Seaside Sensations

Written by Donna McCrohan Rosenthal

You can really get away on a getaway to Ventura, a little over two hours from Bakersfield. Surf and kayak. Relax on the beach. Explore the Channel Islands, “the Galapagos of the United States.” Hit the wine trail. Shop for art, antiques, and collectibles. Dine casually yet eat superbly. Step into the past in a city that, in many respects, feels like a 1950s seaside village.

Ventura began more than 1,500 years ago as a Chumash settlement and takes its name from the Mission San Buenaventura established by Spanish friars in 1782. The ninth and final mission founded by Fr. Junipero Serra, San Buenaventura continues as an active parish, welcoming visitors daily from sunrise to sunset—though the population has spread out somewhat over the centuries.

Noble Pursuits

Culture and the arts enrich every district, from the Rubicon Theatre’s classic and contemporary repertoire and the Ventura Improv Company to the new WAV (Working Artists Ventura) complex, a living/working space for artists and their families. Gordon Kenneth Grant’s murals painted in 1938 grace the post office and the Tortilla Flats Mural Project honors Ventura’s “first neighborhood.” The Saturday Artist Spotlight Series invites the public to interviews of outstanding artists.

The Laurel and Front Street vicinity boasts art galleries and studios, music and shopping. The Westside, along the banks of the Ventura Rivera, offers art, shopping, and the Ventura River Trail. Midtown, distinguished by its Spanish-Mediterranean and Tudor architecture, competes with more galleries and shopping. The East End courts the senses with a college, farms, family-oriented activities, the Ventura Community Park aquatics complex, the 132-acre Arroyo Verde Park, and the Camino Real Park where migrating monarch butterflies fill the air in winter.

The Albinger Archaeological Museum stands next to the Mission, not far from the 1847 Olivas Adobe house, birthplace of Ortega green chiles and host of “Music Under the Stars” on summer Saturday nights. Across the street, the renovated and still expanding Ventura County Museum combines exciting rotating exhibits with the extraordinary Smith Gallery of ¼ life-size, impeccably garbed and detailed George Stuart Historical Figures.

Fig trees, palms, and a Beaux Arts-style City Hall—with columns, arched windows, and a terra cotta facade—set the tone for Downtown, a fusion of galleries, antique stores, and thrift shops that support vital charities. You can treasure-hunt for days and never enter a chain store, finding bric-a-brac, jewelry, furniture, political campaign buttons, pottery, books, CDs, videotapes, record albums, audiotapes, cowboy memorabilia, and Wizard of Oz, I Love Lucy, Lord of the Rings, Star Trek, and Elvis tie-in merchandise. Recent forays uncovered a 1907 first-edition of L. Frank Baum’s Ozma of Oz, Marquis de Lafayette and President Ronald Reagan dolls, and a James Dean bobble-head.

Expect variety everywhere but try not to miss Times Remembered and the Ventura Antique Market for older items; the Attic Trunk for women’s vintage fashions; Trufflehound’s for deluxe chocolates; the library for an impressive ongoing book sale featuring autographed copies; Bank of Books for rare first editions, out-of-print titles, and over one million volumes in the vaults; Things from Heaven for angel-related gifts; and Rocket Fizz for unusual and retro candies, and sodas such as Judge Wapner Root Beer. (The label reads, “I sentence you to drink my root beer.”)

The Pacific Coast beckons within brief walking distance—the beach with its boardwalk, historic pier, and waves to ride; the harbor, a hub for boat rentals, cruises, whale-watching (check out Island Packer Cruises for transportation), a carousel, Spinnaker Seafood Broiler, and the Greek at the Harbor restaurants; and the gateway to the sea caves, sea cliffs, dolphins, seals, sea lions, sea birds, tiny foxes, snorkeling, diving, and camping on the Channel Islands, starting at the Channel Islands Museum on the Harbor.

The five islands of Channel Islands National Park look much as they did when the explorers landed. The Marine Sanctuary is home to more than 2,000 species of plants and animals, 145 unique to the islands. Wildflowers carpet Anacapa Island in March and April. You can get there from the mainland in an hour.

