Joy Lab Ceramics is located at 1625 E. Thousand Oaks Blvd, Suite G, in Thousand Oaks, near Butler's Pizza and Ubatuba Acai. Joy Lab is a pottery studio that offers classes and workshops for all levels - beginners to pottery wheel experts. Or purchase a studio membership for regular access to the studio. A great opportunity to try something creative and new! Learn more about Joy Lab at www.linajoy.com.
The 1,530' elevation Angel Vista Peak in Newbury Park may well have the most spectacular views of the Conejo Valley. You can see the entire Conejo Valley, stretching from the Conejo Grade to central Thousand Oaks, Agoura Hills, Hidden Valley, Boney Mountain and beyond!
Angel Vista can most easily be accessed via the Rosewood Trail at the southern terminus of Regal Oak Ct, off of Lynn Road). The trail is approximately 3 miles round trip to the top and back. There is a picnic table and nearby bench at the peak.
Or for a much longer hike, take the Los Robles Trail (either the Thousand Oaks side accessible at South Moorpark Road and Greenmeadow Ave or Newbury Park side off of Potrero Road).
The Conejo Open Space Foundation provides a useful map at cosf.org/trails/los-robles.
You'll eventually see this sign if you make the trek up the Rosewood Trail.
The bench is in sight!
Fun to see at least a portion of Hidden Valley from up here.
For a nice, fairly moderate hike in Westlake Village, take Triunfo Canyon Road south to Highgate Road and head up to the southeast endpoint of Highgate, past Hillsbury Road, to the end of the road, where you'll see a trailhead sign. Park on the street.
It doesn't actually say "Lake Eleanor Open Space Hike" but this is indeed the way to get to this trail maintained by the Conejo Open Space Foundation (COSF). Walk past the fence on the pavement, and in about 60 steps, the trailhead is on the right. There's no sign. In fact, I've never seen any signs indicating which way to go on this trail. But once you reach this path, for the most part the trail is pretty obvious.
COSF has some helpful images and a trail map at cosf.org/trails/other-trails/easy-lake-eleanor-open-space-hike.
There are some brief, slightly challenging hilly sections on this hike, along with some rocky sections, but for the most part, this trail is perfectly fine for all ages. I generally wouldn't recommend strollers on this trail though because of these sections, but if you have a solid off-road stroller, it is possible.
After record rainfalls in January/February 2017, this place is looking quite green.
On the left you'll see the beautiful Las Virgenes Reservoir for most of the 1 1/2 mile hike.
You can't go swimming in the Las Virgenes Reservoir but it sure makes for gorgeous views.
Towards the endpoint (Denver Springs Drive), on the right you can look down towards Westlake Boulevard/Decker Canyon and see the eight acre Lake Eleanor. Pretty cool to see from above as it is not accessible to the public.
There is also a trailhead and some parking on Hillsbury Road.
The main trail is on the left; veer right however for best views of Lake Eleanor.
Lake Eleanor along with the Lake Eleanor Dam (also called Banning Dam) and surrounding 529 acres of open space has been named City of Thousand Oaks Historical Landmark #9.
Lake Eleanor, which is fenced off to protect the wildlife, is clearly visible from the trail.
I love this little hike. It is quiet and peaceful and the views are just wonderful up here. And you are just minutes from civilization.
CLICK HERE FOR DOZENS OF OTHER GREAT HIKING TRAILS AROUND VENTURA COUNTY
Here's a handy list of movie theaters with over 120 (originally it was over 150, but there’s been some closures over the years) screens throughout Ventura County and adjacent areas. Click the links for theater websites and/or showtimes.
Cinépolis Luxury Cinemas at the Promenade at Westlake, 100 Promenade Way, Westlake Village (8 screens). Order food and drink from your seat and enjoy. cinepolisusa.com/locations/cinepolis-luxury-cinemas-westlake-village (805) 413-8838
AMC Dine-In Thousand Oaks 14, 166 West Hillcrest Drive at The Oaks Mall. Tickets at www.amctheatres.com/movie-theatres/los-angeles/amc-dine-in-thousand-oaks-14. $5 Tuesdays all day for AMC Stubs members.
