Koi Ponds In and Around Ventura County and Surrounding Areas

On a recent visit to The Commons at Calabasas we were treated to a beautiful pond full of koi and turtles cohabitating. Koi comes from the Japanese word nishikigoi, which means "brocaded carp." Koi is basically domesticated, ornamental carp. In Japanese, the word koi sounds like another word that mean affection or love.

Where to find koi in Ventura County and surrounding areas? Here's what we know:

There is a koi pond at The Promenade at Westlake, next to Marmalade Cafe.

Friendly looking koi looking for handouts at The Lakes at Thousand Oaks.

The bottom level pond at The Lakes at Thousand Oaks has lots of koi, frolicking around with the ducks, even during the winter when the Holiday Ice Rink is in use.

Green Thumb Nursery on Victoria Avenue in Ventura has a small koi pond container in the back that is fun to observe with the kids.

The pristine Gardens of the World on Thousand Oaks Boulevard has a Japanese Garden that contains a beautiful koi pond.

Koi pond at The Gardens of the World in Thousand Oaks

The Santa Barbara Zoo has a large koi pond area with some very healthy looking koi, swimming among the lily pads.

Last I checked there were a lot of koi amongst the hundreds of ducks at Conejo Creek Park in Thousand Oaks.

The Simi Valley Town Center has a koi pond on the west side of the mall where you can get up close and personal with them.

Koi pond at west end near Studio Movie Grill.

As noted at the beginning of the article The Commons at Calabasas has quite a lovely koi and turtle pond.

The turtles are quite prominent at The Commons at Calabasas. Don't touch them!

When in Santa Barbara, be sure to stop by Alice Keck Park Memorial Gardens, a beautiful botanic garden with over 75 tree and plant species, a large koi pond also home to ducks and turtles, picnic areas and more. Quite a serene place.

Only 25 miles from the Conejo Valley is the Lake Shrine Meditation Gardens in Pacific Palisades. This 10 acre spiritual sanctuary hosts a spring-fed lake lined with gardens and home to koi, ducks and beautiful swans.

The Hunt Olive Tree in Thousand Oaks is a Living Link to Conejo Valley History

Richard Orville Hunt and his wife Mary Jane purchased a large parcel of land in the Conejo Valley in 1876 in what is now Lynn Ranch. He called it Salto Ranch. Hunt also served as postmaster of the Newbury Park Post Office for 18 years and was well known in the local community. While his former land now is populated with family homes, one part of Hunt's ranch lives on.

For those of you who drive past the Sprouts Market at 600 West Hillcrest, perhaps you have noticed the historic landmark marker situated in front of the last remaining olive tree from Hunt's orchard. The Hunt Olive Tree was designated a Ventura County Historic Landmark in 1981, when the tree was over 100 years old. That would make this olive tree over 130 years old today.

For nostalgia buffs, to the right is a view of the Hunt Olive Tree marker back in the day that Circuit City was located here. It closed in late 2008. This tree was moved to its current home in 1993. I'm not sure why...perhaps to say hello to the thousands of residents who pass by each day. What a fine specimen this link to the past is. The Hunt Olive Tree is also Historical Landmark #4 in the City of Thousand Oaks.

So be sure to say hello to this tree that sits next to the Sprouts Farmers Market sign at Hillcrest and Lynn and do be nice to him (or her). She's older and wiser than all of us combined, having seen and lived through the growth of our local community.

Visit the City of Thousand Oaks website at www.toaks.org/departments/city-manager-s-office/public-information-office/history for more information on local historical landmarks and points of interest around town.

Things to Do With the Kids in Ventura County When It's Wet Outside

It doesn't rain nearly often enough here in Ventura County, but when it does, that's a great excuse for staying inside. You are in the right place as we have compiled this extensive list of well over 200 indoor activities from Agoura to Simi Valley to Ventura and everywhere in between!

Geared Towards Little Kids

• My Gym Children's Fitness Center in Thousand Oaks and Ventura

• The Oaks Mall Indoor Play Area (up to age 5)

• Build-a-Bear Workshop at The Oaks

• Rockin' Kids Play Center at Simi Valley Town Center

• We Rock the Spectrum Kid's Gym in Agoura Hills

• Jumpify Indoor Playground at The Oaks Mall

• KidzCity Indoor Play in Woodland Hills

• Kids World Indoor Playground in Oak Park

• Jump ‘n Jammin Children’s Entertainment Center in Oxnard (RiverPark)