Eat, Drink & Be Sleepy

Ventura County’s emerging wine area links clusters of wine bars, tasting rooms, and wine makers and enjoys an increasingly stellar reputation. Herzog Wine Cellars in Oxnard operates the county’s most extensive winery plus a five-star restaurant on site; other wine makers produce notably smaller quantities, perhaps 80 cases a year (Old Creek Ranch Winery’s wine club has a waiting list). Different wineries open their doors and tasting rooms on different mid-week and weekend days. For example, Herzog closes for the Friday/Saturday Sabbath but opens Sunday-Thursday 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Friday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Some stops on the wine trail, like Old Creek Ranch Winery, sit nestled among berry bushes and orchards on winding roads. Casa Barranca, with vegan and certified organic wine, has a tasting room framed by the colonial arches of the Arcade in Ojai and a separate, more secluded estate retreat. Others have less rural locations. The Wine Yard is on a busy street in Thousand Oaks and Wine Lovers, which couples its impressive menu with, Friday-Saturday 5-11 p.m., free pizza when you buy a drink, lies in the heart of Ventura.

A trip to the country might also include tours and tastings at Ojai Olive Oil, a family-owned business flanked by olive, orange, and avocado groves, open Tuesday through Sunday (though a savvy traveler might want to call in advance).

Motorists can design and drive their own self-guided tours; another option originates at the Ventura Visitors Center, 101 S. California Street in Downtown Ventura, where you can arrange passage on a cozy shuttle bus. For a third possibility, the Oxnard Convention & Visitors Bureau presents Wine, Chocolate & Cheese Tours.

Throughout, quirky eateries happily coexist with sophisticated fine dining. The Anacapa Brewing Company, Ventura’s only restaurant/brewery, or “brewpub,” crafts their own root beer, serves a beer tasting sampler, and has a distinctly eclectic California menu (Pretzel Fried Chicken, Black & Blue Chicken Sandwich). The Sidecar, in a gloriously restored rail car, has won a loyal following thanks to renowned Chef Tim Kilcoyne, signature infused vodkas, and “Grilled Cheese and Jazz Nights” with gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches and live entertainment on Tuesdays year-round.

Ventura more than satisfies the need when the sandman arrives, with accommodations to suit every taste. The Bella Maggiore Inn downtown has a courtyard cafe, Italian provincial ambiance, and reported sightings of Sylvia, their resident ghost. The Victorian Rose B&B retains the stunning high ceilings and stained glass of the building’s former tenant, a church; individual rooms have TVs and gas fireplaces and, communally, guests have free access to the microwave, refrigerator, and snacks all day.

Rooms at the Crowne Plaza, right on the beach, have balconies and ocean views. The Gallery at the Crowne transforms the lobby-level corridors into the largest private gallery in the county. The Crowne Plaza’s Top of the Harbor Ballroom commands almost 300 degrees of spectacular panorama, a worthy bonus to sumptuous buffets on Mother’s Day, Easter, and New Year’s Day.

Special Events

Each month brings added enticement, from the Wine & Food Festival, Ojai Music Festival, Ojai Playwrights Conference, Ventura Music Festival, Harvest ArtWalk, and holiday Channel Island Harbor Parade of Lights to the county fair, the 100-plus vendor rain-or-shine Flea Market and Swapmeets, dog shows, and seaside highland games at the Ventura County Fairgrounds by the beach.

The annual California Strawberry Festival in Oxnard celebrates its 28th season in 2011. The Fillmore & Western Railroad in Fillmore runs elegant excursion trains and packs the calendar with a Pumpkinliner, Christmas Tree Trains, North Pole Express, Day Out with Thomas, dinner trains, barbecue trains, and murder mystery trains.

For further information, contact the Ventura Visitors Center, www.ventura-usa.com/bkmag; 1-800-483-6214.

Article appeared in our 27-5 Issue - December 2010