Spring at Sage: California Central Coast

Ride the Pacific Surfliner along the shoreline to Ventura, observing how transportation routes shaped settlement and tourism. Explore Spanish influence at Mission San Buenaventura and enjoy a local museum or botanical garden downtown before an opening discussion that frames the week’s big question.

Take a ferry to Santa Cruz Island, watch for marine wildlife, and kayak through the Channel Islands’ sea caves. A guided island walk introduces endemic species, migration routes and the conservation choices that protect this extraordinary ecosystem.

Travel north to tour the iconic Hearst Castle, then meet with an organization in Salinas for a conversation about Indigenous migration, agricultural labor and community-building across borders. Finish on Cannery Row, where an extraction economy evolved into a center for conservation.

Join an Ocean Connection Lab workshop before exploring the world-renowned Monterey Bay Aquarium. Students connect marine migration, climate science and conservation with the ways the Central Coast continues to reinvent itself.