The Alley in Moorpark

The Alley in Moorpark is an outdoor hangout destination with a beer and wine garden area featuring Enegren Brewery and Lucas Sellers Winery, The Craft House, California Coffee Republic and Fire and Vice. Live music is often featured on weekends. The address is 330-444 Zachary Street.

The Alley is a family friendly space, including furry family members.

The Craft House consists of a craft bar, instructor-led workshops and a variety of local and handmade good for sale. Note that The Craft House is for 21+ only because it also has a beer and wine bar.

California Coffee Republic features fresh small batch roasted coffee daily and packaged coffee in craft bags that can be delivered to local customers. www.californiacoffeerepublic.com

Fire and Vice offers pizzas, pretzels, cheese curds and more.

Learn more about The Alley at thealleymoorpark.com.

Camarillo Premium Outlets

The Camarillo Premium Outlets at 740 East Ventura Boulevard offers nearly 160 stores.

Open 11am-7pm Monday to Thursday, 10am-8pm Friday and Saturday and 11am-7pm on Sunday (as of October 2021).  More information at www.premiumoutlets.com/outlet/camarillo.

Get there by taking the 101 to either Carmen (make a left over the freeway and then right on Ventura Blvd.) or Los Posas (left over the freeway and then left on Ventura Blvd.).  If you're on a diet, you might take Los Posas as the Carmen route takes you past a large, alluring In-N-Out Burger.

As you can see on the map below, there are three main sections. The original outlets are on the left side, including the Main Court and across Camarillo Center Drive is the Fashion Court. In 2009 the outlets expanded to the west between the Edwards Movie Theater and Las Posas Road to include The Promenade section.

The Main Court contains suites 100-744, Fashion Court suites 800-1118 and The Promenade suites 1200-1514. The CP Outlets website has a listing by store type as well as a map.

The outlets are massive. You can park anywhere and walk the entire way, though I prefer to park in the Main Court and cover the Main Court and walk across Camarillo Center Drive to get to the Fashion Court.

You can also walk to The Promenade section, where you’ll find eateries such as Johnny Rockets, Panera Bread, Cracker Barrel, Ubatuba Acai and Pink’s Hot Dogs.

A small kids’ playground area was added in 2019 to The Promenade section near Wetzel’s Pretzels/Lids/Sunglass Hut.

Not a great pic but gives you a feel for the kids’ playground area at The Promenade (new in 2019)

Join the VIP Club to receive special discount offers and coupons at www.premiumoutlets.com/vip/

The two videos below provide a quick drive-through around the Main/Fashion Courts and the newer The Promenade.

Eateries that have come and gone from the Camarillo Premium Outlets:

• Los Arroyos Mexican Restaurant - Late 2019

• Smashburger - Early 2020

• PizzaRev - Mid-2020

• Yogurtland - 2020

The Promenade at Westlake

Located at the southeast corner of Westlake Boulevard and Thousand Oaks Boulevard, The Promenade at Westlake is an architecturally appealing outdoor mall that has an assortment of things to do, including two large fountains, a koi pond and the Cinepolis movie theater.

One of two fountains at The Promenade at Westlake.

Eateries include The Grill on the Alley, Marmalade Cafe, Farfalla Trattoria, Kreation Organic, Fresh Brothers, Lemonade, Paul Martin's American Grill and Soom Soom Fresh Mediterranean (opened in September 2018) and Shake Shack (opened in October 2018).

Other stores include Cost Plus World Market, See's Candies, Sprinkles Cupcakes and Ice Cream and a variety of clothing and specialty stores, including Restoration Hardware, Brandy Glanville, Intermix, Lululemon Athletica, Sephora, Sharon Segal / Nina Segal the closet, Chico's and more.

Lots of outdoor seating around the fountain area outside of Barnes and Noble.  There is usually live music on Friday/Saturday nights during the summer months.

The Promenade at Westlake is the sister mall of the similarly appointed The Commons at Calabasas. 

The Promenade is located at 100 Promenade Way, Westlake Village (southeast corner of Westlake and Thousand Oaks Boulevards).  Visit www.ShopPromenade.com or call 805.497.9861 for more information.

Previously at The Promenade:

• Vintage Grocers abruptly closed their doors on March 15, 2019.

• Bristol Farms announced in advance their last day of operation would be March 15, 2016.

• Public School 805 closed on June 17, 2018 (space now occupied by Shake Shack).

