Seaside Crafts at the Seymour Center | Oct. 5, 12, 19, 26 (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

O’Neill Cold Water Classic | Oct. 9-14 (8 a.m.-5p.m.)

Lighthouse Point, Santa Cruz
831-475-7500, www.oneill.com

14th Lobster Feed in the Forest | Oct. 11 (4:30 -8:00 p.m.)

A festive evening in the forest feasting on fresh cooked Main Lobster and enjoying lively music, dancing and prizes. This annual event is held at the Henry Cowell’s picnic area with proceeds benefitting the Mountain Parks Foundation’s nature education programs.

Mountain Parks Foundation Event
Henry Cowell Redwood State Park, Felton
831-335-3174, www.mountainparks.org

Harvest Fair | Oct. 11-12

Celebrate Harvest Time and Halloween with scarecrow building and pumpkin decorating contests. Ride the Steam Train. B.A.G.G.E.R.S. display antique gas-powered engines. Crafts and fun activities for kids!

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

Moonlight Dinner Train | Oct. 11 (6-11 p.m.)

Moonlight dinner, dancing, and train ride through a redwood forest lit by flashlight. Reservations recommended. For tickets contact Roaring Camp at 1-831-335-4484

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

Monte Foundation Fireworks Extravaganza & Fair | Oct 11 (3 p.m.-10 p.m.)

Seacliff State Beach, Aptos
831-685-3317, www.monte-foundation.com

Gilroy Gardens - Halloween Treasure Hunt | Oct. 11-12 (weekends) (11 a.m.-5 p.m.)

Kids 12 and under follow a treasure map to hidden surprises and prizes. There is a Scarecrow Alley at Sycamore Bridge, a build-your-own scarecrow patch and much more.

3050 Hecker Pass/Hwy 152, Gilroy
408-840-7100, www.gilroygardens.org

Welcome Back Monarchs Day | Oct. 12 (10 a.m.-4 p.m.)

Join us for this joyful, monarch-filled day and welcome the monarchs back to this park, their over-wintering habitat. Participate in numerous activities including arts & crafts, active games for kids, music by the 5M’s (the mostly mediocre musical monarch mariposas), hand- cranked ‘monarch’ ice cream (pumpkin), information and action booths as well as more about monarch butterflies and how-to’s for a butterfly garden.

Natural Bridges State Park
West Cliff Drive, Santa Cruz
831-423-4609, www.santacruzstateparks.org

Gilroy Gardens - Halloween Treasure Hunt | Oct.15-16 (weekends) (11 a.m.-5 p.m.)

Kids 12 and under follow a treasure map to hidden surprises and prizes. There is a Scarecrow Alley at Sycamore Bridge, a build-your-own scarecrow patch and much more.

3050 Hecker Pass/Hwy 152, Gilroy
408-840-7100, www.gilroygardens.org

Wild Things Nighttime Flashlight Tour | Oct. 17-18 (8:30 p.m.)

Enjoy a unique Halloween tour through Wild Things animal facility. Stroll through decorated grounds, while costumed tour guides tell myths about exotic wild animals. Refreshments follow with a photo opportunity with “spooky” Halloween animals.

Vision Quest Ranch
400 River Rd., Salinas
831-455-1901, www.wildthingsinc.com