Regal Janss Marketplace 9 is located at Janss Marketplace in Thousand Oaks, 255 North Moorpark Road. www.regmovies.com/theatres/regal-janss-marketplace-1418
Former Muvico (now AMC Dine-In) Thousand Oaks.
Cinemark Century Downtown 10, 555 East Main Street, Ventura (800.326.3264) www.cinemark.com/southern-california/century-10-downtown
Cinemark Century Riverpark 16 at 2766 Seaglass Way, Oxnard (800.326.3264). www.cinemark.com/theatres/ca-oxnard/cinemark-century-riverpark-and-xd
Cinemark Century Riverpark 16 at The Collection at Riverpark
Regal Edwards Camarillo Palace 12 and IMAX, 680 Ventura Boulevard, Camarillo (805.383.8879) (Located adjacent to The Promenade section of Camarillo Premium Outlets. www.regmovies.com/theatres/regal-edwards-camarillo-palace-1009
Plaza Stadium Cinemas 14, 255 West Fifth Street, Oxnard (805.487.8380). santarosacinemas.com
Roxy Stadium 11, 5001 Verdugo Way, Camarillo (805.388.0532). santarosacinemas.com
Regal Civic Center Plaza 16 & IMAX, 2751 Tapo Canyon Road, Simi Valley (805.526.0232). www.regmovies.com/theaters/regal-simi-valley-civic-center-stadium-16-imax/C00745385306
Studio Movie Grill at the Simi Valley Town Center opened on October 22, 2015, with 9 screens and over 950 seats. www.studiomoviegrill.com/locations/california/simi-valley/2022/1/14
Regal Civic Center Plaza, Tapo Canyon Road, just north of the 118.
Regency Santa Paula 7, 550 West Main Street, Santa Paula (805.933.6707). www.regencymovies.com/locations/santa-paula-7 Seats just $7 on Sundays!
The Ojai Playhouse at 145 East Ojai Avenue (805.646.1011) (1 screen) - reopened in late 2024 after it was closed for repairs due to a water main break in January 2018. The theater originated in 1914.
Regal Malibu Twin at 3822 Cross Creek Road, Malibu (310.456.6990) (closed in September 2017)
Simi Valley 10 Tristone Cinemas, 1457 E. Los Angeles Avenue (805.526.4329) simivalley.tristonecinemas.com (Closed 12/5/19 “due to leasing disagreements”)
Regency Paseo Camarillo Cinemas (3 theaters), 390 North Lantana Street, Camarillo (805.383.2267). regencymovies.com/main.php?theaterId=3 (“TEMPORARILY CLOSED” SINCE AUGUST 2021.)
Regency Westlake Village Twin, 4711 Lakeview Canyon Road, Westlake Village (818.889.8061) regencymovies.com/main.php?theaterId=1 Closed 1/17/22.
Edwards Grand Palace Stadium 6, 4767 Commons Way, Calabasas (818.223.0223). www.regmovies.com/theaters/edwards-calabasas-stadium-6/C00791471576 Closed 9/15/22
Regency Agoura Hills 8, 29045 Agoura Road, Agoura Hills (818.707.9966) www.regencymovies.com/locations/agoura-hill-stadium-8 closed its doors on 2/9/25. It originally opened as the Mann 8 Theatres in August 1990.
Regency Buenaventura 6, 1440 Eastman Avenue, Ventura (805.658.6544). www.regencymovies.com/locations/buena-ventura-6 closed its doors 8/4/25.
Regency Theatres at The Commons at Calabasas closed its doors on 12/28/25 due to the Calabasas Commons redevelopment.
The Santa Rosa Trail connects Wildwood Park to the hills above Cal Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks, about a 3 mile hike one way along the Mount Clef Ridge. Enjoy beautiful views of the Conejo Valley and Santa Rosa Valley, then loop around the hills behind CLU.
From Wildwood Park, you can take the Mesa Trail west and turn right onto the Santa Rosa Trail. Or start from the other direction...park at CLU near the Samuelson Community Pool and hike towards Wildwood.
