets, scavenger hunts, and a take home souvenir of your day.

Seymour Marine Discovery Center
End of Delaware Avenue, Santa Cruz
831-459-3800, seymourcenter.ucsc.edu

Farm and Wilderness Exploration Camp, Age 11-14 | Aug. 6-10 (9 a.m.- 3 p.m.)

Youthful campers, age 11-14, engage in farm and cooking activities such as grinding wheat to make pizzas, exploring soil and plants, harvesting and preparing a family feast. Science themes are explored by studying ponds and rivers, conducting kitchen chemistry experiments and hiking in local open spaces. Registration fee: $230-$260.

UCSC Campus - Life Lab Garden Classroom
831-459-2001, www.lifelab.org

First Tuesday Free at the Seymour Center | Aug. 7 (10 a.m.-5 p.m.)

Visit our aquarium, exhibit hall, and touch tanks. Take a tour or explore on your own. Join us as we explore Monterey Bay with our hands-on family programs!

Seymour Marine Discovery Center
End of Delaware Avenue, Santa Cruz
831-459-3800, seymourcenter.ucsc.edu

Monterey Sea Canyon Birdwatching Tour | Aug. 11-12 (7:30 a.m.-3 p.m.)

Travel just a few miles off the coast to the Monterey Bay's 6,000 foot deep canyon where more than 70 bird species travel from both hemispheres to feed on these rich waters. Monterey Seabird Tours are available during peak migration seasons, limits the number of travelers on a tour, and are led by expert naturalists and birders.

Monterey Boat Charters, Monterey Wharf
831-375-4658, www.montereyseabirds.com

Starlight Evening Train | Aug. 11 (6-11 p.m.)

Wonder at the beauty of a redwood forest lit up at night during a 2-hour, round-trip railway excursion from the Boardwalk in Santa Cruz. Reservations recommended. For tickets contact Roaring Camp at 1-831-335-4484.

Roaring Camp Railroad, Felton
Tickets/Info: 831-335-4484, www.roaringcamp.com

Summer Gathering of Mountain Men | Aug. 11-12

Wander through wilderness encampments of trappers and traders at this 1830s summer rendezvous of wild and wooly mountain men is re-created.

Roaring Camp, Felton
831-335-4484, www.roaringcamp.com

Seaside Crafts at the Seymour Center | Aug. 12 (1-3 p.m.)

Create fun crafts that feature the cool creatures of the tidepools. Make a seastar suncatcher, or create your own sea anemone! There are activity sheets, scavenger hunts, and a take home souvenir of your day.

Seymour Marine Discovery Center
End of Delaware Avenue, Santa Cruz
831-459-3800, seymourcenter.ucsc.edu

Star Stories | Aug. 12 (2-3 p.m.)

A fun story telling time with stories about various astronomical events and heavenly bodies. Free. Ages 5-12.

Quail Hollow Ranch County Park, Ben Lomond
831-454-7930, www.scparks.com

Starlight Evening Train | Aug. 18 (6-11 p.m.)

Wonder at the beauty of a redwood forest lit up at night during a 2-hour, round-trip railway excursion from the Boardwalk in Santa Cruz. Reservations recommended. For tickets contact Roaring Camp at 1-831-335-4484.

Roaring Camp Railroad, Felton
Tickets/Info: 831-335-4484, www.roaringcamp.com