Just past the seven-store town of Davenport, 12.5 miles north of UC Santa Cruz on Highway 1, stretches a little slice of paradise.

Swanton Berry Farm, this lush, utopian place, includes forty acres of rich, fertile soil from which ruby-red strawberries, sunflowers and a dozen other foodstuffs burst. Old Army barracks sit nearby and now serve as low-cost housing, and the former mess hall today turns out mouth-watering masterpieces.

It’d be hard to find two students who study in exactly the same way. Some enjoy the structure and silence that characterizes McHenry Library on a mid-week morning. Others require the nighttime bustle and caffeination offered up by the numerous downtown coffee shops. No matter how we like to get the job done, though, every UCSC student needs an occasional escape from the ordinary study routine. Thankfully, Santa Cruz has several supreme study spots to offer — many of which you may not have discovered just yet.