Camarillo Public Library

The Camarillo Public Library is located at 4101 Las Posas Road. This is a beautiful, nearly 66,000 sq ft state-of-the-art facility that opened in March 2007.

The library is a two-story building with a bookstore, adult literacy facility, community room (capacity of 130 to 200), conference room, technology lab and study rooms.

The library's collection is well over 200,000 items, including books, DVDs, music CDs, and audio books on CD and MP3. Your library card gives you access to the Camarillo Digital Library with hundreds of eBooks and Audio Books available on the library's website. The eBooks can be read in numerous formats, including computers, iPhones, iPads, Android devices, etc. The library contains the Russell Fischer Business Collection and the Ventura County Genealogical Society collection

The kids section is quite large, with a cool pirate-themed kids area.

The library is open Monday to Thursday from 10am to 8pm and Friday to Sunday from 10am to 5pm.(as of December 2024).

The Camarillo Library is an independently run city library that is not part of the Ventura County Library System. However, you can use your Camarillo Public Library card to borrow titles from the Moorpark City Library as well as other partner libraries.

To learn more, visit www.camarillolibrary.org or call 805.388.5222.

Art Trek in Newbury Park

Art Trek, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization designed to bring visual, performing and literary arts to people of all ages. Art Trek provides art training to parents and teachers, after school programs, teen programs, summer camps, studio workshops and more. It has been active since 1992 and was established as a not-for-profit in 2006.

Birthday parties, corporate events and more. arttrek.org/schedule-event

Art Trek is located at 703 Rancho Conejo Blvd., Newbury Park. Visit www.arttrek.org for more information.

Gates Canyon Park / Brandon's Village - Calabasas

The 7 acre Gates Canyon Park at 25801 Thousand Oaks Boulevard, Calabasas includes picnic areas with barbeques, fitness course, children's play area, basketball court, tennis courts and plenty of open grass area.  The park is north of the 101 freeway and east of Las Virgenes.

Brandon’s Village at Gates Canyon Park originally opened in October 2006 as a universally accessible playground. It was completely renovated in 2024 with a million dollar upgrade and the theme “Above the Tree Line.” This 15,000 sq ft all-inclusive playground has play structures for ages 2-5 and 5-12. There is also a new sand area and trike zone for creative play.

Visit www.cityofcalabasas.com/government/community-services-parks-recreation/parks-trails-and-facilities for more information.

Photo of a portion of the original Brandon’s Village play structure that was remodeled in 2024.

Spotlight Dance and Acting Studio in Thousand Oaks

Spotlight Dance and Acting Studio is located at 1655 E. Thousand Oaks Blvd in Thousand Oaks. Spotlight offers classes in dance, acting, tumbling, and singing year round and there are classes available for ages 18 months to 17 years. Spotlight also hosts fun themed birthday parties and camps!

For more information, visit SpotlightDanceAndActing.com or call/text 805.719.1555

Casitas Water Adventure in Ventura

Casitas Water Adventure is a water park at the Lake Casitas Recreation Area that is open throughout the summer, generally from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend (mid-Sept for weekend sessions).

There are two distinct areas. For younger children, there is an aquatic play structure designed for all ages, with two water buckets and five slides - two for kids and three for teens and adults.

The new Aquatic mega play unit Structure completed in 2023

The 1,200 foot long Lazy River offers a cool water ride on inner tubes along a scenic waterway featuring waterfalls, fog filled bridges and jet sprays. The inner tubes are available on a first-come, first-served basis, but usually there are plenty of them on hand.

The 1,200 foot long lazy river at Casitas Water Adventure is my kids' favorite.

For the very youngest tots, a zero-depth pool sprays water from all angles, providing a safe, fun play area.

Shaded decks, lounge chairs, showers, restrooms and a snack bar are available, but food is not allowed inside the park (though you can bring bottled water). Certified lifeguards are on hand at all times and life jackets are available at no extra charge while supplies last. Locker rentals are available for a nominal fee.

Do take note that they don't heat the water here. It is a bit on the cold side for many, though on hot days this can be a good thing.

Lake Casitas Recreation Area is located at 11311 Santa Ana Road, Ventura. Take Highway 33 from Ventura towards Ojai, make a left turn on Santa Ana Blvd, then a right on Santa Ana Road 3 or 4 miles to the park entrance.

