Painting with a Twist is located at 2298 E. Ventura Boulevard in Old Town Camarillo (at the intersection of Arneill), next to the El Rey Cantina.
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.
For updates, visit paintingwithatwist.com/camarillo.
For over a dozen different farmers' markets and local Ventura County fresh fruits, flowers, vegetables and more, check out THIS POSTING!
Rancho Camulos is a National Historic Landmark situated within an 1,800 acre working ranch, a great example of a Spanish-Mexican rancho in its original rural environment. Rancho Camulos is noted for its literary significance as the setting for Helen Hunt Jackson's novel, Ramona.
Tours detail the lives of the native Tataviam Indians, the del Valle family that established Rancho Camulos in 1853, and the Rubel family, current owners, who purchased the ranch in 1924. Visitors can see the main adobe, cocina, winery, chapel, schoolhouse and beautiful gardens featuring over 50 varieties of roses and the magnificent black walnut tree, covering 1/2 acre.
Additional features of the museum are a fish pond (built by the Rubel children as a school project in the 1930s), "Ramona's bedroom" popularized through thousands of postcards and the fountain built in 1853. Learn about the Ramona connection and view the silent movie Ramona starring Mary Pickford, filmed at Rancho Camulos in 1910.
Tours on Sunday from 1 to 4 p.m. and by appointment. Suggested donation currently $5 for adults and $3 for children 12 and under. School tours available. The venue is also available for weddings and events.
Rancho Camulos is located at 5164 E. Telegraph Road, Fillmore, 2 miles east of Piru on Hwy. 126. Visit www.ranchocamulos.org or call 805.521.1501 for more information.
The Anthony C. Beilenson Interagency Visitor Center is located at King Gillette Ranch, 26800 Mulholland Highway, Calabasas. It opened to the public in June 2012.
The Visitor Center is jointly operated by the National Park Service, California State Parks, the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy and the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority.
It features exhibits and interactive displays, the work of local artists, tours of sustainable features and a native plant garden. There is a tremendously comprehensive exhibit covering things to see and do within the Santa Monica Mountains.
The Visitor Center was formerly the horse stable for the Gillette Mansion. It retains some of its original design while achieving LEED Platinum certification as the first "net zero" visitor center in the National Park Service. Cool! (literally and figuratively)
Visitor Center staff and volunteers are very friendly and helpful.
There's also gift shop in the center with a variety of items including books, handmade items, kids' items and more.
Call 805-370-2301 or visit www.nps.gov/samo/planyourvisit/visitor-center.htm.
Open Wed though Sun, noon to 4pm. Closed Mon/Tues.
Nearby hiking is plentiful, including the Inspiration Point hike at King Gillette Ranch and across the street at Malibu Creek State Park.
There's a bike path that starts at the ocean side of Oxnard Beach Park at Mandalay Beach Road at Beach Way and takes you south all the way to Hollywood Beach and Channel Islands Harbor. Alternatively you can just park at the Oxnard Beach Park and go from there. It is roughly 3/4 of a mile one way to Harbor Boulevard.
Cross Harbor Boulevard and make your way into Channel Islands Harbor, where you can ride all the way to the south end of the harbor.
Entrance to bike path at Mandalay Beach Road and Beach Way
There's a loop you can do around Oxnard Beach Park
The bike path continues south and goes around the Embassy Suites Mandalay Beach Hotel
Soon after passing the hotel, the path swing east towards Harbor Boulevard
At Harbor Boulevard, you can cross over to Channel Islands Harbor or veer right (west) on West Channel Islands Boulevard towards Hollywood Beach.
plenty of sand at Hollywood Beach. There's a restroom facility here. You can bike along Ocean Drive, which parallels the beach, to an entry point. do note that you are no longer on a bike path. you can continue south on Ocean Drive until its endpoint, where you turn left on South Harbor Boulevard past Channel View Park, where you will soon reach Channel Islands Harbor.
On S. Harbor Boulevard going north now, you will be able to take a right (east) turn on Albacore Way to get to the nice pedestrian/bike path along Channel Islands Harbor. It will take you past the Channel Islands Maritime Museum and marina, where there are restaurants and other things to do.
Pretty cool place to ride bikes at the harbor...and rarely crowded in my experience.
If you and the kids are up to it and want a longer ride, after reaching the north side of the Harbor, you can take Harbor Boulevard back over to W. Channel Islands Boulevard over the bridge to the middle of the Harbor. There's a popular Toppers Pizza over there. Or go the east side of the Harbor.
