Mullin Automotive Museum in Oxnard (CLOSED)

On January 17, 2024, the Mullin Automotive Museum closed its doors on Saturday, February 10th, in light of the passing of Peter Mullin in September 2023. More information at THIS LINK.

Located at 1421 Emerson Avenue in Oxnard, the Mullin Automotive Museum is a 47,000 square foot facility that displays a collection of over 50 French Art Deco cars from the 1930s and 1940s. The museum opened its doors in the spring of 2010. Models from Bugatti, Delage, Delahaye, Hispano Suiza, Talbot-Lago and Voisin are on display on a rotating basis from a collection of over 140 vehicles. The Mullin collection also displays unique pieces of furniture, decor, paintings and photographs from that era.

The museum is open 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays.

Visit www.mullinautomotivemuseum.com or call 805.385.5400 to learn more and to purchase tickets in advance (required). As of January 2024, admission is $16 for adults, $14 for 65+, veterans and students 13-17, $10 for ages 3 through 12 and free for 2 and under. Active military FREE with military ID.

This museum and its contents are STUNNING, to say the least!! More photos at THIS LINK.

Peter W. Mullin founder of the museum, passed away on September 18, 2023.

California Museum of Art Thousand Oaks (CLOSED 6/19/22)

CMATO closed its doors on June 19. 2022.

The California Museum of Art Thousand Oaks (CMATO) will provide a world-class cultural experience for visitors and locals alike. Artists, educators, lovers of art, tourists, students and the general public will appreciate the world-class exhibitions of paintings, sculpture, photography, music, drama and dance. CMATO will be located at the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza, west of City Hall and the Performing Arts Center.

Until the new museum is completed, CMATO will operate on the 2nd floor of The Oaks - a Macerich property - in a 5,500 square foot location across from JCPenney. The facility showcases the work of established and emerging contemporary artists. It is also host to artist lectures and educational programs geared towards all ages.

Museum hours are Fri-Sun 12-6PM, excluding U.S. public holidays. Admission is a suggested donation of $6.

Learn more at cmato.org.

MB2 Raceway - Indoor Go Kart Facility in Thousand Oaks (CLOSED)

MB2 announced in February 2021 that it will no longer operate at 1475 Lawrence Drive in Newbury Park and that it will be relocating to Janss Marketplace in Thousand Oaks. It is now August 2023 and there have been no updates.

MB2 Raceway opened a 60,000 square foot indoor kart racing facility at 1475 Lawrence Drive in Newbury Park in September 2008.

Established in 2006 in Sylmar, MB2 provides high performance indoor kart racing and related entertainment. MB2 fuses professionally designed ¼ mile road race circuits, high performance emissions free Italian (go) karts and a unique motor sports aesthetic theme, which together forms the successful consumer racing enterprise. MB2 regularly hosts professional drivers, leading action sports athletes, racing tournaments and private events.

The Newbury Park facility is really large and there's plenty of space to move around. Between races you can roam around, watch other racers, play pool, air hockey and arcade games or just hang out with your friends. Plenty of action and really lots of fun! Even if you're not really speedy in the karts, they are fun to try and the staff ensures that races are safe.

There are four rooms for birthday parties and corporate events. Several of the rooms are quite large.

MB2 is very popular for kids' parties. Kids need to be at least 48 inches tall to ride in the smaller kids' karts. My son had his 8th birthday party at MB2! A majority of the kids were trying it for the first time and they all had a blast.

Buy an Arrive & Drive single 14 lap race or an annual Track Pass membership that offers discounted race specials, free birthday racing and more.

For more information visit www.mb2raceway.com or call 805.214.9999. Open 7 days a week. Information specific to the Thousand Oaks/Newbury Park location at mb2raceway.com/locations/thousand-oaks.

Color Me Mine Thousand Oaks (CLOSED)

CLOSED IN APRIL 2022

Color Me Mine is a ceramic painting studio where you drop by anytime and select from over 400 ceramic pieces to design and paint. . For the price of a studio fee and the item you choose to paint, you can paint all day using 60+ colors and supplies! They glaze and fire your work in a kiln and your work of art will be available in 5 to 7 days.

The Thousand Oaks Color Me Mine location is at the Paseo Market Square in Thousand Oaks at 3707 E. Thousand Oaks Boulevard, near The Melting Pot.

More information at thousandoaks.colormemine.com.

Creative Castle in Newbury Park (CLOSED IN SEPTEMBER 2021)

CREATIVE CASTLE CLOSED ITS STORE IN SEPTEMBER 2021, AFTER 32 YEARS IN BUSINESS.

