Adamson House Tour and Malibu Lagoon Museum

The Adamson House at 23200 Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu is a National Historic Site and a registered California landmark. The house and grounds share one of the most beautiful beach locations in Southern California, with a view of the Malibu Lagoon, Malibu Beach and the Malibu Pier. In addition to its world-famous Malibu Tile, the house contains hand-carved teakwood doors, hand-painted murals, molded ceilings, hand-wrought ironwork and lead-framed bottle glass windows.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE PHOTOS AND INFO ABOUT THE ADAMSON HOUSE

The Adamson House Tour is a guided tour through the house which contains its original furnishings and is decorated with the renowned Malibu Potteries tile. Trained volunteer docents relate the history of the house, details of its architecture and furnishings, and the history of the family that lived in and created this distinctive home.

Admission (as of September 2024) is $7 for adults and $2 ages 6 to 17. Five and under is free. Cash only.

Open 8am to sunset, 7 days a week. Docent-led tours are available Wed-Sat from 11am to 2pm

No on-site parking. Park at Surfrider Beach, Malibu Lagoon State Beach or on PCH.

The Malibu Lagoon Museum adjoins the Adamson House and contains a collection of artifacts, rare photographs and documents depicting the colorful history of Malibu. The museum tour takes the visitor from the early Chumash Indian era through the Spanish California culture. Here is an excellent opportunity to relive the genteel and romantic ranching days of the famed Rindge and Adamson families. Learn about dramatic episodes in Malibu's rich history: the Malibu Railroad; the 50-room Castle on the Hill; the 17-year legal battle over a Malibu highway; the Malibu movie colony; the Malibu Dam, and much more. Admission to the museum is free.

The Adamson House Garden Tour is a docent-led walking tour of the landmark gardens, beautifully preserved in their 1930s appearance. It is offered every Friday of the month, 10:00 a.m. The Adamson House Tour admission fee includes a house garden tour; no reservation is required. Reservations are necessary only for groups of 10 or more at 310-456-8432. Group tours are Tuesdays at 10:00 a.m.

More information at www.adamsonhouse.org or call 310.456.8432.

Robert J. Lagomarsino Visitor Center at Channel Islands National Park

The Robert J. Lagomarsino Visitor Center at Channel Islands National Park features a bookstore, a display of marine aquatic life, including a tidepool, and exhibits featuring the unique character of each park island. Visitors also can enjoy the 25-minute park movie, “A Treasure in the Sea,” shown throughout the day in the auditorium.

The visitor center is located at 1901 Spinnaker Drive in Ventura at the end of Spinnaker Drive, past Ventura Harbor Village and across the street from the kid-friendly Harbor Cove Beach. It is open 8:30 am until 5 pm daily. The visitor center is closed on Thanksgiving and Christmas.

On weekends and holidays at 11 am and 3 pm, rangers offer a variety of free public programs about the resources of the park. Learn more on the National Park Service website at www.nps.gov/chis/planyourvisit/visitorcenters.htm or call 805.658.5730.

Robert J. Lagomarsino was born in September 1926 in Ventura County. He served in the California Senate from 1961 to 1974 and served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1974 until 1992. He is also a former mayor of Ojai. As a State Senator, he introduced the first legislation authorizing a public university for Ventura County. He passed away in 2021.

Camarillo Bird Museum (Western Foundation of Vertebrate Zoology)

The Western Foundation of Vertebrate Zoology (WFVZ) is a non-profit based in Camarillo at 439 Calle San Pablo. Informally referred to as the Camarillo Bird Museum, the 22,000 square foot facility is home to one of the largest collections of eggs and nests in the world. The collections include approximately 250,000 sets of bird eggs (equal to over 1 million individual eggs), representing at least 4,000 bird species from around the world. There are also over 18,000 nests, the largest collection of its kind in the world. And over 56,000 bird study skin specimens from over 100 countries.

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 museum offers guided and unguided tours on Wednesdays and Fridays from 10am to 2pm. Guided tours are $10. Self-guided tours are $7.

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

Museum of Military History Posters and Memorabilia at the Simi Valley Town Center

The Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 10049 and Simi Valley Town Center host an impressive display at the Museum of Military History Posters and Memorabilia. 

Hundreds of military posters and historical artifacts are on display that were graciously provided by local veterans and collectors. Artifacts include old weapons, munitions, posters, newspapers, uniforms and much more. Several Vietnam Veterans were on hand, imparting stories and background information to us as we strolled around.

Hours are 11am to 4pm on weekends and noon to 3pm on Wednesdays. There is no admission fee, though donations are encouraged to support local veterans.