Weekend morning sessions 10:30 am to 2 pm and afternoon sessions 3 to 6:30 pm. Weekday hours are 11am to 6pm. The cost for the 2024 season is $20 per person on weekdays and $23 on weekends.

Visit www.casitaswater.org/casitas-water-adventure for details.

Parking inside Lake Casitas is $20 on weekends/holidays and $10 on weekdays. There is parking available on Santa Ana Road if you don't mind walking.

This is the “old” (Pre-2023) aquatic Play Structure (for historical purposes)

Coach Patty's School of Gymnastics in Camarillo

Coach Patty’s School of Gymnastics is located near Old Town Camarillo at 300 S. Lewis Road, Suite E.  The school has programs for recreational artistic gymnastics, preschool gymnastics, competitive team gymnastics for boys and girls, tumbling & trampoline programs for both children and adults.

The facility is over 16,000 sq ft and is loaded with state of the art equipment, including 60’ Tumble Trak, trampolines, double Mini Trampoline, high bars, balance beams spring floors, vault systems and a 84 foot fiberglass rod floor for power tumbling and a ring tower.  Just for kids preschool equipment.

Coach Patty’s also offers fun-filled gymnastic birthday parties, gymnastic camps, and more.

For more information, visit www.coachpattyusa.com or call 805.383.9460.

Gold Coast Gymnastics in Ventura

Gold Coast Gymnastics, a 5,000 square foot facility located at 4005 E. Main Street in Ventura, offers classes for boys & girls 15 months to adult. Recreational through competitive gymnastics including open gym (Fridays 8-9:30PM), tumbling and trampoline, birthday parties, day camps, summer camps, field trips and more. 

Visit www.goldcoastgymnasticsclub.com or call 805.658.2825 for more information.

The Arterie Art Studio in Thousand Oaks

The Arterie Art Studio at 2219 E. Thousand Oaks Blvd., Suite 105, Thousand Oaks is an art studio for both kids and adults that offers art classes, camps, birthday parties and more.

Visit www.thearterie.org or call 805.379.1426 for more information.

Chuck E. Cheese's - Thousand Oaks and Ventura

The kids absolutely love it at Chuck E. Cheese's, there's plenty of things to do, and I am a fan of the grilled chicken sandwich, fries and, yes, a nice cold beer to wash them down.  And the kids ALWAYS wolf down the pizza there.  Chuck E. Cheese's is geared towards kids ages 2 to 12. www.chuckecheese.com

New Chuck E. Cheese’s facade in Thousand Oaks in 2024

Chuck E. Cheese's Thousand Oaks location front entry (before the 2024 remodel)

On the 10th Anniversary of 9/11, my 5 year old and I spent some fun time together at the Thousand Oaks Chuck E. Cheese's. You know what...adults can have just as much fun there as kids. Plenty of fun 1 token games. Colorful and noisy. My kid likes the pizza.

Here is a quick walkthrough of Chuck E. Cheese's in Thousand Oaks to give a flavor as to all the fun stuff they have in there. It's actually pretty fun when it no't too crowded. Plus, they serve BEER there and ice cream bars are a bargain at only $1 apiece!

Chuck E. Cheese's is at 130 West Hillcrest Drive, Thousand Oaks (805.497.2522) locations.chuckecheese.com/us/ca/thousand-oaks/130-w.-hillcrest-dr. and 4714 Telephone Road in Ventura (805.644.9777) locations.chuckecheese.com/us/ca/ventura/4714-telephone-rd.

We stopped by Chuck E. Cheese in Ventura today to burn off some steam on a rainy day. This is a large location packed full of games and a stage area for parties. This location uses token cards instead of actual tokens, which is more convenient but not quite as fun for my 5 year old.

Starlight Dance Academy in Ojai

Located at 407b Bryant Circle in Ojai, Starlight Dance Academy provides dance classes to children and adults. Current classes include jazz, ballet, tap, Zumba and hip hop as well as Pilates, yoga and mommy and me sessions. Also a great place for children's birthday parties! For more information, visit www.ojaistarlightdance.com or call 805.646.3732.