Located at 2323 Michael Drive in Newbury Park, Creative Castle is a full service retail bead store with a full line of beads and beading products. Classes, private sessions and special events like trunk shows also offered. Currently (March 2021) open Tuesday and Sundays from 11am to 4pm. Visit www.creativecastle.com or call 805.499.1377 for more information.

I stopped by on a Saturday morning to check out the shop. My jaw dropped when I saw how many different types of beads and decorative items packed the store. There was a large room in the back completely full of folks beading together. Looked like a lot of fun.

Not being a "beader" myself, I asked if I could bring the kids in and create something for mom, getting help as we go. The answer was, of course we can. There were several nice employees ready to help us out.

Copa Comedy Club (Formerly Ventura Harbor Comedy Club) (CLOSED 12/19/23)

The Copa Comedy Club closed its doors on December 19, 2023.

Located in the Ventura Harbor Village, 1599 Spinnaker Drive, Ventura, Copa Comedy Club offers nightly comedy shows, comedy workshops, "funny fundraisers," and other events. 

Check out the lineup at www.copacomedyclub.com or call 805.644.1500. Must be 21 and over.  Dinner and drinks are served here along with laughs!

Formerly called the Ventura Harbor Comedy Club

Skatelab Museum and Skate Park - Simi Valley (CLOSED)

AFTER 21 YEARS, SKATELAB HAS CLOSED ITS DOORS AT THIS LOCATION AT 4226 VALLEY FAIR STREET, SIMI VALLEY.

However, Skatelab founder/owner Scott Radinsky posted on 1/6/19 that a new Skatelab location will be coming soon. Check for updates at www.facebook.com/Skatelab.

The world's largest and best skateboard museum resides in Simi Valley at Skatelab.  There are over 5,000 vintage skateboards, scooters and skateboard memorabilia at this 20,000 square foot facility from the 1960s to present day.  The museum is open to the public seven days a week and is free.  You really have to see this in person to get the full effect. This is a downright AMAZING collection!

Hours as of January 2018 are 4-10PM Mon, 3-10PM Tue-Thu, 3PM-Midnight Fri, 10AM-10PM Sat and 10AM-7PM Sun. Visit www.skatelab.com or call 805.578.0040 for more information.

Read more about the world's largest skateboard collection on display at www.skateboardman.com

Skatelab has a large indoor skate park that your kids will love.  It is located at 4226 Valley Fair Street, Simi Valley.  Visit www.skatelab.com or call 805.578.0040 for more information. They offer skateboarding classes on Saturdays and Sundays for beginners and novices too!

Rocking K Horse Rentals - Newbury Park (CLOSED)

Rocking K is no longer in operation as of around July 2019. A new operator is taking over and trail rides will be coming back in the October 2019 time frame. See http://ranchopotrero.org for more information.

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Rocking K Horse Rentals, open 7 days a week, is located at 4790 West Lynn Road in Newbury Park. Horses are available for rent, guided tours, birthday parties, summer camps and more. 

Minimum age requirement is 6. Minimum height requirement is 44 inches tall. Maximum weight is 260 lbs. All children under 16 are required to wear protective headgear. Helmets are provided but you may also bring your own.

Visit www.rockingkhorserentals.com or call 805.499.9512 for more information.

Leo's Arcade & Games in Fillmore (CLOSED)

LEO’S ARCADE CLOSED ITS DOORS SOMETIME IN LATE SUMMER 2019

Leo’s Arcade & Games is located at 359 Central Street in Fillmore. Leo’s has an assortment of vintage arcade and pinball games, PS4, Xbox and a variety of vintage gaming consoles such as Nintendo, Super Nintendo Game Cube and Sega, air hockey, foosball, billiards table and more.

Who’s Leo? Leo, who has a passion for retro gaming, moved to Fillmore with his military family of five in June 2018. Leo decided to share his passion with the community by opening this 2,500 square foot arcade in old town Fillmore, just a short walk from Fillmore & Western Railway, on December 29, 2018.

To my knowledge, Leo’s Arcade is one-of-a-kind in Ventura County.

Check out their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/FillmoreArcade.

Some (just a sampling) of their games on hand include:

• Pinball: Lethal Weapon 3, Star Trek, Road Kings, Bally Club Chicago

• Arcade Games: Alien, The Simpsons, Nascar Racing, Super Mario, Joust, Ms. Pac-Man, Tetris, Star Wars Trilogy, Invasion and many more.

