Adult and Senior Programs and Activities
The Santa Cruz County Department of Parks, Open Space and Cultural Services offers year-round programs and activities for adults and seniors. There are a variety of rich and exciting activities to choose from, including: Mall Walk Program, Senior Stretching, Osteoporosis Prevention Exercise Class, Free Blood Pressure Check, Senior Health Fair, Volunteer Opportunities and a wide variety of Trips for older adults and seniors.
Just click on one of the underlined programs above for more information about that program.
Click here to print the monthly calendar of events.
Mall Walk Program
The Mall Walk Program is offered year-round Monday through Friday, from 9:00 to 10:30 a.m. You will find the Mall Walkers' desk located at the food court in the Capitola Mall. The desk is hosted by volunteers who can enroll you in the program, answer your questions, introduce you to other walkers and record the distance you have walked. There is annual fee of $7.00 to participate in the program. You don't need to register ahead of time, just show up and register at the front desk.
Senior Stretch Class
Senior Stretch Class is held at the Capitola Mall at the entrance to the food court. The class is held Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 8:30 to 9:10 a.m. The instructors are senior volunteers. This class is included in the $7.00 annual Mall Walking fee. Just show up and sign-in for the class.
Osteoporosis Prevention Exercise Class
This class is held at the Simpkins Family Center on Tuesday and Thursday from 11:00 – 11:50 a.m. If you are interested in participating in this class you are welcome to attend the class and register with the instructor. Please wear comfortable clothing and supportive shoes.
Free Blood Pressure Check
A registered nurse offers blood pressure checks at the Capitola Mall in the food court area from 9:00 to 10:00 a.m. the third Wednesday of each month.
Senior Health Fair
Join the Santa Cruz County Parks Department and Sutter Hospital for the 10th Annual Senior Health Fair on Saturday, May 3 from 9:00-12:00 p.m. at the Sutter Maternity and Surgery Center. Adults ages 50 and up are invited to attend and receive FREE screenings for blood pressure, bone density, diabetes, glaucoma, skin cancer, and audiometry, as well as presentations by medical doctors on a variety of topics. You can also pick up some information about diabetes, incontinence, joint replacement, Food and Nutrition Services, dental hygiene, and Alzheimers.
Volunteer Opportunities
If you are interested in volunteering in the Adult / Senior Programs please conduct Recreation Supervisor, Linda Sullivan at (831) 454-7967 or via email at prc093@scparks.com.
Volunteer opportunities include the following jobs: Mall Walk desk coverage and Mall Walk program assistance, Senior Stretch instructors, and Senior Health Fair assistance, among others.
Trips
The Parks Department offers a wide variety of trips for older adults and seniors. We utilize luxury motor coaches (with a restroom onboard) for all trips. Included in the registration fee for each trip is bus transportation, tour guide, and entry fees; lunch is included only on the Golden Gate Fields trip. Click a trip below to see the description, times, and fee for that trip:
Golden Gate Fields
Prior visits to the races were so enjoyable that trip participants demanded more! Join us in an exciting outing to Golden Gate Fields in Berkeley, where we will enjoy a day of thrilling Thoroughbred racing and a lavish buffet lunch in the Turf Club. The expansive viewing area offers a close-up view of your favorite horse rounding the turn, heading toward the finish line. Don't miss out on action packed horse racing, a mouth-watering meal and a chance to taste victory! Fee includes transportation, admission, reserved seating, racing program, and luncheon buffet. Ages 30 and up.
11/13 Thursday 8:30 a.m.-6:00 p.m. R
$31 / NR $34 Register Now - 5477
San Francisco Shopping Excursion
Are you tired of the same old shopping options? Want to buy some gifts for the holidays, pamper yourself, or both? If this sounds good, register now for an amazing shopping experience in downtown San Francisco. The luxury Discovery Bus will drop you off in the heart of Union Square, where you will be able to choose from a wide variety of stores and restaurants. If you would rather stay in one location you can enjoy shopping at the Westfield San Francisco Centre.
San Francisco Shopping Excursion – Age 30 +
12/3 Wednesday 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m R
$16 / NR $18 Register Now - 5478
California Academy of Sciences
Join us in an exciting outing to the biggest attraction in Northern California
since the Monterey Bay Aquarium opened in 1984, the $488 million facility
features a domed indoor rain forest, a 300-seat planetarium, a 2.5 acre
wildflower meadow planted on the roof and an aquarium filled with corals, kelp
forests and saltwater pumped in from the Pacific Ocean.
Located across from the de Young art museum, the Cal. Academy for decades was a favorite of school children. Now it’s been redesigned by noted Italian architect Renzo Piano as a green building: Glass walls that look out onto the park, 60,000 photovoltaic cells that produce 10 percent of its electricity, walls packed with shredded denim jeans for insulation, and special sensors to dim or brighten the lights based on the time of day and weather. The sounds of croaking frogs and squawking macaws fill the humid air. Mist rains down onto armies of leaf-cutter ants and geckos scurrying past tropical orchids. Don’t like the rain forest? Walk across the hall and view stars at the doomed planetarium instead. Or marvel at the 2,000 tropical fish, giant clam and garden eels swimming in the coral reef downstairs.
After a decade of fundraising, moving and construction, the venerable natural history museum founded in 1853 and often described as the “Smithsonian of the West,” opens the doors on its dazzling new home in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park.
1/14 Wednesday 9:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m R $21 / NR $23 Register Now - 5642