Do Something! Blog

Oak Park Campground in Simi Valley

2010-07-27T04:32:18Z

Located at 901 Quimisa Drive in Simi Valley, the Oak Park Campground is a rustic 100.5 acre open space park that is surrounded by gentle, rolling hills and an abundance of coastal sage scrub brush. This natural environment supports a multitude of California native wildlife species, such as a raptors, roadrunners, sagebrush lizards, and alligator lizards. The park is ideal for group RV camping in a secluded setting.

It costs $37 per day for the campground and $2 per day ($4 on weekends) for day use. I finally checked this place out after seeing the sign from the 118 freeway so many times. The video shot below was on a Sunday night around 7 p.m. in July 2010. There was for the most part nobody there! What a great opportunity to camp with your kids locally! I guess my only concerns about the location would be that the park is sandwiched between the 118 freeway and the railroad tracks...though I did not encounter any noise issues in my brief drive-by.

The playgrounds and other areas of the park definitely do not look anywhere near "new" like so many recreational parks in Ventura County. But heck, this is a campground. Plenty of things to explore in this 100 acre space! Learn more or make reservations at http://portal.countyofventura.org/portal/page/portal/GSA/parks_department_-_Directory/inland_parks/oak_park or call 805.654.3951.

Paint A Dream in Simi Valley

2010-07-26T16:46:08Z

Paint A Dream is located at the Simi Valley Town Center. This is a large, nicely appointment ceramics/painting studio where you select a piece of pottery of the shelves, paint it and 5 days later pick up your beautiful, glazed work of art! Cost as of 7/10 is $6 plus the price of the pottery, which is worth not having to clean up the mess! Great place for birthday parties, teambuilding, family nights, fundraising and more. Visit www.paintadream.com or call 805.520.9500 for more information.

Paintin' Place Paint-it-Yourself Pottery Studio in Camarillo

2010-07-26T16:40:18Z

Paintin’ Place is a paint-it-yourself pottery studio centrally located in Camarillo on the corner of Daily and Lantana in the Paseo Camarillo Shopping Center. Paseo Camarillo Shopping Center is home to Cronie’s Sports Grill, Bobbi’s Mexican Food, Asakura Sushi, and many more fine eateries. A great destination for date night!! The kids can come and paint and mom & dad can get a bite to eat or see the latest release at the Paseo Camarillo cinema.

We specialize in birthday parties for all ages, group events, team building and custom made gifts. We feature over 200 pieces to paint and over 100 colors to choose from. Our birthday parties are a memorable experience for the kids and a relaxing one for the parents. We do it all!! We offer a great environment to express your creativity or to find it. Paintin’ Place is fully equipped with stamps, stencils, sponges & idea books to bring your creation to life. Figures, banks, boxes, serving ware, and holiday pieces available all year long! Our experienced staff is on hand to assist in any way. Closed on Tuesdays for groups or private events. For more information and current hours please call 805-482-4521 or send us an email to paintinplace@verizon.net. Or visit the Paintin' Place website at www.mypaintnplace.com.

Simi Valley Town Center

2010-07-26T06:38:00Z

The Simi Valley Town Center is a 600,000 square foot open-air shopping, dining and entertainment center in the heart of Simi Valley, off the 118 freeway between First Street and Erringer Road at 1555 Simi Town Center Way. This is just a really nice, newer (opened in Fall 2005) place that is worth the visit.

There are over 100 stores and restaurants, including some of my personal favorites, Corner Bakery, California Pizza Kitchen, Souplantation and Dakota's Steakhouse. Macy's anchors both ends of the mall, allowing men and women to split up for shopping and meet in the middle. I'm not a shopper (I leave that to my wife), but I did notice that there are some pretty cool stores in here, like Z Gallerie, Anthropologie, Urban Outfitters, Apple Store, etc. My wife seemed pleased about the selection of clothing stores, as evidenced by the White House/Black Market, Anne Taylor Loft and Brighton charges on my credit card statement.

Ride the Train at Simi TC! Pic taken 7/25/10.This is also a nice mall for the kids, as there is plenty of room to run around and explore in the open air setting. There is a kids' play area, oak trees, mosaic dragon, koi pond, outdoor fireplace and gardens to explore. There are also train rides available for $2 per child at Center Court. Also a kids club that meets weekly (Kids Club on hiatus as of 5/10).

The Center is open Mon-Sat from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sun from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Visit www.simivalleytc.com or call 805.581.1430 for more information.

Skatelab Museum and Skate Park - Simi Valley

2010-07-26T04:13:09Z

The world's largest and best skateboard museum resides in Simi Valley at Skatelab. There are over 5,000 vintage skateboards, scooters and skateboard memorabilia at this 20,000 square foot facility from the 1960s to present day. The museum is open to the public and is free. You really have to see this in person to get the full effect. This is a downright AMAZING collection! Open 7 days a week. Check www.skatelab.com or call 805.578.0040 for hours.

Read more about the world's largest skateboard collection on display at www.skateboardman.com

Skatelab has a large indoor skate park that your kids will love. It is located at 4226 Valley Fair Street, Simi Valley. Visit www.skatelab.com or call 805.578.0040 for more information. They offer skateboarding classes on Saturdays and Sundays for beginners and novices too!

Paraiso at Dos Vientos Ranch

2010-07-12T03:09:07Z

Paraiso at Dos Vientos Ranch, located at 350 Via Las Brisas, Thousand Oaks (Dos Vientos section of Newbury Park) is an attractive, village-like shopping/gathering area adjacent to the Miller Family YMCA. It has a few retail shops and restaurants, an outdoor playground and a grassy park-like area with a pond/stream. The kids love running around this place.

