The Oceanview Pavilion located at 575 E. Surfside Drive in Port Hueneme (directly across from the beach) offers concerts, theater, fairs, shows and a variety of other events for all ages. The venue has a capacity for up to 1400 people and can be rented out for special events. Banquet hall can accommodate 450 guests. A full bar is available. For more information, visit www.oceanviewinfo.com or call the box office at 805.986.4818.
The Scarlett Belle is a modern riverboat located in the scenic Channel Islands Harbor. The boat can accommodate from 40 to 150 passengers and is a fun, luxurious venue for weddings, parties, corporate events, anniversaries and more...casino nights, graduation parties, public holiday cruises, etc.
For more information, visit www.scarlettbelle.com or call 805.204.0977.
Located at A&M Boat Charters & Cruises at the Marine Emporium Landing at Channel Islands Harbor, 3600 S. Harbor Blvd., #219, Oxnard.
Exit the 101 freeway at Victoria, proceed south on Victoria, at West Channel Islands Blvd, turn right. Go to the second stop light and turn left onto Harbor/ W. Channel Islands Blvd. Go to Cabezone Circle make a left. Into the Marine Emporium. Walk to the back of the three buildings facing the street to the dock where you will see the Scarlett Belle and Sunfish. Free parking.
The Santa Barbara Mission was established on the Feast of Saint Barbara, December 4, 1786 and was the 10th of 21 California Missions to be founded by the Spanish Franciscans.
More than 200 years later, the Mission continues to be the chief cultural and historic landmark in the city of Santa Barbara. Home to a community of Franciscan friars, the Mission also has a retreat center with guest rooms, conference rooms, a fully equipped commercial kitchen and dining room, a beautiful church with a large and active parish, a museum and gift shop, a cemetery and mausoleum and ten acres of beautifully landscaped gardens.
Self-guided tours are available through the main entrance. Tour tickets may be purchased in the main entry, and each visitor will be provided with a museum guide available in 8 different languages. The Mission is open daily from 9am to 5:30pm from July 4th through Labor Day and until 4:15pm the rest of the year. Tour admission (as of March 2020) is $12 for adults (ages 18-64), $10 for seniors 65+, $7 youth 5-17 and free to 4 and under. Parking is free.
Points of interest within the Museum and garden tour include a Sacred Garden, Video Room (watch a 18 minute video), Cemetery (1789 to present; contains burial sites of early Santa Barbara settlers and Native Americans), Church, Museum (originally used as living quarters for missionaries and their guests), The Serra Shop (souvenirs and gifts), Fountain (built in 1808) and Aqueduct (ruins of the Mission's early water system visible next to cemetery outside walls).
The Mission Museum also offers docent guided public tours Thursday and Friday at 11:00am and Saturday at 10:30am. Admission for docent guided public tours are $16 for ages 18-64, $14 age 65+ and $11 for youth 5 to 17. Children age 4 and under free. Roughly an hour in duration. Private tours are also available.
Visit www.santabarbaramission.org for more information or call 805.682.4713. It is located at 2201 Laguna Street, just around the corner from the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History, which we LOVE to visit.
Two Trees Escape Rooms is located at 2855 Johnson Drive Unit D in Ventura, near Sky Zone Trampoline Park. For those not familiar with escape rooms, they involve being locked in a room to solve a series o puzzles and riddles by gathering clues, hints and hidden objects. The goal is to solve the problem within 60 minutes.
Current room themes include Mystery at the Manor, The Runic Ritual, The 50s Diner and Davy Jones Locker,
Learn more at www.twotreesescaperoom.com.
Located at 10241 Hill Canyon Road in Camarillo, Santa Rosa Valley Regional Park is a 50 acre county park with hiking, trails and equestrian riding areas. Open 7:30 am - 5:00 pm - (January, February, November, December), until 6:00 pm (March, October), 7:30 pm (April, May, September) and 8:00 pm - (June, July, August). There is no playground area here...this park is mostly geared towards hiking, exploring and horseback riding. Parking is $2 on weekdays and $4 weekends.
This park is located at the entry point to the Conejo Canyons bridge, where you can access trails in the Western Plateau area of Thousand Oaks, maintained by the Conejo Open Space Foundation.
From Thousand Oaks, take Moorpark Road down the Norwegian Grade through Santa Rosa Valley until you see the sign shown below.
More information at www.ventura.org/parks-department/inland-parks/santa-rosa-valley-park-camarillo.