• Play Out Loud Indoor Playground in Agoura Hills

Gaming and Arcades

• Chuck E. Cheese's in Thousand Oaks and Ventura

• Big Z Family Fun Center in Simi Valley

• The arcade at Golf N' Stuff Ventura

Other Indoor Fun

• Nearly 30 libraries in the Ventura County area

• The Ronald Reagan Library and Museum in Simi Valley

• Over 50 museums in and around Ventura County

• 150+ movie screens around Ventura County

• Escape room places in Ventura County

• MOXI, The Wolf Museum of Exploration + Innovation in Santa Barbara

Indoor Action and Sports

• Sky Zone Trampoline Park in Ventura

• Sky Zone Thousand Oaks (formerly Defy Extreme Air Sports)

• Boulderdash Indoor Rock Climbing in Thousand Oaks

• Boulderdash Indoor Rock Climbing in Ventura

• Lazertag Axtreme in Simi Valley

• Bowling Alleys in Ventura County

• Open Gym at Conejo Recreation & Park District Facilities

• Imagymnation Gymnastics Center in Simi Valley

• LA Kings Iceoplex Ice Arena in Simi Valley

• Skating Plus Indoor Roller Rink in Ventura

• Monarchs Gym in Newbury Park and Agoura

• Indoor Batting Cages in Camarillo, Oxnard, Westlake Village, Newbury Park, Thousand Oaks

• Skateboarding Hall of Fame and Museum in Simi Valley

• Sky Zone Trampoline Park Thousand Oaks

• K1 Indoor Go Kart Racing and Arcade in Thousand Oaks

Arts and Crafts

• Lakeshore Learning Free Crafts on Saturdays in Ventura

• As You Wish Pottery Painting Place in Simi Valley

• Color Me Mine Ceramics Studio in Calabasas

• The Arterie Art Studio in Thousand Oaks

• Firefly Ceramics in Ventura

• YES FACTORY in Agoura Hills

These are just a sampling of the various activities and events in Conejo Valley Guide, so make sure to explore and find something fun to do!

The Oldest Restaurants in Ventura County and Nearby Areas

We do our best to support local restaurants here in the Conejo Valley and throughout Ventura County. But local eateries come and go, for many reasons. Running a restaurant is not easy, but some of them manage to operate longer than others.

Here’s a compilation of some of the longest-operating restaurants in Ventura County.

1929: The Golden Chicken Inn is located at 701 S. Oxnard Boulevard in Oxnard (at 7th Street). It opened in 1929 and is still in business in one of the last remaining Chinese structures in the area. golden-chicken-inn.cafes-nearby.com

1936: Familia Diaz operated at 245 S. 10th Street in Santa Paula from 1936 to 2015. It was sold to new owners, however, and now operates as Chapala Mexican Restaurant, so we’re going to keep it on this list.

1946: El Tecolote originated in Moorpark in 1946 and moved to its current location at 333 N. Lewis Road in Camarillo in 1952, serving traditional Mexican fare. www.facebook.com/eltecoloterestaurant

1949: Dominick’s Italian Restaurant at 477 North Oxnard Boulevard in Oxnard has been family owned and operated since 1949, serving delicious pasta, New York style pizza and more. dominicksoxnard.com

1952: Otani’s Seafood is a family owned seafood restaurant in Downtown Oxnard that has operated since 1952, featuring Japanese style seafood with a twist of Mexican flair. Located at 608 South A Street in Oxnard. www.otanis-seafood.com

1956: The Ranch House opened at its quaint location at 102 Besant Road in Ojai in 1956. Quite a unique and beautiful place. www.theranchhouse.com

1957: Thousand Oaks Meat Locker started out as a custom butcher shop in 1957, then transformed into a BBQ eatery since the mid-1970s at 2684 Thousand Oaks Blvd, Thousand Oaks. www.thousandoaksmeatlocker.com

1958: Casa De Soria Mexican Restaurant opened at 1961 E. Thompson Avenue in Ventura in 1958. They claim to have served over 7 million meals since then to Mexican food lovers! www.casadesoria.com

1959: Tony’s Pizzaria has been family owned and operated since June 1959 at 186 E. Thompson Blvd in Ventura. Founded by Johnny “Tony” Barrios and now operated by his children and nephew., Tony’s Pizzaria specializes in New York style hand tossed pizza. www.tonyspizzaria.net

1958: Neptune’s Net, with an address of 42505 Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu, is technically located in Ventura County in the unincorporated community of Solromar (it uses Malibu for its zip code). Neptune’s Net is open 364 days a year, closed only for Thanksgiving. This is a casual, order at the counter and find a table type of place that is located across from County Line Beach. neptunesnet.com

1961: Harold’s House of Omelettes at 2440 Thousand Oaks Blvd in Thousand Oaks. Harold Warner originally opened Harold’s at 1938 Thousand Oaks Blvd. The eatery closed May 7, 2021 but was subsequently was acquired and reopened as Bo’s House of Omelettes & Waffles. More information at houseofomelettesto.com.

