Chase Palm Park in Santa Barbara

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Chase Palm Park in Santa Barbara is a huge park that sandwiches East Cabrillo Boulevard.  On the ocean side of Cabrillo the park consists of a palm-lined, narrow strip of park adjacent to East Beach with an oceanfront bike path and walkway from Stearns Wharf to East Beach.  This side of the park is host to Sunday/holiday arts and crafts shows.  The 14,600 square foot Skater's Point skate park is also located on this side of the park.

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Call 805.564.5418 for more information or visit www.santabarbaraca.gov/gov/depts/parksrec/parks/features/playgrounds/chase.asp.

On the other side of Cabrillo is a huge 10 acre parcel that features fountains, creeks, a lagoon, carousel, snack bar and a shipwreck playground modeled after an ocean schooner from the turn of the century.

The park is walking distance to Stearns Wharf, the beach, bike rentals, State Street, etc.

From 1999 to 2017, the park was home to a vintage 1916 40 foot in diamater carousel, The carousel was relocated to Fort Hood, Oregon to a museum.

Ventura County Library System

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The Ventura County Library System includes 12 community branch libraries and a museum library.

The system offers books, magazines, book and music CDs, eBooks, audio books, streamable music, DVDs and more. A list of locations in the system is below. Visit the library website at www.vencolibrary.org for an online catalog and more information.

Your library card also gives you access to newspapers, language instruction, auto repair, genealogy resources and career tools. All of that, and there’s even more: find early literacy resources, encyclopedias, test preparation and biography, literature, science, and history databases.

The VC Library's online eLibrary is available 24/7 at www.vencolibrary.org/elibrary. Here is a sampling of apps available in the eLibrary:

  • Hoopla - streaming of movies, TV shows and albums

  • For eBook downloads, they offer CloudLibrary (popular fiction/nonfiction eAudiobooks), BookFLIX (for beginning readers with read-aloud feature), EBSCOhost eBooks (adult nonfiction) and others.

To check out books at the libraries and obtain materials online, you'll need to obtain a library card at any of the libraries in the Ventura County Library system. The initial card is free.

Libraries in the system are as follows (additional details at www.vencolibrary.org/locations).

Avenue Library, 606 North Ventura Avenue, Ventura (805.643.6393)

Fillmore Library, 502 Second Street, Fillmore (805.524.3355)

E.P Foster Library, 651 East Main Street, Ventura (805.648.2716)

Hill Road Library, 1070 S. Hill Road, Ventura (805.677.7180)

Museum of Ventura County Historical Research Library (805.653.0323)

Meiners Oaks Library, 114 North Padre Juan, Ojai (805.646.4804)

Oak Park Library, 899 North Kanan Road, Oak Park (818.889.2239)

Oak View Library, 555 Mahoney Avenue, Oak View (805.649.1523)

Ojai Library, 111 East Ojai Avenue, Ojai (805.646.1639)

Piru Library, 3811 Center Street, Piru (805.521.1753)

Ray D. Prueter Library, 510 Park Avenue, Port Hueneme (805.486.5460)

Saticoy Library, 1292 Los Angeles Avenue, Ventura (805.671.5148)

Albert H. Soliz Library (El Rio), 2820 Jourdan Street, Oxnard (805.485.4515)

Although the VC Library System does not prefer this, you can check out books from one library in the system and return them to another one. 

The following libraries in Ventura County and nearby areas are run by municipalities and thus are not part of the Ventura County Library System. You can check out books at these other libraries but will need separate library cards at them.

Marina Park in Ventura

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Marina Park is located at 2950 Pierpont Boulevard in Ventura (near the intersection of Pierpont and Coral Street). It is a 15 acre park that has over a third of a mile of oceanfront adjacent to Ventura Harbor, giving it plenty of beachfront, flat sand to play in.

There is also a kids play area (geared toward younger kids), plenty of grass, restrooms and more. There is also a water taxi and a fishing dock. Fun destination park in the Ventura Keys. We never go wrong bringing the kids here. More info at www.cityofventura.net/parks.

The zip line attached to the "San Salvador" ship was taken down in 2016. The city indicates there is a possibility it will be replaced if a safe alternative can be identified.

Newer pirate-themed play area at Marina Park (re-done in 2012).

Newer pirate-themed play area at Marina Park (re-done in 2012).

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Nice, protected beachfront area at Marina Park

Nice, protected beachfront area at Marina Park

The popular San Salvador at Marina Park.

The popular San Salvador at Marina Park.

This popular zip line was taken down in 2016; the city indicates the possibility of identifying a new, safe zip line possibility but as of September 2019 no specific timing available.

This popular zip line was taken down in 2016; the city indicates the possibility of identifying a new, safe zip line possibility but as of September 2019 no specific timing available.

Waterworks Swim School in Newbury Park

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Hands On Teaching at Waterworks Swim School located inside the LA Fitness on Grande Vista Drive in Newbury Park. Swim lessons are available to children ages 2.5 and older as well as adults. Waterworks’ professional team of swim instructors teach students how to swim in an indoor, heated pool. They teach students of all skill levels, from first time swimming to higher level swimmers looking to improve their swimming technique.

Learn more and sign up at www.waterworksswim.com/locations/newbury-park

Music, Art and Acting Teachers In the Conejo Valley and Greater Ventura County

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The Kids' Activities section of Conejo Valley Guide has primarily been focused on activities at venues throughout the Conejo Valley and Greater Ventura County over the last 10 years. We are going to take that step further here by compiling a list of local area music, art and acting teachers in the area.

This list will take some time to populate and you can help by submitting to us the following information:  Name, what you teach, where you teach, perhaps a brief sentence or two about your background, contact information and website (if applicable).

Music Stores Offering Lessons

Acting Teachers

Breaking thru Barriers Program for Teens, Young Adults with ASD

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Breaking thru Barriers is a mentor program for teens and adults to learn to become social models for persons with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).

Breaking thru Barriers is a structured social environment for teens and young adults with and without Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) to develop friendships and social networks. Our goal is to provide structured social opportunities with peer mediated groups. Teens from local high schools and colleges interested in being peer mentors are able to develop relationships with local persons with ASD. It is our hope that these friendships will support young adults in the community and open additional social opportunities with new friends.

Visit www.breakingthrubarriers.org to learn more. Located in Newbury Park.