17 Wonderful Issues to do in Ventura County California With Youngsters…
The place is Ventura County? And what are the very best issues to do in Ventura County California?
We knew nothing about Ventura County earlier than our Southern California highway journey final month, not even the place it was situated.
I had solely ever heard of Ventura Boulevard in just a few music lyrics and that thoroughfare is in LA.
Ventura County, California is about an hour north of LA and 30 minutes south of Santa Barbara. Be sure you go away your pretense and busyness on the freeway out of LA, as a result of it doesn’t belong in Ventura County.
MY LATEST VIDEOSIt’s slower paced and fewer crowded.
I’m glad we learn about Ventura County Ca now and might share with you the numerous superb issues to do in Ventura with youngsters. It’s stuffed with sudden surprises and adventures.
Ventura was the final cease on our household highway journey from San Diego to Ventura, by way of Orange County.
We stopped right here for 3 days to benefit from the coastal dwelling, and one of many fundamental vacationer points of interest in Ventura, the Channel Islands Nationwide Park.
We visited on a paid partnership with Go to California and Ventura County Coast on the Kidifornia Adventures marketing campaign.
Click on right here for extra concepts on your California household journey adventures.
17 Issues to do in Ventura County California
Ventura Harbor Village
Ventura Harbor Village is situated on a small strip of land in the midst of the seaside and the harbor.
The seaside, Surfers knoll, has a well-liked surf break on the Santa Clara River Mouth, and the harbor is likely one of the largest harbors in North America for offloading squid.
It’s a working harbor and fishing marina which additionally has outlets, galleries, eating places and waterfront actions.
Simply wandering round this harbor will elevate your happiness with the bougainvillea laden paths, the sensible blue water stuffed with crusing ships, and the gorgeous Topatopa mountains within the background.
Their magnetic energy stored pulling my eyes again to gaze in marvel.
Within the moments between gazing, there are these enjoyable issues to do in Ventura Village Harbor.
2. Absorb Harbor life on a Pedal Boat Journey
We have been a little bit cautious to take out the pedal boats.
Not as a result of we didn’t suppose it might be a enjoyable strategy to discover the harbor, however as a result of the final couple of instances we’ve taken out pedal boats they’ve been an excruciating exercise.
We swore we’d by no means take out one other pedal boat once more.
However, we couldn’t resist the lure of sea lions resting on the wharves and swimming within the waters.
Fortunately, these pedal boats have been very easy to hawk! We had a enjoyable half hour journey peddling between the younger youngsters crusing and the ocean lions resting on the wharves.
One sea lion had taken over the again of somebody’s parked boat for a little bit sunning, the opposite was resting out on a jetty.
You’ll be able to lease the pedal boats from Ventura Boat Leases. In addition they supply harbor excursions, kayaks, arise paddle boards, electrical boats and jet skis!
three. Take pleasure in a Seafood Lunch with a View at Brophy Bros Restaurant
You’ll be able to’t beat the views from this second story restaurant on Ventura Harbor. Goal for a desk on the enclosed patio.
At Brophy Bros you’ll discover any form of seafood dish that you just like. We went for some native pan blackened Cajun sea bass and Mahi Mahi with a mango and papaya relish.
A steamed mussels in broth starter was the proper accompaniment to the gorgeous views. These mountains!!
Friday nights are the favored time for locals to come back sit on the full size bar dealing with the marina to eat oysters and luxuriate in completely happy hour drink costs.
Learn extra opinions on TripAdvisor
four. Deal with your self with fish cone at Coastal Cone Ice Cream
Have you ever ever had Taiyaki ice cream cone earlier than? Have you ever ever heard of it?
Taiyaki is a well-liked road meals present in Korea, Japan, San Francisco, LA an New York. Coastal Cone is the one place between LA and San Fran to supply Taiyaki Fish Cones.
It’s a fish formed cake turned waffle, which is crunchy on the skin and gentle on the within like a dessert pancake, making ice lotions further scrumptious.
Now to select from the 46 ice cream flavors for an excellent pairing.
We ate a whole lot of ice cream on our Southern California Highway journey. No marvel the women cherished the Kidifornia journey a lot.
5. Sea Cave Kayak Journey at Channel Islands Nationwide Park
A particular spotlight of our household highway journey to Ventura California was our day journey to the Channel Islands Nationwide Park, which is about an 80 minute ferry trip from Ventura Harbor.
It’s America’s least visited Nationwide Park and is stuffed with pure magnificence, wildlife and loads of journey.
