Blue Star Museums Program Free Admission to Active Duty Military at 1,800+ Museums

Blue Star Museums is a collaboration among the National Endowment for the Arts, Blue Star Families, the Department of Defense, and more than 1,800 museums across America to offer free admission to all active duty military personnel and their families from Memorial Day, May 27, through Labor Day, September 2, 2013.

Free admission is available to any bearer of a Geneva Convention common access card (CAC), a DD Form 1173 ID card, or a DD Form 1173-1 ID card, which includes active duty U.S. military  - Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, as well as members of the National Guard and Reserve, U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, NOAA Commissioned Corps - and up to five family members.

Local area museums in Ventura County, Santa Barbara and nearby areas that are participating in the Blue Star Museums program include:

• Leonis Adobe Museum in Calabasas
• Carnegie Art Museum in Oxnard
• Channel Islands Maritime Museum
• Santa Barbara Botanic Garden
• Santa Barbara Museum of Art
• Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History
• Museum of Ventura County's Agriculture Museum in Santa Paula
• Strathearn Historical Park and Museum in Simi Valley
• Museum of Ventura County in Ventura

For a complete list of museums participating in the Blue Star Museums program, visit www.nea.gov/national/bluestarmuseums.

Bank of America Offers Free Admission to Over 150 Museums Nationwide in 2013

If you are a Bank of America or Merrill Lynch customer, your bank credit or debit card and photo ID will gain you one free admission to over 150 museums across the country on the first full weekend of each month during 2013. Visit the "Museums on Us" program website at museums.bankofamerica.com for details.

Upcoming dates (updated April 2013; past dates removed): May 4-5, June 1-2, July 6-7, August 3-4, September 7-8, October 5-6, November 2-3 and December 7-8.

And while there are no Ventura County museums on the list, there are a number of other choices within driving range in Los Angeles:

• Autry National Center of the American West
• Hammer Museum
• LACMA
• Skirball Cultural Center

Some other notable museums on the list are the Discovery Science Center in Orange County (Saturdays only), Birch Aquarium in San Diego and Laguna Art Museum.

Five Notable Historical Sites and Places to See in and Around Ventura County

In the mid 1850s, the area that we call Ventura County was the southern part of Santa Barbara County.  By 1873, Ventura County officially split off from Santa Barbara County and by the turn of the century the cities of San Buenaventura (or Ventura as we know it), Port Hueneme, Santa Paula, Nordhoff (now Ojai), Simi, Somis, Moorpark and Oxnard came on board. Camarillo and Thousand Oaks were late bloomers, incorporating in 1964.

There are hundreds of historical things to see around Ventura County, dozens of which are covered here on Conejo Valley Guide. Let's take a look at 5 neat places to see Ventura County history to additional information.

Strathearn Historical Park and Museum in Simi Valley has a notable collection of structures and artifacts from Simi's early days. The park is jointly operated by the Rancho Simi Recreation and Park District and Simi Valley Historical Society. 1 to 1 1/2 hour docent-led tours of the buildings, a museum and much to see.

The Museum of Ventura County opened its Agriculture Museum in Santa Paula in September 2011. The museum is housed in the historic 18

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The Mullin Automotive Museum in Oxnard is a Ventura County Crown Jewel

Opened in the Spring of 2010, the 46,000 square foot Mullin Automotive Museum in Downtown Oxnard is a spectacular museum.

Open only a few days a month to the general public, this is one museum that is a MUST SEE for anyone, not just automotive buffs. The autos, made by Bugatti, Voisin, Delahaye, Delage, Talbot-Labo, Hispano-Suiza, Renault, Peugeot and a few others, are works of art from another era, when autos were more than transportation. In addition to the autos, there are representive furnishings and works of art from the era on display.

Don't hesitate! Visit www.mullinautomotivemuseum.com and reserve a visit. The photos and video footage below are great but don't come anywhere close to a visit in person!

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Gull Wings Children's Museum Unveils Colorful Piece by Local Artist Chuck Trunks

The Gull Wings Children's Museum, located at 418 W. Fourth Street in Downtown Oxnard, is the only museum in Ventura County geared solely towards kids. Gull Wings recently commissioned Camarillo artist Chuck Trunks to create art that reflects the education and creativity spawned by the interactive exhibits within the museum. Trunks presented this colorful piece that is now prominently displayed on the walls of the museum.

You can proudly wear it on shirts and other items by visiting Trunks' online store at www.printfection.com/attractiveabstracts/Gull-Wings/_s_529645. A portion of proceeds will be donated to Gull Wings! Read more on Trunks' blog at chucktrunks.blogspot.com.

Chuck Trunks in Gull Wings Gift Shop (Photo Credit: Claudia Pardo)If you've never taken your young kids to Gull Wings, do it! Gull Wings is a very low key, interactive place where within the span of an hour they can dress like firefighters, explore a space shuttle, play around in a car, build LEGOs, role play in a kitchen, touch sea stars, learn about the human body, see lizards and snakes and the list goes on. My sons brought a 1st grader friend last weekend and he had a BLAST! Learn more at www.gullwings.org.

The World's Most Valuable Car, the 1936 Bugatti Type 57SC Atlantic, on Display Again at The Mullin Automotive Museum in Oxnard

The world's most valuable car, the 1936 Bugatti Type 57SC Atlantic, is on display again at The Mullin Automotive Museum in Oxnard. The 57SC Atlantic is on loan to the museum from its unnamed owner, who purchased the car for somewhere in the range of $30 to $40 million in 2010. There is some interesting information about the 57SC Atlantic at www.supercars.net/cars/2705.html. The Mullin Automotive Museum is a "must see" activity for anyone in the area. The cars in the museum are historic works of art and you can see them in person right here in Ventura County. Trust me, you won't regret it.