Call Box 1-35 is not the official name of this beach in the unincorporated section of Ventura County northwest of Malibu city limits. But since the dilapidated staircase leading down to the beach is next to this Call Box, it seems appropriate. The address is approximately 9649 Pacific Coast Highway, Malibu (yes, technically not Malibu, yet in Google maps the address says Malibu). Plenty of street parking on PCH. No facilities. This and other pocket beaches along PCH are fun to explore.
Channel Islands Sportfishing Center (aka Cisco's) is located at the Channel Islands Harbor at 4151 S. Victoria Avenue, Oxnard. Cisco’s has a fleet of 11 boats (as of February 2020) and operates 7 days a week.
Enjoy 1/2 day, 3/4 day, full day, overnight and two day trips. The Speed Twin is a nice foray into sportfishing for newbies - a half day trip on a boat with a capacity of 75 people. it departs at 8 am and returns at 4pm. You can bring your own fishing rods or rent them for $15 at the landing. You’ll also need a one day fishing license that you can buy there.
Visit www.channelislandssportfishing.com or call 805.382.1612 to learn more and to book your next fishing trip.
Views from Sandstone Peak trail towards Lake Sherwood.
Sandstone Peak is the highest point in the Santa Monica Mountains at an elevation of 3,111 feet. Views from the trail stretch from the Pacific Ocean and Channel Islands and inland to the Conejo/Simi Valleys.
From the Conejo Valley, take Westlake Boulevard south until it becomes Decker Canyon, make a right on Mulholland, then right on Little Sycamore Road, which becomes Yerba Buena Road, with an endpoint of Sandstone Peak Trailhead. Before you see this sign on the right, you will be passing a parking lot at the Mishe Mokwa Trailhead. Another .6 miles and you'll see the sign below.
The hike is only about 3 miles round trip. Depending on how fast you go, the 1.5 mile climb to the top can take anywhere from 25 minutes to an hour. The trail is well maintained but has quite a bit of loose stones, so be sure to wear good shoes so you don't twist an ankle. The starting elevation at the Sandstone Peak trailhead is 2,030 feet, so you'll be climbing over 1,000 vertical feet over 1.5 miles.
Visit the National Park Service website at www.nps.gov/samo/planyourvisit/circlexranch.htm for more information about the Circle X Ranch area and a printable pdf map of the trails that will get you to Sandstone Peak, including the Mishe Mokwa Trail, Grotto Trail and the Backbone Trail.
To extend the hike, check out Sandstone Peak to Inspiration Point and Tri Peaks.
There are several ways of getting to Sandstone Peak. The most direct way is the trailhead directly up to Sandstone Peak (takes about an hour) and the other is via the Mishe Mokwa Trail, which takes you to Split Rock, through a loop that connects you to the Backbone Trail to Sandstone Peak. This trail will give you views of "Balanced Rock" that you'll see pictured below. Once you reach Sandstone, you'll find a steep staircase that will take you to the peak.
Balanced Rock
Balanced Rock from another angle.
Prior to the Woolsey Fire of November 2018, this sign and staircase marked the final ascent to the peak. They were destroyed in the fire, however, and a new path was constructed . See photo below.
New path leading to final ascent to the top after Woolsey Fire.
The unofficial name bestowed on Sandstone Peak by the Boy Scouts is "Mt Allen," named in honor of W. Herbert Allen to commemorate his gift of this mountain to the Boys Scouts of America in 1965.
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
Click the Bowling Ball for Bowling Alleys in Ventura County
Since 1968, Island Packers has provided reliable, enjoyable transportation between the Ventura/Oxnard Harbors and the Channel Islands National Park & Marine Sanctuary.
Island Packers has scheduled trips departing out of the Ventura and Oxnard Harbors and is the only exclusive boat concessionaire with authorization to transport guests to the Channel Islands National Park. Three 149-capacity catamarans and one 81-passenger mono hull vessel provide half and whole day trips year round to the Anacapa and Santa Cruz Islands, with trips to the Santa Barbara, Santa Rosa and San Miguel Islands from mid-April through the fall months.
On a personal note, we've been on Islands Packers boats a number of times and they are a class act. Great service and responsiveness.
Marine Wildlife Cruises (which do not land on the island) depart from the Harbor for 3 hour narrated cruises along the shores of Anacapa or Santa Cruz Island within the Channel Islands Marine Sanctuary. Highlights include sightings of sea lions, harbor seals and marine bird life, along with the opportunity to view whales and dolphins during the channel crossing. Island Packers also offers whale watching cruises - which, depending on the time of year, are a once in a lifetime opportunity to see some of the Pacific's most magnificent creatures. While pods of dolphins can be seen nearly year-round, whales are a far more seasonal bunch:
Late December-Mid April: Gray whales
April-September: Humpback and Minke whales
Summer & Fall: Giant Blue whales- not only the earth's largest mammal, but thought to be the largest known animal ever to have existed.
