Is Ventura a Good Choice for Us?

I%26#39;m hoping I can get some help on this forum.

My daughter (11) and I are flying into LAX and taking some kids to camp in Santa Barbara. They%26#39;ll be staying up there the entire week.

I wanted to get a room up in Santa Barbara but the room prices were a lot more than I wanted to spend. So, I%26#39;m seriously considering a hotel (Marriott?) in Ventura. I won%26#39;t have to drive up there at all during the week...just to get him at the end of the week.

I%26#39;ve never been to Ventura. Is it a safe place to be for us? What types of daily activities would you recommend. We will have a car and love to shop, swim, sightsee, horseback ride and just have fun. Nightlife isn%26#39;t a priority...but we do like going out to eat.

If anyone has any suggestions or input, I%26#39;d love to hear it!

Is Ventura a Good Choice for Us?

You will enjoy your stay at Ventura, and it is a safe place.

There is plenty of shopping - approx 15 minutes south is the Camarillo Premium Outlet stores. Ventura and Santa Barbara have shopping malls with Macy%26#39;s, etc. There is also specialty stores at Seaport Village. A must stop there is Andria%26#39;s restaurant for fish.

There are 40 minute boat cruises around the harbor.

At the end of Spinnaker Driver and the Seaport Village is the Channel Islands Museum, and with a 25 minute film describing the offshore islands. There is also a boat trip, Island Packers, from the same Seaport Village dock that does day trips - landing and non-landing. Check out Channel Islands National Park website. There is a 40 minute boat cruise around the harbor, with an humorous captain, to show you some beautiful home and description of the area.

Swimming - Ventura%26#39;s coast is nearly all beach, and many state beaches/parks. All along the coast are beaches, maybe you can ask at the hotel for their favorite.

August 1 -12 is the County Fair in Ventura, if that is in your time frame. You can also check out the missions at Ventura or Santa Barbara.

A drive to Ojai is a small artists colony, and interesting. I think you will find horseback riding in the Santa Barbara area. Also Santa Barbara has a nice beach, pier, and usually many artists lined up on Sunday.

I%26#39;m sure there are others with more ideas, plus additional information you will pick up along the way, to more than fill your time in Ventura. Enjoy.

Is Ventura a Good Choice for Us?

Ventura is very safe and family oriented. The beaches are nice, you can rent bikes and roller blades if you like. You are less than a 1/2 hour away from Santa Barbara so you can easily drive up there for a day of activities if you wish.

You have a lot of selection on shopping. The Camarillo Outlets are some of the best in the area. There is also a center in Ventura that has a Nordstroms Rack, Old Navy, etc.. Old town Ventura has some cute local stores as well.

Santa Paula, Carpenteria and Santa Barbara will have more place to go on horseback rides although there are tons of stables throughout Ventura county.

Ojai is a cute artist town to walk around and there are a lot of hikes to go on in the area.

Ventura and the surrounding areas have wonderful weekly farmer%26#39;s markets.

A day trip to the Channel Island is a must if you enjoy nature.

There is a miniature golf course in town as well (golf n stuff).

Outside of Ojai - a 15 minute drive from your hotel at Lake Casitas is a small water park. It has a lazy river that my kids can float around all day. There is also a small water playground that my older kids are too big for but they don%26#39;t care as they love the lazy river. There is also an aquatic center in Ventura with a copy of slides and an Olympic size pool - all outdoors.

You can drive down the coast to Malibu and Santa Monica if you want - it is about an hour or so. The Reagan Library in Simi Valley is about a 40 minute drive.

There are plenty of restaurants to choose from in Ventura and the area. Many of the chains as well as a lot of local places. Eric Ericsons on the Ventura Pier is a lot of fun. Great atmosphere, so-so service but good food.

Have a great week.

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