The Channel Islands Nationwide Park is made up of 5 separate islands: San Miguel, Santa Rosa, Santa Cruz, Anacapa, and Santa Barbara.
You’ll be able to go to any of the islands by boat with Island Packers, by airplane with Channel Islands Aviation, or your individual non-public boat.
The boat journey over is simply as spectacular because the Channel Islands. The percentages are excessive that you just’ll see sea lions, dolphins and even whales.
We loved a sea cave kayak journey tour with Santa Barbara Journey Firm on Santa Cruz Island.
We spent shut to 3 hours paddling via the varied sea caves corresponding to Elephant Stomach, In and Out, and the Painted Cave.
We realized lots in regards to the islands, noticed loads of nesting birds and even had a sea lion pop up subsequent to us out of the kelp forest.
Talking of which, we snorkeled via the kelp forest as soon as we completed our kayaking tour. It was a particular expertise which warranted a complete publish on our web site by itself.
You’ll be able to click on right here to learn extra about our superb go to to the Channel Islands Nationwide Park with youngsters.
It’s undoubtedly among the finest issues to do in Ventura California with youngsters.
6. Go Classic at Village Carousel and Arcade
One in all my earliest journey recollections was again after I was about eight on a household trip by the seaside. Within the resort there was a small video games room that had Pac Man.
My brother and sister and I spent hours every day enjoying and competing towards our new Indian mates.
It was unimaginable how a lot we bonded over that sport. We have been so unhappy once we needed to go away one another on the finish of our trip.
Now that I journey with my youngsters, I do my finest to steer them to adventures within the Nice Outside, frowning over staying inside to play video games.
Nonetheless, every time they stress me to play arcade video games, I do not forget that trip and the way a lot pleasure it gave me to do the identical.
So I relent, with a while restrictions. We all the time find yourself having a enjoyable time.
We popped into the Carousel and Arcade Video games in Ventura Harbor Village for just a few video games of basketball toss and automotive races, accumulating just a few tickets to commerce in for prizes as we went.
It’s classic enjoyable in Ventura!
Do you will have candy childhood recollections of arcade sport enjoyable as properly?
7. Discover Downtown Ventura
Downtown Ventura is ideal for a relaxed afternoon of buying (window or not) and absorbing the Ventura vibe.
Primary road is a number of blocks lengthy and stuffed with boutique shops, vintage outlets, cafes, eating places, artwork galleries, leisure areas, and a big assortment of second-hand shops.
Downtown Ventura is attractive and funky! We immediately appreciated it once we drove into city.
Amongst the buying and consuming, you should definitely cease and marvel on the stunning Ventura Metropolis Corridor and the mission (see level 7).
For all you journey addicts, don’t stroll previous Passport Habits.
It’s a retailer created for vacationers by a traveler. The proprietor has lived and traveled all around the world and continues at hand pack gadgets from her adventures for her retailer.
I cherished it and will have purchased considered one of the whole lot.
I settled for a bunch of crystals for myself, Craig and the women. I might really feel the vitality off them and knew they have been the actual deal.
You’ll additionally discover jewellery from Bali, colourful Moroccan and Turkey carpets, baggage and all types of journey associated knick knacks. Get misplaced in there for some time.
For the lads, Iron & Resin was a retailer with swagger. They’ve a small, hand constructed assortment of products that pulls closely upon the founder’s personal existence and experiences.
They’re centered on native sustainability: crafting garments within the US, decreasing their footprint on the planet, and making garments that final! I like them.
We additionally handed by a few cool wanting breweries and wine tasting rooms.
You could have loads of decisions for locations to eat and play in Downtown Ventura.
The excellent news is they’re all located on the primary road and in straightforward strolling distance from one another (and the Ventura Pier and Crowne Plaza Resort).
eight. San Buenaventura Mission
San Buenaventura Mission was created in 1749 with the intention of changing the native Chumash individuals into the Spanish way of life and Catholic faith.
It’s had a turbulent previous of earthquakes, fires and pirates, but remains to be a working church immediately for Catholics and non-Catholics.
The Mission is opened to the general public to discover. It’s solely small so that you received’t want a whole lot of time.
We arrived proper close to closing so had a couple of minutes to stroll around the serene mission gardens. It’s an exquisite spot to get away and ponder what ever you need to mirror on.
Visiting San Buenaventura Mission prices $four for adults, $1 for youths, and $10 for a household of 4.
9. Play at Ventura Pier and Promenade
We didn’t get to spend a lot time exploring Ventura Seashore and Ventura Pier. The pier is on the backside of Downton Ventura and is the eighth longest in California and a favourite for fisherman.