1961: The Rock Store opened in 1961 at 30354 Mulholland Highway in Cornell (an unincorporated community of Los Angeles County located near Agoura Hills). originally as a small town grocery store. An extremely popular motorcyclist hangout, It currently offers breakfast and lunch Friday to Sunday. rock-store.com

1963: Chester’s Asia Restaurant has operated in Camarillo since 1963 at 2216 Pickwick Drive in the Pickwick Shopping Center. www.chestersasia.com

1965: Thousand Oaks Fish & Chips is currently located at 3825 Thousand Oaks Blvd in the North Ranch Shopping Center. It established itself in the Conejo Valley in 1965. www.thousandoaksfishandchips.com

1966: Little Tony’s Italian Restaurant is located at 1441 Redwood Street in Oxnard, next to Weinerschnitzel. Open daily at 4pm for dinner. 805-486-1414 www.yelp.com/biz/little-tonys-italian-restaurant-oxnard

1968: Boccaccio’s Restaurant at the Westlake Landing, 32123 Lindero Canyon Road, Westlake Village, has been operating since 1968. www.boccacciosrestaurant.com

Boccccio’s ad circa 1969.

1968: Jack in the Box Thousand Oaks opened at 484 Moorpark Road this year and still operates today.

1969: Ottavio and Noella Belvedere opened Pizza Villa on Ventura Blvd in Camarillo in 1969 and changed the name to Ottavio’s Italian Restaurant in 1974, so we’re going to credit them for 1969. The moved to a larger location at 1620 Ventura Blvd in 1977 and have operated there ever since. www.ottavio.com

1970: Cactus Patch Restaurant is a diner located at 197 E. High Street in Moorpark that has served breakfast and lunch since 1970. The original owner passed away in 2020 but other family members and staff continue to operate this eatery. www.facebook.com/CactusPatchRestaurant

1970: The Old Place Cornell restaurant opened at 29983 Mulholland Hwy in Cornell (Agoura Hills) in 1970. This is Los Angeles County but close to us here in the Conejo Valley . oldplacecornell.com

1973: The Newbury Park McDonald’s at 850 Wendy Drive premiered in the spring of 1970. (There’s probably other fast food places we need to research and add to this list.)

1974: The first Cisco’s Mexican Restaurant opened in Westlake Village in 1974. That location closed in 2018 but Cisco’s continues to operate at 1712 E. Avenida De Los Arboles in Thousand Oaks, making it one of the oldest eateries in the Conejo Valley. www.ciscosthousandoaks.com

1974: The first Eggs ‘n” Things restaurant opened in the same building as its current Camarillo location at 1200 Paseo Camarillo. Now Eggs “n” Things has locations in Simi Valley, Thousand Oaks and Ventura as well. www.eggsnthings.net

1974: Rhineland Deli Thousand Oaks has been open since 1974. It relocated to 1817 E. Thousand Oaks Blvd in 2022 as it continues to serve its signature delicious German-inspired sandwiches and other items. www.instagram.com/rhineland_deli

1976: The Alamo Restaurant was established in 1976 at 2311 Borchard Road in Newbury Park, specializing in Mexican dishes. www.alamo-rest.com

~1980: Don’t have the exact date, but A-Burger opened over 40 years ago at 155 S. Oxnard Blvd in Oxnard. I’m told that this was originally a Whataburger. www.facebook.com/ABurgerOxnard

1983: Andria’s Seafood Restaurant and Market opened at Ventura Harbor Village on May 13, 1982 and this family business has operated continuously since that date. www.andriasseafood.com

1984: P & L Burgers at 2000-A East Avenida de los Arboles, Thousand Oaks originally opened in 1984, making it the oldest burger place in the Conejo Valley. pandlburgers.com

Familia Diaz in Santa Paula changed ownership and is now called Chapala Mexican Restaurant. We’ll keep this image here in memory of the previous occupant.

The Oldest Eateries in Ventura County that closed in recent years:

1947: Lupe’s Mexican Restaurant on Thousand Oaks Blvd in Thousand Oaks closed its doors in August 2016, after 69 years in business.

Lupe’s Mexican Food in Thousand Oaks in 1975. (Photo courtesy Thousand Oaks Library Conejo Through the Lens Collection.)

