Afternoon all!
I will be going to a conference next week in Ventura, CA. Since i’ve never really been to Southern California (well, went to a conference in Anaheim 5 years ago but that doesn’t count!) and this time i’ll have a car, i was wondering if anyone had any recommendations about places i should see.
I should say - i’m NOT really interested in the Hollywood aspects of SoCal so Beverly Hills and such is of very little interest to me. 
Anything i shouldn’t miss?
-hh
I would definitely check out the Getty Museum.
What are you interested in, hh? and about how long will you have available to you?
I moved to Colorado Springs in Dec., but I’ve lived my WHOLE life in Ventura County.
There are a lot of beaches (nice, quiet ones or touristy ones). If you have a whole day, you can go wine tasting in Santa Barbara County (about 30-40 minutes away from Ventura). You can also visit Solvang, a Danish village about 90 minutes from Ventura. There are a few missions in the area (San BuenaVentura, Santa Barbara, Santa Ynez) that are well worth visiting.
Basically, just let me know what you are interested in and I’m sure DH and I can think of something fun.
Ooh, i love this forum!!
sfavereau,
I was so glad to see a “local” who knew the area respond. :cheering:
I’m going to be right down by Ventura Pier and i have one full day off as well as about 3-4 hours each afternoon i’m there. So i’m kinda thinking of places near by or somewhere of interest on my way back to LAX on my last day (full day off).
The idea of going wine-tasting sounds wonderful! I thought perhaps that was a more NoCal kind of thing - cool!.. Museums, missions and beaches are ALL wonderful suggestions. I love anything historical and i LOVE beautiful, serene places in nature.
I think the conference is planning one afternoon to go out whale-watching or to the Channel Islands which sounds great (i’m a biologist so anything creature-oriented is a plus!) And of course yarn stores are always of interest.
I’m actually getting really excited about this conference!
-hh
The best antique shopping I ever did was in Ventura!
Oh I hope you do get to go whale watching or that you get to see the elephant seals! If you had a couple extra days off then going to San Simeon to see them on the beach would perfect for you. They are awesome to see in person.
I’ve been to and through Ventura more times than I can count, but not having lived there I’m not sure of what all is there.
Solvangis about 75 miles north and is fun for a few hours. San Simeon with the elephant seals and Hearst Castle is about 170 miles north or 3 hrs so unfortunately they are probably too far for you unless you had an extra day or two. Maybe next trip. I’m only bringing all this up so that you can file them for another trip. I hope you have a wonderful time in CA!
Man, now I’m getting homesick… 
Check this out for Santa Barbara Wine Country tasting. I’ve been to Napa and Sonoma and yes, it’s true that they have a lot more wineries and wine tasting rooms, but you can definitely make an afternoon out of Santa Barbara.
Historic Downtown Ventura is really fun and really, really close to the Ventura Pier. From downtown, you can walk to the San Buenaventura Mission and I believe there is also a museum on the same street.
Santa Barbara has a good little museum that I loved going to, as well as a zoo.
Serene might be a little hard to do in Southern CA (which is why we moved to CO), but there is a really nice beach that nearly no one goes to. It’s a great beach to do some serious beachcombing without running into a single soul for a couple miles. There is a power plant nearby and it’s an eye sore, but it’s still one of the few “solitude” beaches left in the area. This is a link to google maps showing you how to get there from about where you’ll be for the conference. You just go all the way to the end of Arnold Road and park next to the chain link fence for the military base (don’t worry, you ARE allowed to be on the beach, provided you stay on the right side of the fence) This beach is NOT groomed or in any way cleaned, so it may have trash that washed up during the last storm, but it’s still a WONDERFUL experience. It’s one of the things that I truly miss about Ventura County.
Hope that helps a little… I’ll talk to my DH and see if he has any more suggestions. He lived in Ventura County for a 4 years with me, so he has a good idea of things to do too!
Oh I almost forgot… Did you know the movie Sideways was filmed in Santa Barbara County? You can even do the Sideways wine tasting tour. I never did it its entirety, but my one of my friends did it with her relatives visiting from Cincinnati. They LOVED it!
sfavereau,
you are an absolute [size=6]STAR!! [/size] Thank you so much for all the information you gave. The isolated beach sounds fabulous!! And i think i might just head to Santa Barbara to spend some time there.
I’ve never really been to Cal and would have been somewhat lost about what to do without your help!
Thanks a million!! I’d send you a post card, but you know what it looks like!! LOL!
hugs
-hh
Glad I could be of some help! 
Let me know how it goes! I hope the weather is really nice for you. It usually is this time of year.
I’m all excited!! Yea!!
:cheering: :cheering:
-hh
I leave tomorrow - looks like it’s going to be sunny… 
Can’t wait… gleeee
But i’m not drinking any Merlot!!
-hh