Free First Friday Lunch Tour at MAH | Aug. 3 (noon)

Sherry Karver leads an in-depth discussion about current Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk series' exhibition.

Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History
705 Front Street, Santa Cruz
831-429-1964, www.santacruzmah.org

Family Art Saturday at MAH | Aug. 4 (1-3 p.m.)

Special hands-on art activities for families on the first Saturday of each month. The museum is open Tue-Sun, 11 a.m.-5 p.m.. Its store, located in the street front octagon building, is open Tue-Sat, 11 a.m.-6 p.m. and Sun, noon-5 p.m.

Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History
705 Front Street, Santa Cruz
831-429-1964, www.santacruzmah.org

9th Santa Cruz Mountains Challenge Bike Ride | Aug 4 (6:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m.)

Limited to 500 riders and features two challenging rides: 100M & 100K. Reg. fee $45/$55.

Scotts Valley High School
831-460-1818, www.santacruzcycling.org

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

Twilight Concert at Esplanade Park | Aug. 8 (6-8 p.m.)

Free concert featuring Extra Large - Rock Funk. A family event. Bring your own beach chairs and picnic. No alcohol.

Esplanade, Capitola Village
831-475-6522, www.capitola.com

Noon at the Nick - The Mock-Tempest | Aug. 10 (1 p.m.)

FREE Shakespeare Santa Cruz lecture series. Bring your lunch and take advantage of this rare opportunity to meet the festival directors, actors, designers and artisans.

Nickelodeon Theatre
210 Lincoln St., Santa Cruz
831-426-7500, www.thenick.com

Weekend with Shakespeare | Aug. 10-12

This popular conference is an opportunity to hear well-known scholars and artists share their insights into the genius of Shakespeare and other featured playwrights. The weekend consists of lectures and discussions exploring the different aspects of the season's plays.

UCSC Shakespeare Festival
Tickets: 831-459-2159, www.shakespearesantacruz.com

Car Races at Ocean Speedway | Aug 10 (Gate 4:30 p.m. Race 6 p.m.)

Destruction Derby, American Stock, Ocean Late Models, Micro 600, Dwarf Cars.

Santa Cruz Country Fairgrounds
2601 E. Lake Ave, Watsonville
831-476-9466, www.oceanspeedway.com