Juncture of Santa Rosa Trail and Lower Butte Trail.
Or take an alternate route with the Lower Butte Trail. The Conejo Open Space Foundation website has a map of the Santa Rosa/Lower Butte Trail loop hike that is about 6 miles in length from Wildwood Park at cosf.org/trails/wildwood/wildwood-park-moderate-hike-santa-rosa-lower-butte-loop.
Two benches and a cross abpve CLU, east of the CLU sign, with panoramic views of the Conejo and Santa Rosa Valleys.
Marty's Hobbies is a family owned and operated hobby shop that has operated in the Conejo Valley since 1976. In 2018, the store relocated to a huge new location at 270 Conejo Ridge Avenue, Thousand Oaks.
The new location has all the items it had at the previous location - plastic models, airplanes, slot racing cars, trains, toys and much more.
The store has a huge RC Race Track, RC Crawler Course, Drone Course and Slot Car Track. You can access the tracks on an hourly, daily or monthly membership basis.
Marty's also offers birthday parties now for both kids and adults. Parties include track time, expert staff time to train your attendees, party room use, karaoke machine, gaming system and more.
Visit www.martyshobbies.com or call 805.497.3664 for more information.
Store hours (subject to change) Mon-Sat 10am to 8pm and Sun 10am to 7pm.
Located in Lang Ranch at the top of Westlake Boulevard near Avenida de los Arboles at 3290 Lang Ranch Parkway, Thousand Oaks, the Chumash Interpretative Center / Chumash Indian Museum contains Chumash artifacts and historical items, nature walks and tours of the beautiful local Oakbrook Regional Park area. The museum is open Saturdays 10 am to 4 pm and Sundays from noon to 4 pm. Admission is $8 for adults, $5 for seniors 65+ and $5 for children under 12 (as of October 2025).
There is no charge to walk the trails in the park, which is open from sunrise to sunset daily.
The Chumash Indian Museum is located on a historical Chumash village site and contains a large collection of Chumash artifacts.
Stroll around the 436 acre Oakbrook Regional Park, a Ventura County historical landmark #90 (designated in 1983). More on Oakbrook Regional Park at www.crpd.org/oakbrook-regional-park
Contact the Center for more information about these and other events, field trips, weddings and birthday parties at www.chumashmuseum.org or 805.492.8076.
Examples of the Chumash Home - called an ‘ap (not to be confused with app). more on ‘aps at THIS LINK.
Beautiful canopied oak tree configuration at Oakbrook Regional Park, behind the Chumash Indian Museum.
The Oakbrook Vista Trail is a moderate out and back climb that provides nice panoramic views of the Lang Ranch area of Thousand Oaks. Access to the trail is on the south side of Lang Ranch Parkway, just east of Westlake Boulevard. See access point below.
The first portion is a narrow trail that zig zags its way to a bench, where you can rest and enjoy the views. But I'd estimate this is only 1/4 of a mile, so keep going if you're game!
After the bench, the trail opens up and continues up and up and up and if you reach the top, roughly a mile or so up the hill, you'll be enjoying 360 degree views towards Boney Mountain on the west, Lang Ranch/Woodridge trails on the north and more.
Same view as above, in May 2020.www.cosf.org/website/html/oakbrook-vista-trail.html
For a trail map and additional information, visit the Conejo Open Space Foundation website at cosf.org/trails/lang-ranch/lang-ranch-woodridge-easy-hike-oakbrook-vista-trail.
The Santa Rosa Loop Hike at Wildwood Park in Thousand Oaks is a 6 1/2 mile trek with moderately challenging uphills and downhills. You’ll be rewarded with beautiful views of the Conejo Valley and Santa Rosa Valley.
Start at the main Wildwood trailhead at the west end of Avenida de Los Arboles. Take the main Mesa Trail towards Lizard Rock. You'll soon reach the Santa Rosa Trail sign, which points you north.
As you crest the hill, follow the arrows toward the Lower Santa Rosa Trail.
So you're heading east and almost feeling like maybe you're getting lost, but this indeed is the Santa Rosa Trail. Just stay towards the left. It is single track much of the way over here. Then, you'll see the following sign as you get closer to the bottom of the Santa Rosa Valley.