More info at vfwpost10049.org/museum (URL not working as of May 2024) or call 805.578.1539.

Military Mule with armament (not live of course lol) on display.

Museum of Ventura County in Downtown Ventura

The 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 11am to 5pm, Thursday through Sunday.  General admission is $10 for adults, $5 for seniors/students and free for 17 and under. Located at 100 E. Main Street, Ventura.

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

LEARN ABOUT THE MUSEUM'S AGRICULTURE MUSEUM IN SANTA PAULA

The 3,500 sq ft river-rock walled, state-of-the-art Martin V. and Martha K. Smith Event Pavilion is 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 reception venue!!

Aviation Museum of Santa Paula

The Aviation Museum of Santa Paula is open the first Sunday of each month, with a "Chain of Hangars" from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.  Closed if there is rain. FREE (but donations are appreciated).

Hangar Number One is the first in the museum's chain of hangars. It tells the story of the founding of Santa Paula Airport in 1930. Each of the privately owned hangars houses a variety of vintage aircraft and privately owned collections of memorabilia, from antique radios to race cars. Several other aircraft owners put their antique aircraft on display and many vintage aircraft also fly in each month.

A museum tram is available to save you some steps between hangars. The Experimental Aircraft Association Chapter 723 offers free airplane rides to kids ages 8-17. The Museum's Gift Hangar, located inside CP Aviation, offers a variety of toys and apparel for airplane buffs of all ages.

More information at www.aviationmuseumofsantapaula.org or call 805.525.1109. The Aviation Museum is located near the corner of Santa Maria Street and 8th Street in Santa Paula. More info at this link.

The Nethercutt Museum in Sylmar

The Nethercutt Museum in Sylmar houses a spectacular collection of over 120 antique, vintage, black iron and classic automobiles. This is a place that a surprisingly few number people know about but is a must see. It is a truly gorgeous collection of cars, including numerous winners of the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance and other famed auto shows.

Particularly eye opening to an auto novice like me is the sheer number of different car manufacturers on display that I'd never heard of, like Tucker, Simplex, Cord, REO, Maybah, Ruxton, Westinghouse, Pierce-Arrow, Moon etc as well as autos made by Daimler, Rolls Royce, Cadillac, Packard, Lincoln, Ford, Duesenberg, Oldsmobile, Bugatti and others. There is also huge number of hood ornaments, headlamps and other vintage paraphernalia on display.

Admission to The Nethercutt Museum is free of charge and hours are 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Thursday through Saturday. Visit www.nethercuttcollection.org for more information. Open to all ages.

Located at 15151 Bledsoe Steet, Sylmar. When I went I took the 101 east to the 405 south towards Santa Clarita, which becomes the 5 freeway. Get off at Roxford exit east (exit 159A; don't get confused and take the NEXT Roxford exit). Turn right on Roxford, right on San Fernando Road and left on Bledsoe. Museum is a few blocks up on the left hand side. Turn left on Bradley (at Bledsoe) and an immediate left into the parking lot.

Outside the Museum you can walk through a 1912 Pullman Rail Car and a 1937 Canadian Pacific Royal Hudson Locomotive. Open twice a day (weather permitting) at 12:30 p.m. and 3:45 p.m. for 15 minutes.

In addition to the main Museum, next door at 15200 Bledsoe is The Nethercutt Collection, which has over 50 automobiles along with what they call the world's finest assemblage of mechanical musical instruments. Admission here is also free but you must make reservations for the 2 hour docent-led tour, kids must be 12 and older, and no video recording or flash photography is allowed. Tours are currently offered at 10 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Thursday through Saturday.

Santa Susana Depot Museum and Model Railroad in Simi Valley

Visit a fully restored Southern Pacific Railroad depot that was built in 1903 with both freight and passenger trains rushing by at the Santa Susana Depot Museum and Model Railroad. The depot served passengers and farmers in Simi Valley for over 60 years, with a classic passenger waiting room featuring a pot-belly stove, the depot was also headquarters for local freight shipments.

The depot is a museum filled with hundreds of items having both railroad and local historical significance. The depot is owned and managed by the Rancho Simi Recreation and Park District, which took it over from the Southern Pacific Railroad in 1973. The depot was moved to its current location and after 10 years of neglect was restored to its current state by 1996. The depot was restored to what it looked like in 1938.

Also at the depot is the Santa Susana Model Railroad Club’s large operating HO scale model railroad. Located inside the depot's freight room, the layout of the railroad portrays Simi Valley during the mid 1950s. Trains run each weekend, with Sundays being the best day to see several trains operating simultaneously.

