Santa Barbara Museum of Art

The Santa Barbara Museum of Art was established in June 1941 at 1130 State Street, in a building that housed the Santa Barbara Post Office from 1914 to 1932. The Museum has been expanded to 60,000 sq ft over the years, including exhibition galleries, Museum store, cafe, a 154-seat auditorium, a library containing 50,000 books and 55,000 slides, a children’s gallery dedicated to participatory interactive programming and an 11,500 sq ft off-site facility, the Ridley-Tree Education Center at McCormick House.

As one of the leading art museums on the West Coast, the Santa Barbara Museum of Art serves a diverse audience of approximately 150,000 people annually. The Museum offers a wide variety of educational and interpretive programs.

The Museum’s strengths lie in the following areas: Ancient Art, Asian Art (Chinese, Japanese, Indian and Tibetan), French and English 19th and early 20th Century Art, 19th and early 20th Century American Art, International Modernism, Works on Paper, Photography and Contemporary Art.

Hours of operation are Tuesday through Sunday, 11am to 5pm; FREE Thursday evening admission from 5-8PM! Admission (as of September 2023) is $10 for adults and $6 for seniors, students with ID and children ages 6-17. Under 6is free. Free to Museum members. Closed most major holidays.

Visit www.sbma.net or call 805.963.4364 for more information.

New West Symphony - Thousand Oaks

The New West Symphony performs at the 1,800-seat Kavli Theatre at the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza, and the 695-seat Rancho Campana Performing Arts Center in Camarillo.

The New West Symphony is a 501(c)3 non-profit governed by a 50-member board of directors. The annual concert program features the great symphonic repertoire of the 19th through 21st centuries.

For more information, visit www.newwestsymphony.org.

High Street Arts Center - Moorpark

Moorpark’s historic High Street Arts Center at 45 E. High Street is a jewel of a theater located in old town Moorpark.  Owned by the city of Moorpark since 2005, the theater provides high quality theatrical performances. For more information, visit highstreetartscenter.com or call 805.529.8700.

Oxnard Performing Arts Center

The Oxnard Performing Arts & Convention Center has over 1,600 seats in a theater that showcases local theater, dance, music and other programs.

Since opening in March 1968, the center has hosted thousands of performances reaching over three million people. Outstanding Broadway musicals, prominent guest speakers and musical acts and plays have all graced the center's stage.

In 1996, the center was completely refurbished after serving its first 28 years as the Oxnard Civic Auditorium.

More information at www.theopac.org.

Bank of America Performing Arts Center Thousand Oaks

The Bank of America Performing Arts Center (BAPAC) Thousand Oaks (formerly the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza) is one of the largest performing arts centers between Los Angeles and San Francisco at over 200,000 square feet.

The City of Thousand Oaks Cultural Affairs Department oversees theatre productions for the BAPAC, which encompasses two theatres – the 1,800-seat Fred Kavli Theatre and the 394-seat Janet and Ray Scherr Forum Theatre.

The performing arts center combines outstanding arts and entertainment with state-of-the-art technology and acoustics. Over 300,000 patrons and 50,000 children attend more than 400 performances annually. The BAPAC Thousand Oaks is funded through a unique public/private partnership between the City of Thousand Oaks and the Alliance for the Arts. It opened in 1994.

Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza

There is something for everyone at this venue....musicals, cabaret, Broadway musicals, dance, concerts, big bands, the New West Symphony, ballet, plays, well known speakers and events for the kids. In front of the plaza is the Mary and Richard Carpenter plaza park.

Next door to the Plaza is The Lakes of Thousand Oaks, a great place to grab a bite to eat, do some shopping and enjoy the lakes and playground on the property.

Between 1926 and 1968 this location housed the 170 acre Goebel's Lion Farm (later called Jungleland), where many of the famous wild animals in Hollywood pictures lived.  There were elephants, lions, tigers, hippos, you name it.  Leo, the MGM lion, Mr. Ed the Talking Horse, and Getta, Tarzan's chimpanzee all lived there at some point.  Jungleland was a major draw in its day that played a large role in making Thousand Oaks what it is today.

A photo of Jungleland after it closed in 1969 (Image courtesy of Conejo Through the Lens, Thousand Oaks Library).

The BAPAC is located at 2100 E. Thousand Oaks Boulevard (take the 101 East, left on Rancho exit, right on T.O. Blvd, and turn right into parking structure at Dallas Drive).  Visit bapacthousandoaks.com for more information or call 805.449.2787.

It takes good luck and timing for a novice photographer like me to capture the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza while driving south on the 101 freeway.