So now you are zig zagging down the Shooting Star Trail, which eventually merges into the Lower Santa Rosa Trail.
(That said, you can continue east from the above juncture and make your way to Cal Lutheran.)
Now you're going to turn left (west) on Lower Santa Rosa Trail for some gentle slopes alongside private residences and farms in the Santa Rosa Valley for about a mile or so.
Some old farming equipment on the side of the Lower Santa Rosa Trail.
Then soon you come to the end of the trail and there's a sign that tells you to get back into Wildwood Park via the Box Canyon Trail, take the road up ahead 4/10ths of a mile. You're actually in Camarillo now on Rocky High Road.
The trail ends at the juncture of Talal Ct (private) and Rocky High Road.
At the end of the short stretch of road is the trailhead back into Wildwood Park.
And soon you'll see the Box Canyon Trail sign. Veer left (although I think if you go right it loops around to the main trail also).
It's about a 300 foot climb over less than half a mile up the Box Canyon Trail that gets you back to the main Mesa Trail artery in Wildwood Park. Take your time...you're almost there!
Then you'll see the Lizard Rock / Box Canyon sign that signifies you are back at the Mesa Trail to head about half a mile back to the parking lot. Or turn right to check out the views from Lizard Rock before you go.
To see a map of this hike, visit www.cosf.org/website/html/santa-rosa-loop.html.
OK, so if you're looking to take a break and sit back and enjoy the view near the juncture of the Mesa Trail and Box Canyon Trail? Then head back (west) from the "Lizard Rock/Box Canyon" trail sign above toward Box Canyon and take the trail on the left to the Box Canyon Overlook, where you will find the following place to park your rear end. Not a bad view, eh?
Bench at Box Canyon Overlook.
In 2012, the Conejo Canyons bridge was constructed in Thousand Oaks, opening up more trails to explore in the Western Plateau area of Thousand Oaks, which ties into Wildwood Park. Visit cosf.org/conejo-canyons for trail maps.
Access the Conejo Canyons bridge via Santa Rosa Road. Coming from Thousand Oaks, take Moorpark Road north down the Norwegian Grade, where it intersects with Santa Rosa Road. Continue about 3.7 miles on Santa Rosa Road and make a left on Hill Canyon Road. Drive down Hill Canyon Road and you will see a large, flat dirt parking area on the right, adjacent to Santa Rosa Valley Regional Park.
Sign on Santa Rosa Road at Hill Canyon (coming from Camarillo)
Parking area on Hill Canyon Road, as seen from the Canyon Overlook Trail leading to Lizard Rock.
Park and you'll see the Conejo Canyons bridge just south, which takes you to the Hill Canyon Trail, a flat path that after a mile takes you to an intersection. At the intersection, you can turn around, go straight ahead to the Hawk Canyon Trail, take a right turn to the hilly Western Plateau Trail or veer left to make your way to the Arroyo Conejo Trail that ultimately takes you about 2 1/2 miles to the Rancho Conejo Playfields in Newbury Park.
Or go west to the steep Canyon Overlook Trail, a zig zagging hill that takes you to Lizard Rock in Wildwood Park. The hill is a fun challenge with the kids and you'll be rewarded with great panoramic views towards Boney Mountain, Camarillo, Ojai and Simi.
Conejo Canyons Bridge that takes you to the Hill Canyon Trail
Conejo Canyons views
View towards Lizard Rock
The Conejo Valley Botanic Garden is a 33 acre retreat of hiking trails and natural habitat adjacent to Conejo Community Park off of Lynn Road and Gainsborough.
CVBG now offers plant sales (weather permitting) every Sunday from 11:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. featuring California native and drought tolerant plants. Reasonable prices! Enter at the Kids' Adventure Garden entrance (400 W. Gainsborough Road).
This is really a special place to bring the kids for low key hike. There are numerous trails and a short walk/hike to the top of the mountain rewards you with sweeping views of the entire Conejo Valley, from Westlake Village to Thousand Oaks to Newbury Park.