On each side of the pier is the favored San Buenaventura State Seashore.
There’s a sand playground at its base with youngsters’ swings and the boardwalk alongside the seaside is nice for walkers, skaters, bikers, you title it.
We heard the tacos on the pier are yummy and low-cost!
There’s a nice browsing break simply to the north of the pier as properly at Surfers Level Seashore. It’s situated subsequent to the Seaside Park on the mouth of Ventura River.
I loved watching the surfers of a morning from our balcony on the Crowne Plaza Resort. The waves have been persistently good day-after-day.
I additionally cherished the views sitting across the hearth pit out the entrance of the Crowne Plaza and searching in direction of the Channel Islands.
It was very serene and felt lots like I used to be in Hawaii.
Spencer Makenzie’s Fish additionally got here extremely really useful to us by the locals as among the finest locations in California for fish tacos. Let me know!
10. Take pleasure in a Seafood Dinner at Lure Fish Home
Locals’ favourite, the Lure Fish Home, is a chic (and fairly priced) seafood restaurant in Downtown Ventura.
It has a relaxed and pleasant ambiance and feels just like the form of place the place everybody will know your title.
You’ll be able to sit on the cubicles inside, the patio deck outdoors, or should you don’t need to look forward to a desk, seize an empty seat on the bar or excessive tops.
Lure is likely one of the hottest locations to eat in Ventura and might get very busy so that you may need to reserve a desk.
Don’t fear about dressing up although, you’re in Ventura, come as you’re!
The menu at Lure Fish Home options contemporary and sustainable seafood regionally caught, organically grown native produce, and wines from native vineyards each time potential.
We each ordered the native wild Pacific Rockfish with native brussel sprouts and almond pesto cauliflower #delish
Learn extra opinions on TripAdvisor
11. Be Waffle Wowed at Harvest Café
Wow!
We found Harvest Cafe as we have been leaving Ventura and have been searching for a fast breakfast spot. It was the proper finish to our time in Ventura.
Harvest Café guarantees to be a real farm-to-table restaurant, serving solely the freshest produce, arriving every day from farms within the Ventura space.
All of their components are natural, and grown as near our location as potential. How will you not assist such a socially accountable native firm who cares about your well being and scrumptious meals?
Waffles are not often on my agenda so I couldn’t resist ordering a serve of the gluten free vegan buckwheat waffles topped with berries and cashew nut cream and maple syrup.
The mixture of flavors have been excellent.
I don’t have a candy tooth so don’t order pancakes a lot, however this had simply sufficient sweetness to be scrumptious with out making me really feel in poor health, and mixed with the berries, and the cashew nut cream, it was whole heaven.
I might eat them day-after-day.
The espresso was fairly good too and I used to be delighted with the wholesome breakfast choices for youths.
Significantly. Don’t miss Harvest Café if you find yourself in California! They even have video games the youngsters can play even whilst you eat your breakfast.
12. Sundown Dinner – La Cosecha Fashionable Cochina
After our Channel Islands journey, we determined to return to our resort in Ventura and eat dinner on the restaurant so we might loosen up across the hearth pit with views of the islands we had simply sailed again from.
I’m all the time a little bit cautious consuming at resort eating places as they are often so hit or miss.
However we have been simply able to loosen up. I overlook that we have been in California so in fact the meals was going to be good.
We didn’t have one dangerous meals expertise in Southern California.
In truth, considered one of our favourite meals experiences on our Southern California highway journey was the Pacific Hideaway restaurant contained in the Kimpton Shorebreak Resort.
La Cosecha proved to be a successful selection for our last meal in California and possibly our final nice Mexican meal we’ll have for awhile.
You simply can’t discover nice Mexican in Raleigh such as you do in SoCal.
La Coscha has award successful innovate Mexican dishes created from components that honor the native agriculture in addition to sustainably sources seafood.
We ordered Chile Relleno for me and extra shrimp tacos for Craig.
It was an exquisite house to observe the sundown and loosen up across the hearth chatting with different individuals staying within the resort.
And the women have been completely happy as they might run round safely on the seaside promenade in entrance of us.
Learn extra opinions on TripAdvisor
Oxnard California
Oxnard Ca is about 10 minutes south of Ventura Ca.
It’s very related in that it affords the identical lively seaside life-style and its personal harbor, the Channel Islands Harbor, the place you’ll discover eating places, water experiences, and the Sunday Farmers Market.
13. Take pleasure in breakfast at Contemporary & Fabulous Café
Searching for a scrumptious native breakfast to provide the vitality on your day exploring Oxnard?