Frederick R. Weisman Museum of Art at Pepperdine University in Malibu

Located on Pepperdine's main campus at 24255 Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu, the Frederick R. Weisman Museum of Art is a small art museum with rotating exhibits year-round, as well as "meet the artist" events, family art events and more.

The museum, which opened in 1992, is open Tuesday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and is closed on Mondays and major holidays. There is no admission charge. For more information, call (310) 506-4851, or visit arts.pepperdine.edu/museum.

Fillmore Town Theatre

The Fillmore Town Theatre at 338 Central Avenue is a 333 seat theatre owned by Mudturtle Theatrical, a nonprofit formed in 2021. The theatre is available for shows and kids programs. Learn about upcoming events at mudturtletheatrical.org.

Santa Barbara Bowl

The Santa Barbara Bowl, located at 1122 N. Milpas Street, Santa Barbara, was originally built in 1936 and today with its capacity of nearly 4,600 people (4,974 for general admission standing) is the largest outdoor amphitheater in Santa Barbara County.

The Bowl is a beautiful outdoor setting with views of the ocean and the city. It offers top notch acts on a year-round basis and has great acoustics!

The parking lot utilized by the Bowl for patrons is located at Santa Barbara High School, less than 200 yards away from the venue. A short climb beside stone masonry walls through a beautiful glen with old oak trees leads to the amphitheater.

For more information and to buy tickets visit www.sbbowl.com or call 805.962.7411.

Nice views from the Santa Barbara Bowl too!

Glass Arts Collective in Westlake Village

Glass Arts Collective opened its doors on February 5, 2020 at 31139 Via Colinas, # 201 in Westlake Village. Glass Arts Collective offers classes and workshops in fused glass, mosaic and stained glass. They are equipped to cut glass, shape it, melt it, glue it, solder it and make beautiful objects from it.

Glass is a friendly material-- everyone can learn to use it to create beautiful decorative and functional works of art. Whatever your level, from beginner to advanced, our fully equipped glass studio and enthusiastic instructors welcome you to explore and play.

You can also book team events at the studio, purchase glass supplies and tools and explore the gift shop.

Learn more at www.glassartscollective.com or call 818.318.1462.

Conejo Valley Art Museum

Founded in 1978, the Conejo Valley Art Museum is a non-profit organization that supports local arts in the Conejo Valley. Over the years it has resided in several locations in Thousand Oaks while the Museum's Board of Trustees work towards obtaining additional funds to acquire a permanent home.

Since 2011, Janss Marketplace has generously offered up a space across from Gold's Gym. CVAM presents quality exhibits of contemporary, ethnic and historical origin, as well as changing exhibits. There is also a gift shop that stocks folk art from around the world, jewelry, art objects, cards and books, as well as a small reference library. Admission is free. The museum is currently open Wednesday to Sunday from noon to 5pm.

The CVAM's primary annual fundraiser is its annual ArtWalk in Thousand Oaks that takes place on the first weekend of June. ArtWalk is a two-day juried fine art and designer craft show.

For more information about CVAM, visit www.conejovalleyartmuseum.org.

Brief tour of space at the Janss Marketplace as of mid-July 2012 is shown below.

Majestic Ventura Theater in Downtown Ventura

The Majestic Ventura Theatre offers a 1920's Mission Style Architecture ambiance - you can see and feel close to the band from practically anywhere in the theater. All genres of music. 1200 capacity venue with multiple full bars, ballroom and occasional dinner shows. The theater is located at 26 S. Chestnut Ave., Ventura.  For more information, visit www.venturatheater.net or call 805.653.0721.

Ventura Music Hall

Ventura Music Hall is located at 1888 E. Thompson Blvd in Ventura, hosting live music and offering craft food and drinks. Visit www.venturamusichall.com for more information.

Santa Paula Art Museum

The Santa Paula Art Museum is the repository and exhibition hall for the Santa Paula Art Collection. Containing over 300 pieces, among its most famous artists are works of the Botkes, both Jessie Arms and Cornelis, who lived on their ranch and worked in their studio in a nearby secluded canyon. Some of the other represented plein air artists are Robert Clunie, Al Dempster, Ralph Holmes, Paul Lauritz, Emil Kosa, Jr., Douglas Shively and Milford Zornes.

The valuable assemblage represents the accumulation of award winning entries in the Santa Paula Art Show which began in 1937 or as gifted memorials. It remains the oldest juried show in California and the collection is recognized as one of the finest of its kind in the state.

The museum is located in the historic Limoneira Building at 117 North Tenth Street, Santa Paula. Open Wednesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Admission is $4.00 for adults, $3.00 for seniors and FREE for students and members. First Sundays are free for all visitors.

More information at www.santapaulaartmuseum.org or 805.525.5554.