Here is what you'll find at the CVBG:
The Nature Trail is 3/4 of a mile long and meanders above the creek through oaks and willows. This is a moderate trail.
The Little Loop Trail leads you above the creek, through chaparral and around a meadow.
The Native Plant Section and Lower Meadow feature southern and northern California plants.
Lillian's Meadow showcases perennials, shrubs and trees that thrive with minimal water.
The Salvia Garden delights hummingbirds and butterflies.
The Butterfly Garden is a safe haven that provides nectar and food sources for butterflies and caterpillars.
The Nursery houses workspace for the plant propagation team and hosts plant sales.
The Herb Garden exhibits an extensive and unusual collection of medicinal, kitchen and aromatic herbs.
The Bird Habitat has a fresh water source and is planted with native plants that provide year-round food source for birds.
The Australian Section features collection of plants from down under.
The Desert Garden hilltop landscape features cacti, succulents and desert trees and provides a panoramic view of the Conejo Valley.
The Rare Fruit Orchard holds an extensive collection of trees.
The Tranquility Garden is planted in the Japanese style featuring California native plants.
The Oak Tree Grove has many species of North American and other oak trees.
The Trail of Trees exhibits 50 trees with a variety of genera.
If you have small kids, they will love the Kids' Adventure Garden and treehouse, open on Sundays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. They'll enjoy hiking through the trails and exploring the streams and bridges.
Conejo Valley Botanic Garden is located at 400 West Gainsborough Road, Thousand Oaks. For more information visit www.conejogarden.org.
Desert Garden at the top of the hill, featuring cacti, succulents, etc.
Japanese style Tranquility Garden featuring native California plants
The White Horse Canyon Trail trailhead is located off of Potrero Road, just east of the little bridge next to Vista Oaks Way. From Thousand Oaks/101 take Westlake Boulevard to Potrero Road, turn right, and the bridge is less than half a mile away. Park either in allowed spots on the opposite side of Potrero Road or in an adjacent neighborhood.
You walk into this gulley to get to the nondescript trailhead. In fact, I don't see signage that actually says White Horse Canyon Trail. But there is the following entry point that does make it clear:
The trail is really more like a fire road, wide, somewhat rocky, but not particularly difficult. The climb gets you up to some peaks that provide views of all the surrounding areas.
Wide trail. Be aware that private residences are adjacent to the first portion of the trail.
You can take the White Horse Canyon Trail to the Los Robles Trail and do a 6 mile loop back the start, or you can reach the first peak at about 1,300 ft, take in the views, and turn back, for about a 2 mile hike.
There's a nice little map showing a counter-clockwise loop from White Horse to Los Robles going east, looping back to White Horse. Visit cosf.org/trails/los-robles/los-robles-strenuous-hike-los-padres-to-white-horse-cyn.
Folks often ask me if trails are stroller friendly or not. This one in my estimation is not particularly stroller friendly because the surface is often uneven, with many loose rocks and soft dirt at times. It is do-able but not one of the better trails for that purpose...in my opinion.
Views of Santa Rosa Valley from the hills above CLU.
For a quick local hike and a calorie burner, try hiking to the cross in the hills above Cal Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks.
You can park in the CLU lot near the community pool at 100 Overton Court, Thousand Oaks. Then head in the direction of the adjacent baseball fields. Take the path just west of the fields towards the hills. After crossing the bridge, I veer right on the trail.
The hike itself is not particularly picturesque until you get to the top of the hill. On the east end of the hilltop is the prominent cross, along with several benches for enjoying the fruits of your uphill labor. Views extend towards the Santa Rosa Valley on the north and Thousand Oaks on the south.
You can continue your way west up the hill if you’d like. In total, the hike is about a mile to a mile and a half round-trip.
The trails are usually well maintained, though you can slip on the dirt if you don’t have decent traction on your shoes. Couldn’t hurt to bring a walking stick for the steeper, slippery parts of the hill towards the top.
So if you’re really feeling energetic, there’s a trail that takes you to Wildwood Park from these trails. See THIS LINK.
As you make your way towards the hill after passing by the baseball fields, you’ll see this sign.
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