The popular Mama Rita's Mexican Cantina has indoor/outdoor seating and serves up great food and drinks. There is a dry cleaners, a personal training studio and a few other shops. Paraiso Cleaners (805.376.2400) uses "green" cleaning solutions and the owner is very nice. The clothes are always ready on time and looking good.

This summer 2010, Paraiso TC will see the grand opening of Boney Mountain Coffee Co. next door to Mama Rita's!! This is great news! Visit www.facebook.com/pages/Newbury-Park-CA/Boney-Mountain-Coffee-Co/114357471933690 for more information!

Yay!! The new Paraiso website is up and running as of June 2010!! The new site is www.paraisotowncenter.com!

Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History

2010-07-11T06:05:39Z

I love the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History. This is a very low key museum that makes for a great excursion to Santa Barbara with the kids. The Museum was founded in 1916 and is very quaint and fun to roam around. There are 11 exhibit halls with birds, mammals, insects, ocean life, a planetarium and others. Many of the exhibit are "hands on" with buttons and interactive features that kids particularly enjoy.

Some of the thousands of insects on display at the Cartwright Hall of Plants and InsectsYou and your kids can roam the nature paths and visit the well stocked gift shop, full of educational items. I can vouch for the fascination kids (and adults) have at this Museum. It is a very comfortable museum that rarely (in my experience) is crowded. The "Museum Backyard" area and gardens has a picnic area, stream, "Dino Dig," and other enjoyable features. The pond and stream had tadpoles in our most recent visit that captivated my kids.

There is a stream in the back area The museum is open 7 days a week and is closed certain holidays. Admission is $10 for adults, $7 for seniors and teens and $6 for kids (free for kids under age 3). Or become a Museum member and don't pay for admission. The Museum also offers birthday parties for members (it only costs $75/year for a family membership).

In addition to the permanent exhibits, the Museum features other exhibits of interest. In Fall 2008 the Museum had an exhibit entitled "Giants - African Dinosaurs" that featured life size replicas of African dinosaurs and actual dinosaur bones.

Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History is located at 2559 Puesta del Sol Road, Santa Barbara. More information at www.sbnature.org or 805.682.4711.

Santa Clara River Valley Railroad Historical Society's Railroad Visitor Center in Fillmore

2010-07-05T23:14:16Z

The Santa Clara River Valley Railroad Historical Society was established in 1993 to help preserve and restore the railroad corridor between Montalvo and Saugus. This corridor, known as the Southern Pacific Santa Paula Branch, is a unique and historical local community asset. Make sure to stop by the Railroad Visitor Center, located at 455 Main Street, Fillmore, on weekends between 9am and 1pm and check out historical artifacts, information and photographs, a large model train setup, gift shop, theater and more. We've been here several times and both kids and adults alike are mesmerized by the model train.

More information at www.scrvrhs.com or call 805.524.2254.

Museum of Ventura County in Downtown Ventura

2010-07-04T18:59:36Z

The Ventura County Museum of History and Art (Museum of Ventura County) is the most comprehensive resource for local history in the county. There are exhibitions, galleries, and an extensive research library with over 140,000 books, newspaper clippings, photographs, maps and other historical materials.

The museum is open from 10 to 5, Tuesday through Sunday. General admission is $4, seniors $3, $1 for children 6 to 17, under 6 are free.

Family Time on the 3rd Sunday of every month, 1:00-3:00 p.m.! Free art activities for the whole family.

For more information, visit www.venturamuseum.org or call 805.653.0323.

Museum Hours (as of 7/4/10): 11 a.m. to 6 p.m, Tuesday through Sunday, open until 8 p.m. most First Fridays. Closed most Mondays.

The museum was reopened on July 3, 2010 at 100 E. Main Street, with a spacious new front Plaza with a beautiful mosaic Time Line, a state-of- the- art event pavilion, and a renovated Visitor Center with several new exhibits.

The new (as of 7/3/10) 3,500 river-rock walled, state-of-the-art Martin V. and Martha K. Smith Event Pavilion will be used for lectures, programs and a variety of Museum events. It can seat 200 for dinner, with the option to tent the front plaza for an additional 140 guests. Could be a great wedding venue!!

Camarillo Bird Museum (Western Foundation of Vertebrate Zoology)

2010-06-24T00:07:40Z

The Western Foundation of Vertebrate Zoology (WFVZ) is a charitable institution based in Camarillo at 439 Calle San Pablo.

It hosts a natural history collection specializing in eggs and nests of birds. The collections comprise 200,000 sets of bird eggs representing approximately 4,000 species; 20,000 nests; and 56,000 bird study skins. The Western Foundation of Vertebrate Zoology, a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation, is both a natural history collection specializing in eggs and nests of birds from around the world, and a research and education institution dedicated to bird conservation.

The Foundation's fundamental mission is to obtain, protect, and manage ornithological collections in a manner that ensures their accessibility to researchers, educators, students, and the public, and to ensure that the materials are used in projects that contribute to the conservation of the world's wild bird species.

The 22,000 sq ft WFVZ facility is not open to the public except by prior appointment. Staff of the WFVZ conduct public tours of the large collection of bird eggs, nests, and mounted specimens on the last Friday of every month at 3 p.m. (except May, November, and December). Please call at least one day in advance to get on the waiting list (each tour is for a maximum of 20 people). Our fee for tours is $5 per person (WFVZ members free).

Visit www.wfvz.org for more information or call 805.388.9944.