Whales aren't all these cruises have to offer, however. A trip to the Channel Islands can also mean sightings of rare birds! Though difficult, pelagic birding can be incredibly rewarding - but the real treasure trove is on the Islands themselves.
Santa Cruz Island is also home to the gem of the Channel Islands birding community - the Island Scrub-jay! The Island is the only place in the world this bird is found, and is highly sought after for avid bird enthusiast's 'life lists.'
For schedules, directions, tickets and more information, visit www.islandpackers.com, or call (805) 642-1393. Open 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. daily.
Island Packers has two locations: Ventura Harbor, 1691 Spinnaker Drive, Suite 105B, Ventura and Channel Islands Harbor, 3600 S. Harbor Boulevard, Oxnard.
The Lynnmere Open Space contains 4 to 5 miles of ridgeline trails in 114 acres in the area south of Wildwood Park and west of Lynn Road in Thousand Oaks. Awesome views of Wildwood Park, Mount Clef Ridge and the Conejo Canyons Open Space.
Views from Lynnmere Trail looking north towards Wildwood Park and Mount Clef Ridge.
As you can see in the map below (provide courtesy of the Conejo Open Space Foundation), you can actually hike a nice loop on the Lynnmere Trail and connect to other trails in the area.
There are a number of places where you can enter the Lynnmere Trail, including:
Northwest terminus of Calle Yucca, just north of Calle Salto
Several trails from Wildwood Park connect to Lynnmere Trail, including Wildwood Canyon Trail and Tepee Trail
The hike outlined in the image above is the fairly strenuous, seven mile Arroyo Conejo/Lynnmere Loop hike described at www.cosf.org/website/html/arroyo-conejo-lynnmere.html. Park at the Rancho Conejo Playfield at 950 N. Ventu Park Road and the Arroyo Conejo trailhead is on the right.
After about a mile and a half of rolling hills, there's a descent into the canyon. You'll come across the creek at the bottom, where you'll find a foot path. Soon after crossing the path, you'll find a sharp right (unmarked to my knowledge) turn up the barranca to the Lynnmere Trail, and you're on your way.
You may come across this bench at the peak of the southern section of Lynnmere Trail.
After the winter rains it greens up nicely here and other Conejo Valley trails.
NOTE: WE WALKED BY IN MID-JULY 2022 AND IT APPEARS THE MUSEUM IS EITHER BEING REFURBISHED OR HAS MOVED.
The A.J. Comstock Fire Museum is located in the Figueroa Street Mall, a one block pedestrian section between E. Main Street and E. Santa Clara Street in Downtown Ventura.
You don't actually walk through this museum; you look through the windows and are treated to a display of vintage items, including equipment and photographs that document the history of the Ventura County Fire Department.
The museum was dedicated to retired fire chief A.J. Comstock, who served the community for 33 years, from 1940 to 1973.
The Figueroa Street Mall is located on the west end of the Downtown Ventura area, adjacent to Mission Park and the Museum of Ventura County directly west of it and the San Buenaventura Mission directly across from it on Main Street.
This block is also home to the San Buenaventura China Alley Memorial. A Chinese community was established on this block in the 1870s. Chinese merchants, laborers, farmers, cooks, laundrymen, gardeners and servants did business here and lived in small homes. These early settlers maintained their language and customs and rituals in this small enclave. The acclaimed Chinese Fire Brigade was formed here, often the first line of defense at local fires.
Other contributions of the Chinese immigrants to the community included a water flume above the San Buenaventura Aqueduct along Ventura Avenue and the Chinese Fire Brigade that served China Alley and the surrounding neighborhood. The Chinese Brigade was often the first fire company at the site of a fire and was instrumental in saving many structures in the downtown area. During the early days of immigration, the people of San Buenaventura welcomed their new Chinese neighbors as an inexpensive source of labor. However, with the incorporation of strict national immigration laws in the early 20th century, a hostile environment forced the residents of China Alley to relocate to other areas.
The immigrants dispersed from the area in the early 20th century when immigration laws became more exclusionary and settlers moved away, either back to China or to neighboring areas. The City of San Buenaventura and the Ventura County Chinese American Historical Society dedicated a memorial to these settlers in August 2004.
The Figueroa Street Mall
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