1949: The Sportsman Restaurant at 53 S. California Street in Ventura closed in 2018. The Camarillo location at 4426 Central Avenue is still open. www.sportsmancamarillo.com

1946: Dorothy’s Chuck Wagon Cafe was located at 2344 Ventura Blvd in Old Town Camarillo. The building was constructed in 1944 and original owner Larry Logue opened Larry’s Malt Shop there in 1946. It was Carmen’s Snack Bar when owned by Ed and Carmen Quinn. Dorothy Johnson took over as new owner in 1983. In June 2022 she announced the cafe had closed. The building was sold in May 2022.

The former Dorothy’s Chuck Wagon Cafe in Old Town Camarillo (closed in June 2022).

Gigantic LED Screen Premieres on East Wall of Thousand Oaks Civic Art Plaza

Last night, a gigantic LED sign premiered on the east wall of the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza. Constructed in 1994, the Civic Arts Plaza will make its presence even more apparent to passing motorists on the northbound 101.

Project Manager R.U. Kidinme remarked "We are excited to swap the Copper Curtain for a more modern Times Square look on the east side of the building." Assistant Manager Noah Wei nodded his head in agreement.

The original design featured over 2,000 17 inch strips of copper that were meant to flutter in the wind like a wave. Due to concerns about safety and noise, the strips were nailed to the building.

The new LED sign, measuring approximately 240 by 330 square feet, will emit the brightest neon light display on the west coast. Thousand Oaks resident April Fuwels said "Although I'll need to keep my sunglasses handy as I drive by, I just love this new look."

April fools! this is view of the civic arts plaza the morning of monday, april 1, 2024. Yes, we had some storms all easter weekend which brought snow to the local mountains in the background!

What's the Deal With All of Those Signs Posted at the Swimming Pool

My kids get a laugh from time to time when they notice the sign at the public swimming pool that states, "Persons having currently active diarrhea or who have had active diarrhea within the previous 14 days shall not be allowed to enter the pool water." 

The thought comes to mind, should one have had this issue, how many people would actually remember if it was within the last 14 days. Heck, I can't even remember what I ate for breakfast yesterday and what I watched on TV last Sunday.

But the sign is well intended as waterborne disease is no laughing matter. Waterborne disease outbreaks in pools have often been caused by individuals with recent diarrhea; chlorine doesn't always take care of removing the viruses or parasites that can come from those with recent symptoms.

The requirement for this and other community pool signs comes from California Building Code Chapter 31B "Public Pools," Section 3120B "Required Signs."

Section 3120B.11 "Diarrhea" indicates the sign must have letters at least 1 inch high, clearly states what is noted above, and is posted at the entrance area of a public pool. Public pools include municipal/park district pools, hotel pools, water parks, swim schools, homeowner shared pools, apartment pools, campground pools, etc. One is thus not required to post this sign at your home pool (unless you really want to).

CDC ADVICE TO PREVENT INFECTIONS FROM PUBLIC SWIMMING POOLS

According to this source, the diarrhea sign and a variety of other pool signs were put into law in late 2012. Some examples of other public pool sign requirements include:

• "No Diving" sign for pools with maximum depth of 6 feet or less

• "No Lifeguard" sign when applicable

• Emergency sign with 911 and nearest emergency services

• "No use after dark" sign for pools without lighting

• Artificial respiration and CPR sign

• Pool user capacity sign (1 person per 10 sq ft in spa; 1 person per 20 sq ft in pool)

So you've learned something new. If you'd like to read the entire 28 pages of Chapter 31B of the California Building Code, or any of the Code for that matter, visit www.bsc.ca.gov/Codes.aspx.

DOZENS OF VENTURA COUNTY AREAS SWIMMING POOLS AND WATER PLAY PLACES

The Ventura County Portion of State Highway Route 1 is Named "Ventura County Vietnam Veterans Memorial Highway"

California State Route 1 runs along most of the coastline of California and at 656 miles is the longest state route in California. The section of SR 1 between I-5 in Dana Point and the US 101 near Oxnard is designated Pacific Coast Highway.

Sign at the indicating the north end of southbound PCH, where it connects to Las Posas Road.

In 2002, the state assembly voted to designate the section of State Highway Route 1 in Ventura County as the “Ventura County Vietnam Veterans Memorial Highway” in gratitude and appreciation for the sacrifices California Vietnam veterans.

That same bill also designated the portion of State Highway Route 126 between the City of Santa Paula and State Highway Route 101 as the Korean War Veterans Memorial Highway.