Contemporary & Fabulous is a household owned café since 2006. They make their meals from scratch utilizing high-quality components and conventional strategies – similar to grandma used to make them!
The service was simply as contemporary and fabulous because the meals.
The market veggie omelet with a aspect of hash browns was big and really tasty!
Learn extra views on TripAdvisor
14. Gradual Down on a Gondola Journey
Time for a little bit Venetian taste in your Ventura County trip. And why not?
The Channel Islands Harbor in Oxnard is the proper place for a gondola trip. Not like Venice, Italy, you’ll principally have the canals to your self, which makes this gondola trip expertise much more particular.
As our information, and proprietor of Gondola Paradiso, Mark Education defined to us,
“we stay quick paced lives, one thing our our bodies (and spirit) aren’t truly wired to do. It’s important for our well being that we take the time to decelerate and don’t a lot else however sit in a gondola and transfer on the tempo of a human paddle stroke. “
I felt that return to myself solely just some strokes in.
Aside from our conversations, all I might hear was the mild lapping of the paddle, and the one different motion we have been witness to was the group of youngsters paddling by on their arise paddle boards.
Their music broke the serenity a little bit, however their laughter solely added to the enjoyment of experiencing native dwelling.
The gondola trip is a loop across the canals of Coral Island the place you get to see the attractive mansions on the water. In Oxnard, California they run low-cost at a mean of about 2 million.
Mark has the whole lot arrange for a snug gondola trip; heat blankets to offset any cool breeze. And that’s all you want on your gondola trip.
There was additionally loads of house for us to take a seat and loosen up. You’re greater than welcome to carry your individual meals and drinks as properly.
Now we have penciled in a sundown gondola trip with wine and cheese for our subsequent go to to Ventura County. Don’t overlook yours!
And bear in mind the gondola rule for passing below bridges – you need to kiss your associate. Pucker up, you’ve two of them forward.
This was considered one of our favourite issues to do in Oxnard California.
15. Bond Over a Household Recreation of Foot Golf
I had by no means heard of Foot Golf till it landed on our Ventura itinerary.
Off we went on our first afternoon to the native River Ridge Golf Membership to excellent our soccer golf expertise.
What a enjoyable household journey it was!
I extremely suggest foot golf as among the finest issues to do in Ventura with youngsters. Truly, exit this weekend in your hometown and play it.
It’s an effective way to get the youngsters outdoors in nature practising expertise, transferring their our bodies and making recollections.
We performed 9 holes which was sufficient. I believe 18 holes with younger youngsters is an excessive amount of.
Savannah was fairly exhausted after it as a result of she ran nearly the whole time. Some holes took her 22 kicks to get it in!! We cherished her type and perseverance to only run and dribble.
So what’s foot golf?
It’s the place you kick a soccer ball into a big golf gap on the golf course. The fairways are a lot smaller than your typical golf ones.
Apart from that the sport idea is just about the identical.
You do share the course with golfers so you should definitely watch for his or her flying balls and don’t get in the way in which of their shot.
16. The Annex at The Assortment at Riverpark, Oxnard
The Annex is a culinary centered, group minded market.
It’s the primary Meals Corridor in Ventura County and has a set of eateries and outlets round a central widespread consuming space.
The Annex is a set of worldwide delicacies starting from burgers, Mexican, Italian, crepes, Vietnamese, Hawaiian Poke and Latin American Ceviche bowls, and even wholesome smoothies.
And maybe a little bit of the unhealthy: ice cream that had a line wrapped across the annex, and a small bar (Bottle & Pint) showcasing craft beer from all over the world.
My pineapple cider with my bowl of steaming Vietnamese pho (from Love Pho) was a winner!
When you will have completed you’ll be able to wander round The Assortment, which is an out of doors mall with loads of main retailers and smaller boutique shops.
The place to Keep in Ventura California
17. Crowne Plaza Resort
We stayed on the Crowne Plaza Ventura Seashore Resort. As one of many Ventura Seashore inns, it has prime beachfront location and among the rooms have ocean views.
As talked about I cherished sitting on my balcony of a morning watching the surfers.
The rooms, though a little bit small, have been fashionable, clear and comfy. The health heart was properly stocked with the whole lot that you must keep your exercise.
For individuals who need to loosen up across the resort, the Crowne Plaza has a pool dealing with the seaside. And we cherished the firepit to take a seat round at night time.
It was stress-free, heat and fairly social. And you may simply stroll into downtown from the Crowne Plaza.
Learn extra opinions and e-book your keep on the Crowne Plaza right here.
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