Tickets to the MAH's 30th Anniversary Red Ball Gala are available for purchase now! The Red Ball is on Saturday, April 11.
A pop up exhibit highlighting surf history in Live Oak.
September 5, 2025-January 25, 2026
Simpkins Family Swim Center
979 17th Ave,
Santa Cruz, CA
Located at the Simpkins Family Swim Center, Surf Live Oak is a pop-up gallery highlighting the area's unique surf culture; including vintage boards, and the legacy of local surfboard manufacturers and shops from the 1960s through the 80s. The Santa Cruz Surfing Club Preservation Society (SCSCPS), in collaboration with the MAH, mapped the locations of the early surf shops in this area and brought their stories to life. These spaces were more than just surf shops–they were places for young aspiring surfers to meet, gain knowledge, and listen to the advice and surf lore of older generations of surfers. While many of these shops are long gone, their locations live on via the MAH’s Historic Landmark Blue Plaque Program.
Surf Life Oak will be on view at the Simpkins Family Swim Center September 5, 2025 through January 25, 2026. Simpkins Family Swim Center is located at 979 17th Avenue, Santa Cruz, CA 95062. The exhibition will be open to the public 6am-7:30pm Monday through Friday, and 9am-4pm Saturdays and Sundays.
Jul 18, 2025 – Jan 4, 2026
An exhibition that spotlights how three Hawaiian princes—David Kawānanakoa, Jonah Kūhiō Kalanianaʻole, and Edward Keliʻiahonui— introduced surfing to the U.S. mainland via Santa Cruz in 1885 and rode the wave of legacy and relevance to Santa Cruz County.
John and Patty Brissenden
George Newell
Pfotenhauer Wilshusen Family
Elizabeth Schilling and Ken Thomas
William and Brigid Simpkins
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