The depot is located on the grounds of Simi Valley’s beautiful Oak Knolls Park. For you rail fans, the depot is adjacent to the Union Pacific Railroad’s busy “Coast Line,” which is also utilized by both Amtrak and Metrolink passenger trains. You will standing in close proximity to passing trains, so get ready to wave!

The depot is located at 6503 Katherine Road in Simi Valley. For more information and a map to the depot/parking, visit www.santasusanapacific.org or call 805.581.3462.  The depot is open on Saturdays and Sundays from 1 pm to 4 pm.

Santa Barbara Museum of Art

The Santa Barbara Museum of Art was established in June 1941 at 1130 State Street, in a building that housed the Santa Barbara Post Office from 1914 to 1932. The Museum has been expanded to 60,000 sq ft over the years, including exhibition galleries, Museum store, cafe, a 154-seat auditorium, a library containing 50,000 books and 55,000 slides, a children’s gallery dedicated to participatory interactive programming and an 11,500 sq ft off-site facility, the Ridley-Tree Education Center at McCormick House.

As one of the leading art museums on the West Coast, the Santa Barbara Museum of Art serves a diverse audience of approximately 150,000 people annually. The Museum offers a wide variety of educational and interpretive programs.

The Museum’s strengths lie in the following areas: Ancient Art, Asian Art (Chinese, Japanese, Indian and Tibetan), French and English 19th and early 20th Century Art, 19th and early 20th Century American Art, International Modernism, Works on Paper, Photography and Contemporary Art.

Hours of operation are Tuesday through Sunday, 11am to 5pm; FREE Thursday evening admission from 5-8PM! Admission (as of September 2023) is $10 for adults and $6 for seniors, students with ID and children ages 6-17. Under 6is free. Free to Museum members. Closed most major holidays.

Visit www.sbma.net or call 805.963.4364 for more information.

Frederick R. Weisman Museum of Art at Pepperdine University in Malibu

Located on Pepperdine's main campus at 24255 Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu, the Frederick R. Weisman Museum of Art is a small art museum with rotating exhibits year-round, as well as "meet the artist" events, family art events and more.

The museum, which opened in 1992, is open Tuesday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and is closed on Mondays and major holidays. There is no admission charge. For more information, call (310) 506-4851, or visit arts.pepperdine.edu/museum.

Stearns Wharf in Santa Barbara

Dolphins greet you at the entrance to Stearns Wharf.

Stearns Wharf is located at the juncture of W. Cabrillo Road and State Street in Santa Barbara. Originally constructed in 1872 by lumberman John P. Stearns as the longest deep-water pier between Los Angeles and San Francisco, it is now one of the most visible and visited tourist destinations in Santa Barbara. In 1980-81, the City of Santa Barbara restored the wharf, constructed new buildings on it and assumed operation of the facility.

Our family particularly enjoys visiting the Museum of Santa Barbara Sea Center located on the wharf, followed by a stop at Mother Stearns Candy Company or the Great Pacific Ice Cream Company. Of course, The Harbor Restaurant and Longboard’s Grill are crowd favorites. There's also wine tasting at Deep Sea Wine Tasting Room, Moby Dick Restaurant, fish and chips, souvenir shops and other places.

View from the end of Stearns Wharf back toward the mainland.

View from Stearns Wharf

You can get onto the wharf in a number of ways. There is limited parking on the wharf. Cost (as of May 2023) is $3/hour, but the first 90 minutes are free. Or you can park along Cabrillo Road or in a local beach parking lot and walk onto the wharf. Or do what we enjoy...park at the Santa Barbara Harbor and ride bikes onto the wharf. The wood planks are a bit bumpy but you'll survive!

Learn more about Stearns Wharf at www.stearnswharf.org.

Beautiful views of the harbor area as you'll see below from the pier. If you walk onto the wharf, you may encounter some locals that "live off the land" with sand sculptures and other monuments on the sand for your viewing pleasure (and perhaps some spare change). They are part of the carnival atmosphere. And of course on Sundays you'll be treated to the Santa Barbara Arts & Crafts Show that has been running since 1965.

Conejo Valley Art Museum

Founded in 1978, the Conejo Valley Art Museum is a non-profit organization that supports local arts in the Conejo Valley. Over the years it has resided in several locations in Thousand Oaks while the Museum's Board of Trustees work towards obtaining additional funds to acquire a permanent home.

Since 2011, Janss Marketplace was its home from 2011 to the 2024 time frame. It is currently (as of May 2025) looking for a new home.

For more information about CVAM, visit www.conejovalleyartmuseum.org.

Brief tour of space at the Janss Marketplace as of mid-July 2012 is shown below.