• Other Games: Two billiards tables, air hockey, two foosball tables

Pricing (as of March 2019): $12 per hour, $17 for two hours and $25 for the entire DAY! Open Mon-Thurs 2:30-8:30PM, Fri 2:30PM-Midnight, Sat Noon-Midnight and Sun Noon-8PM.

Painting with a Twist Thousand Oaks - CLOSED

PERMANENTLY CLOSED IN 2021

Painting with a Twist Thousand Oaks opened on November 30, 2017 in the Clear Oaks Plaza at 1867 Thousand Oaks Boulevard. 

Painting with a Twist provides customers with paint, a canvas and brushes that lead to a fun evening with friends and a finished piece of art.  And yes, you receive professional instruction to create your work of art as well as access to wine.

The studio is 3 rooms, consisting of an art bar and private party room (both 21+ only) and a family room that is alcohol-free for kids’ classes, young adult parties and family fun-time events. The studio art bar offers wine, beer, soft drinks and hot beverages for sale.

Private Parties are great for groups of 10 or more; age restrictions apply to each studio room. For private family events, children under the age of 7 must be supervised by an adult family member at all times.

For more information visit www.paintingwithatwist.com/studio/thousand-oaks or call 805.372.7928.

The Woolworth Museum in Downtown Oxnard (CLOSED)

Although the vintage items in the Woolworth Museum still reside in the building as described below, the museum is generally not open to the public at this point.

What is believed to be the only Woolworth Museum in the world is located in the Woolworth Building (circa 1950) at 210 West Fourth Street, Oxnard (4th and A Streets). This small, unique museum contains all sorts of nostalgia associated with the F. W. Woolworth Company, one of the original "five and dime" stores. Woolworth closed its stores in 1997.

The Woolworth Building is a 16,800 square foot building completed in 1950 that was completely redeveloped in 2003. It is now occupied by office tenants.

Many of the old items in the museum exemplify what Woolworths used to sell. Other items relate directly to this building and the people who worked there, including two managers and a woman who worked here on the first day that the store opened in 1950. There are souvenirs from the Woolworth Building in New York, which was the tallest building in the world when completed in 1913.

There is a collection of books related to the Woolworth stores. There are several items from old lunch counters, including dishes and menus, as well as some items that relate directly to the pivotal civil rights sit-in that took place at a Woolworth lunch counter in 1960.

Photos of various Woolworth stores from 1878 through the 1960s are seen throughout the building. There is a working antique dial pay-phone, a take-your-own photo booth from the 1940s and games and vending machines from the 1930s through the 1960s.

There is a vintage cash register, like those found in most stores in the 60's and 70's, displayed so visitors can push down "No Sale" so that the cash-drawer pops open with the familiar ch-ching, bell ringing and all, and the wooden drawer can be examined and closed.

Also seen is a 1959 Cavalier 96 Coke machine, which dispenses ice cold vintage coke bottles...at a not quite as vintage price of $1.25.

So stop by sometime! Just walk in. No attendants and no entrance fees. The museum is typically open from 7:30 am to 2:30 pm Monday to Friday and 9 am to 2:30 pm on Saturday.

For more information and pictures, visit www.thewoolworthbuilding.com (not functional as of 8/6/18).

Throwback time seen in the men's room

Scrapbooking Forever in Westlake Village (CLOSED NOVEMBER 2017)

NOTE: STORE CLOSED NOVEMBER 18, 2017

Scrapbooking Forever is a scrapbooking supply store that offers scrapping supplies, classes, parties and more. Located in the Water Court in Westlake Village at 880 Hampshire Road, Suite S.

Visit www.scrapbookingforever.net or call 805.379.4901 for more information.

Train Rides at Fillmore and Western Railway - Fillmore (NO LONGER OPERATING)

FILLMORE AND WESTERN STOPPED OPERATIONS IN THE SUMMER OF 2021

Take a vintage train ride at the historic Fillmore and Western Railway in Downtown Fillmore, only 30 miles from the Conejo Valley. Trains here date back to the 1930s. Most were acquired from MGM, Paramount and 20th Century Fox studios in the late 1960s and have been used in numerous Hollywood films.

Trains at Fillmore and Western Railway

There are dinner rides throughout the year with names like Margarita Madness, The Wine Train, Mardi Gras Train, Chinese New Year Train and a New Year’s Eve party train. There are event rides including scenic tours to Santa Paula and a Murder Mystery Ride. There are kids events like Day out with Thomas the Tank Engine, Dinner with Santa, North Pole Express and a Pumpkin Patch ride.

Fillmore and Western Railway is located at 351 Santa Clara Street in Fillmore.  Visit www.fwry.com for a full schedule of events or call 805.524.2546.