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Dinosaurs and Butterflies at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History this Summer

Take your kids to the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History through mid-September for two great, interactive exhibits in addition to all the other great things to see and experience.

DinoMania! is an engaging display of a robotic, life-size T. rex and triceratops (see video footage below), interactive learning stations (including video games where you pretend to be a dinosaur) and the centerpiece, SAMSON. SAMSON is one of the most complete T. rex specimens ever recovered, including 170 fossilized bones, around 56% of the full skeleton.

We've been to the outstanding, permanent dinosaur exhibit at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County. This one is different as it is more geared towards kids with its highly interactive nature. My young boys were very engaged at the DinoMania! exhibit...in fact, it was hard pulling them away.

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The Leonis Adobe Museum Introduces the "Passport 2 History" Program

The Leonis Adobe Museum introduces the “Passport 2 History” program. This program unites over 50 historical and cultural venues in Southern California, introducing visitors to historical places, artifacts and stories in the southland.

The program also encourages patrons to explore and build on the connection between each location. Throughout their journey, passport holders may be entitled to special benefits and gifts at each location and gain the greatest prize of all – a deeper love and understanding of our past and the rich history of Southern California.

Visitors will be issued a passport at the Leonis Adobe Museum. The passport features a page for every participating location. Passport holders are invited to then visit as many locations as possible to have their passport stamped. Visitors who collect half of their history stamps will return to the Leonis Adobe to receive a voucher redeemable at a local business. A special prize will be awarded to those who receive passport stamps at participating locations.

Passport 2 History was launched in February 2012 and it will continue to evolve. To learn more, visit www.passport2history.com.

We love the Leonis Adobe and encourage all of you to visit this local Calabasas based treasure chest of history! Here's one of our friends who resides at the Leonis Adobe.

Five Very Interesting Museums in Oxnard and Camarillo

There are over 40 museums listed on Conejo Valley Guide and each and every one of them has interesting features. Here are some highlights from a handful of these museums located in the Oxnard / Camarillo area.

The Mullin Auto Museum recently opened in Spring 2010. Located near Downtown Oxnard in an industrial park, Mullin is a nearly 47,000 square foot unbelievably pristine facility with over 50 French art deco cars frm the 1930s and 1940s. Mullin is open to the public only once or twice a month and you have to check it out. It has the most beautiful cars I've ever seen!

The Western Foundation of Vertebrate Zoology, aka the Camarillo Bird Museum, is a 22,000 square foot facility in a Camarillo industrial park that contains one of the largest collections of birds, bird eggs and bird nest in the entire world. It is open to the public only 9 times a year.  You will truly be amazed at what you see.

There is a vintage 1950 Woolworth building in Downtown Oxnard t

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The New Dinosaur Hall at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County

On July 16th, the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County premiered the all-new, 14,000 sq ft  Dinosaur Hall. It rivals the world’s leading dinosaur halls for the number of individual fossils displayed, the size and spectacular character of the major mounts, including the world’s only Tyrannosaurus rex growth series, and the way that paleontology comes alive!

We visited this past weekend and it were impressed! There are over 300 fossils and 20 complete mounts of dinosaurs on display. Since this permanent exhibit is so new and popular, you will need to reserve a time slot. We stopped by on Sunday around 3:45 p.m. and the 4:15 p.m. time slot was available. After walking around the museum, we stood in line only about 10 minutes and were soon in.

This is a must-see. If you have young kids, another highlight of the Museum is Insect Hall. While you're down there, stop by the California ScienCenter next door!

Regional Art Museum Proposed for Thousand Oaks Seeks Charter Members

The Regional Art Museum (RAM) is a proposed 30,000 sq ft multi-level art museum to house a permanent collection of visual art and worldwide traveling exhibitions. Other goals of RAM include recognizing and highlighting local artists and offering outreach programs to local schools and organizations. The RAM will be located adjacent to the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza as approved by the Thousand Oaks City Council in June 2010.

The RAM is seeking public support and participation. Become a Charter Member of this non-profit 501(c)(3)  tax-exempt organization and help bring the RAM to fruition! To learn more, visit www.regionalartmuseum.org. Membership application at www.regionalartmuse​um.org/pdfs/ram-brochure-a​pp.pdf

The Ventura County Maritime Museum is More Than Doubling its Size in 2011!

The Ventura County Maritime Museum is currently located at Fisherman’s Wharf, on the corner of Channel Islands Boulevard and Victoria Avenue in Oxnard.  The Museum was opened in 1991 and will celebrate its twentieth anniversary in February.  The permanent collection includes an unbelievable array of fine maritime art, a large number of exquisitely detailed model ships, and other marine artifacts.  The Museum is open seven days a week from 11 to 5 and has always offered free admission.  The Museum is staffed by one full time employee and 4 part time employees, and this small staff is adequate only because of the over 80 active volunteers.

Because of impending redevelopment and the desire for a larger facility, the Museum is moving from its present 5,000 sq ft location to a larger 12,000 sq ft facility on the west side of the harbor.  The Museum has purchased the rights to a building, the old Port Royal restaurant, and has entered into a long term lease with the County.  Our selected architectural firm, Lauterbach and Associates, has completed the

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