Other options of course include parking at the Channel Islands Harbor somewhere and cycling your way up to the Oxnard Beach Park. And you can also pedal your way over to S. Victoria Avenue and take the bike lane all the way down to Silverstrand Beach (or even park at Silverstrand and ride your way up from there...though do take not that this is not a bike path). Have fun!
The Lake Casitas Recreation Area is operated by the Casitas Municipal Water District, which supplied water to 70,000 people and hundreds of farms in western Ventura County, encompassing Ojai, the Ventura River Valley area, the city of Ventura to Mills Road, the Rincon and beach area to the ocean and the Santa Barbara County line.
Lake Casitas is a reservoir that was completed in 1959, with a capacity of 254,000 acre feet. The lake was used for canoeing and rowing events for the 1984 Summer Olympics. While swimming is not allowed in the lake because it is a water supply, boating, canoeing, kayaking and fishing is indeed allowed here.
There are a lot of fun things to do in the Lake Casitas Recreation Area:
Camping: There are over 400 campsites at Lake Casitas. More information and reservations at www.casitaswater.org/recreation/camping.
The Casitas Water Adventure is a summer water park with a lazy river, splash pad, lagoon and aquatic play structure (removed in summer 2022 - currently under construction). www.casitaswater.org/recreation/casitas-water-adventure
Boating and Fishing: Described above. You do need to have a fishing license if you are age 16 or older. Boat rentals, fishing licenses, bait and tackle and more is offered at the on-site Casitas Boat Rentals. casitasboatrentals.com
Picnicking: You can enjoy picnicking and exploring at 13 different picnic areas at Lake Casitas. it’s also a nice place for bike riding. www.casitaswater.org/recreation/amenities/picnic
Disc Golf: Coyote Point Disc Golf Course overlooks Lake Casitas and is set in rugged terrain with concrete tee pads. Free of charge. www.casitaswater.org/recreation/amenities/disc-golf
Day use hours are 6 am to 7:30 pm daily. $10 entry fee for vehicles during off season (Labor Day to Easter) and $20 on weekends during “on” season (Easter to Labor Day). Or you can be a cheapskate like me and park on Santa Ana Road and walk in. Location is 11311 Santa Ana Road, Ventura. For more information, visit www.casitaswater.org/recreation or call 805-649-2233.
Front entry to Lake Casitas Recreation Area in the summer of 2022.
The Natural History Museum (NHM) of Los Angeles County is located at 900 Exposition Blvd. in Los Angeles, near USC. It is open daily from 9:30 am to 5 pm. It was the first dedicated museum building in Los Angeles, opening its doors in 1913. The NHM has amassed one of the world’s most extensive and valuable collections of natural and cultural history—with more than 35 million objects, some as old as 4.5 billion years. The Natural History Family of Museums includes the NHM, the Page Museum at the La Brea Tar Pits in Los Angeles and the William S. Hart Museum in Newhall.
Sections of the museum include African Mammals, North American Mammals, Insect Zoo, Gems and Minerals, California History, Birds and much more. In July 2011, the new 14,000 sq ft Dinosaur Hall opened, featuring over 300 fossils and 20 complete mounts of dinosaurs and sea creatures. It includes a Tyrannosaurus rex growth series, Triceratops, Stegosaurus, Allosaurus, long-necked Mamenchisaurus and much more! It is extremely impressive!
My kids were particularly wowed by the Insect Hall, where they were treated to dozens of display of live insects from around the world. In fact, I think they would have spent the entire day in there if they could have.
Insect Hall
Museum admission (as of August 2022) for NHM members and children under 3 are free; children 3-12 are $7; youth 13-17 are $12, seniors 62 + are $12; and adults are $15. Visit www.nhm.org or call 213.763.DINO for more information.
With a number of locations in Ventura and Santa Barbara, Wheel Fun Rentals provides an assortment of bicycles, quads, coupes, surreys, tag-alongs and other two to four wheel human powered vehicles for rides along the beach. They also offer a wide assortment of water vehicles...boats, surfboards, boogie boards, etc.
Santa Barbara is my favorite nearby daytime destination with the kids as there are so many things to do that we all enjoy, one of them being riding bikes along the ocean.
