O’Neill legacy tour

It’s hard to overstate Jack O’Neill’s impact on surfing. The same is true of his impact on the city of Santa Cruz; O’Neill has done much to shape Surf City USA. Here are five places that you can visit to get a sense of what Jack O’Neill means to Santa Cruz.

1 Original Surf Shop: O’Neill’s Surf Shop above Cowell Beach is long gone, hoisted away in 1961 to make room for construction of the Santa Cruz Dream Inn, but there is a plaque commemorating its original location. You’ll find it right next to the Cowell Beach parking lot, on the Dream Inn’s retaining wall. In 2012, the California State Historical Resources Commission designated the site an official California Historical Point of Interest; the bronze plaque was erected in 2013. Part of it reads, “O’Neill’s Surf Shop became a focal point for a tight-knit surfing community.” In 2014, an impressively large mural was mounted next to the plaque. Fifty-five feet long and 6 feet high, it features multiple porcelain panels affixed with vintage photographs.

175 W. Cliff Drive, Santa Cruz.

2 Jack O’Neill Lounge: It may seem ironic that the hotel that forced O’Neill off his original Surf Shop property now has a cocktail lounge named in his honor, but history has a way of making odd bedfellows. The O’Neill company and the Santa Cruz Dream Inn collaborated on the creation of the lounge, which is next to the hotel’s Aquarius Restaurant. It features some of O’Neill’s memorabilia, and archival photos of O’Neill and his exploits adorn the walls. No less than 12 “Jack O’Neill inspired” cocktails are on the menu, including the Coldwater Conqueror, with Hangar 1 Kaffir Lime vodka. 175 W. Cliff Drive, Santa Cruz; (831) 460-5012.

3 Santa Cruz Surfing Museum: The creation of the Santa Cruz Surfing Museum may not have been Jack O’Neill’s idea, but his generous financial support has helped keep it solvent since it opened in 1986. Located in the Mark Abbott Memorial Lighthouse at the end of West Cliff Drive, the museum’s setting couldn’t be better. Fittingly enough, it overlooks Santa Cruz’s premier surf break: Steamer Lane. Inside the museum’s intimate confines, you’ll find exhibits devoted to both Santa Cruz-specific surf history and surfing in general, with an emphasis on surfboard design. Admission is free but donations are suggested. 701 W. Cliff Drive, Santa Cruz, (831) 420-6289. www.santa cruzsurfingmuseum.org.

4 O’Neill Yacht Charters: You don’t have to be in grade school to get the Sea Odyssey experience. The 65-foot Team O’Neill catamaran is open to the public five days a week, with onehour and 1½-hour sails available during the day and evening. Leaving from L Dock in the Santa Cruz harbor, the big twin-hull sailboat heads out into the Monterey Bay, providing up-close views of coastal landmarks and a sea-level perspective of surfers out at various breaks. Sea life sightings are part of the package. For those wanting to imbibe while taking in nature’s wonders, O’Neill Yacht Charters offers beer and wine sails, both featuring samplings of local beverages. $20-$40. 275 Lake Ave., Santa Cruz; (831) 818-3645. www.oneillyacht charters.com.

5 O’Neill Surf Shop: One way to get a sense of the surfing empire Jack O’Neill and his children built is to visit his flagship store on 41st Avenue in Pleasure Point. It’s enormous. Featuring a huge selection of O’Neill wet suits, clothing and surfing accessories, as well as locally shaped surfboards, the two-story building testifies to the breadth of the O’Neill family’s endeavors, as well as the global success it has achieved. Old photographs and memorabilia, including a display of the very first wet-suit vest, are scattered throughout the shop, proof that the O’Neills remain well aware of their roots. 1115 41st Ave., Capitola; (831) 475-4151. www.oneill.com.