Nearby locations as of September 2022 are:
Oxnard- Zachari Dunes on Mandalay Beach, 2101 Mandalay Beach Road (805.984.1994)
Oxnard - Channel Islands Marine Emporium Landing, 3600 S. Harbor Blvd (805.910.7257)
Oxnard - Residence Inn Oxnard River Ridge, 2101 W. Vineyard Avenue (805.278.2200)
Port Hueneme - Holiday Inn Express, 350 E. Port Hueneme Road (805.986.5353)
Ventura - Crowne Plaza, 450 E. Harbor Blvd (805.648.2100)
Ventura Pier 850 Harbor Blvd., Ventura (805.765.5795)
Ventura State Beach Picnic Area 901 San Pedro, Ventura (805.650.7770)
Santa Barbara - Hilton Beachfront Resort 633 East Cabrillo Blvd., Santa Barbara (805.966.2282)
Santa Barbara - Near Stearns Wharf 24 E. Mason Street (805.966.2282)
Santa Barbara Train Station 215 State Street (805.966.2282)
For more information visit www.wheelfunrentals.com or call 805.650.7770.
Looking to take the kids on a nice, flat bike path unimpeded by cars? A great choice is the roughly 2 mile Calleguas Creek bike path from Pleasant Valley Fields at 100 Village at the Park Drive in Camarillo off the Dawson 101 exit up to the corner of Flynn and Upland Roads in Camarillo.
Look at how nice and flat this bike path adjacent to Calleguas Creek is!
This is a nice, smooth and flat bike path that goes under several bridges, including the 101 freeway, so that you don't have to worry about cars! You can park your car at Pleasant Valley Fields and ride up and back down the path. This is a comfortable path to learn on as well as just enjoy.
At the north end of the path, you can detour off the path to Pitts Ranch Park at 1400 Flynn Road, just a short block northwest of the path, and enjoy lunch.
Calleguas Creek
The Reyes Adobe Historical Site at 5464 Reyes Adobe Road, Agoura represents the first home built in Agoura Hills back in 1850. The City of Agoura Hills purchased the site from Los Angeles County in 1983 and maintains the adobe structure as a museum and cultural center. The home was built by Jose Paulino Reyes, son of Jose Jacinto Reyes, the second son of Juan Francisco Reyes, a Mexican soldier on the Portola expedition that was granted local land in 1837.
Check out the house, courtyard, barn and various artifacts preserved at the site by taking a tour. And don't miss the annual Reyes Adobe Days celebration that takes place every fall (usually early October) at the site.
Adjacent to the site is Reyes Adobe Park.
Docent led tours on 2nd and 4th Saturdays from 1-4pm. Suggested donation is $3 for adults, $2 for seniors, $1 for ages 5-12 and free for 4 and under. The site has been closed due to the pandemic; contact the city for updates.
More information at www.agourahillscity.org/our-city/visitors/reyes-adobe-historical-site or by calling 818-597-7366..
There is a weekly Swap Meet and Farmers Market at Ventura County Fairgrounds, 10 W. Harbor Boulevard, every Wednesday from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Free parking. Admission is $2. For more information visit www.facebook.com/Ventura-County-Fairgrounds-Swap-Meet-Farmers-Market-279401113415.
Beginners’ pump track at Sapwi Trails Community Park.
The Sapwi Bike Park project is a partnership between the Concerned Off-Road Bicyclists Association (CORBA) and Conejo Recreation and Park District (CRPD). The park is a free, public recreational bicycle skills park facility located in the heart of beautiful Sapwi Trails Community Park in Thousand Oaks.
The park also features several miles of multi-use trails, natural habitat preservation, and other activities such as disc golf, cross-country running, and a non-motorized glider flying area.
The Sapwi Trails Bike Park offers a wide range of trails and features to challenge all ages and skill levels. In addition to a pump track, the park features progressive drop and jump lines – varying in difficulty from beginner to advanced. Outside of the dedicated bike park area, there are several trail side feature areas and a hard-surface beginner level pump track.
This 145 acre Sapwi Trails Community Park is located in the open space between Erbes Road (at Scenicpark Street) on the west and Westlake Boulevard east, with Avenida de los Arboles on the north. There are three parking lots off of Erbes, Arboles and Westlake Boulevard.
Learn more about the Sapwi Bike Park at sapwibikepark.com.
Ride On Therapeutic Horsemanship manages the former Rocking K Horse Rentals and Boarding at 4790 Lynn Road in Newbury Park. The new facility is called the Rancho Potrero Community Equestrian Center.
The 20 acre facility adjacent to the Rancho Potrero Open Space is home to about 100 horses. Horseback riding is available on Fridays at 5pm, Saturdays at 9:30am and 11:30am and Sundays at 9am and 10:30am.
$65 per person for a one hour guided trail ride. Must be reserved and paid for in advance at www.ranchopotrerotrailrides.org.
More information at ranchopotrero.org or call 805-491-1230.
Sunday morning guided horse ride in Rancho Potrero on a mid-August Sunday morning 2022.
Conejo Valley Guide covers events, activities and things to do throughout Ventura County and surrounding areas.
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