• Macaroni Grill closed in September 2013.

• Loteria Grill closed in Feb/Mar 2017.

• The Melt closed in December 2015 after a short, 7 month stint.

• La Salsa closed in spring 2011.

• Champagne French Bistro closed in the summer of 2020.

Channel Islands Harbor in Oxnard

Channel Islands Harbor is located in Oxnard; take the 101 Freeway to Ventura. Exit Victoria Avenue. Turn south onto Victoria Avenue. Continue on Victoria for approximately 5 miles until you reach Channel Islands Harbor.

Channel Islands Harbor offers a variety of activities for the entire family. Throughout the year various events are held including the Celebration of the Whales, visits by Tall Ships, Concerts by the Sea, Fireworks by the Sea on July 4th, the Ventura County Boat Show, Ventura Vintage Rods Harbor Run Classic Car Show, and the annual Parade of Lights.

Harbor restaurants include The Waterside Restaurant and Wine Bar, H.C. Seafood & Co., Fisherman's House, The Lookout Bar & Grill, Moqueca Brazilian Cuisine, Mrs. Olson’s Coffee Hut, Honey Cup Coffee Bar, Toppers Pizza Place, The Masala Twist, Ventura BBQ Co., Spudnuts and Sea Fresh Channel Islands.

Visitors may rent boats at Hopper Boat Rentals, or Channel Islands Kayak Center, visit the Channel Islands Maritime Museum or just enjoy a beautiful day at one of the local beaches. Weekends offer live musical entertainment. Fresh fruits and vegetables plus arts and crafts may be found at the Harbor's Farmers' Market held at the Marine Emporium Landing from 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. every Sunday, rain or shine! Or just ride bikes!

For more information, visit www.channelislandsharbor.org or call 805.985.4852.

We stop by the harbor as often as possible for various events and to walk around, as well as to walk a few blocks over to the beach!  Quite a nice opportunity to beat the Conejo Valley heat...and only 15 to 20 minutes away!

Ventura County Wine Trail

Ventura County Wine Trail offers 14 family-owned, award winning wineries right here in Ventura County and adjacent areas! Unique wine tasting tours, five star restaurants, luxury hotels, wine events and attractions, make an amazing wine country destination getaway.

Visit www.venturacountywinetrail.com.

Here are the 14 wineries (updated April 2019) that are part of this trail.

Alma Sol Winery in Thousand Oaks www.almasolwinery.com

Back Patio Cellars in Camarillo www.backpatiocellars.com

Boccali Vineyards and Winery in Ojai www.boccalivineyards.com

Camarillo Custom Crush Winery www.camarillocustomcrush.com

Clos des Amis in Ventura www.closdesamis.com

Herzog Wine Cellars in Oxnard www.herzogwinecellars.com

Labyrinth Winery and Tasting Room in Ventura www.LabyrinthWinery.com

Magnavino Cellars in Oxnard www.magnavino.com

Malibu Sundowner in Westlake Village www.malibusundownerwines.com

Millesime Cellars in Camarillo www.millesimecellars.com

Panaro Brothers Winery in Ventura www.panarobrotherswinery.com

Rancho Ventano Cellars in Oxnard www.ranchoventavo.com

Strey Cellars in Oxnard www.StreyCellars.com

Sunland Vintage Winery and Tasting Room in Thousand Oaks www.SunlandVintageWinery.com

Other wine tasting options around Ventura County

The Commons at Calabasas

The Commons at Calabasas is an open-air, Mediterranean style shopping center located at 4799 Commons Way. It is an attractive center with nice landscaping and fountains. There are about 35 businesses, including a Ralph's supermarket, the Edwards Grand Palace Stadium movie theater, Barnes and Noble, lululemon athletics, LOFT, Siany, White House Black Market, Williams-Sonoma, Rite Aid, Chico's, Kate Spade and other stores.

Dining options at The Commons includes Marmalade Cafe, Corner Bakery, King's Fish House, Fresh Brothers, Starbucks, Sugarfish by Sushi Nogawa, Toscanova, Menchie's Frozen Yogurt, Pick Up Stix, Greenleaf Gourmet Chopshop, Le Pain Quotidien and SunLife Organics. And soon, Greenleaf Gourmet Chopshop.

The Commons also hosts a weekly Kids Club and numerous other events and entertainment. There's also a nice pond/fountain area on the west end of the center, featuring koi and turtles.

Visit www.shopcommons.com or call 818.637.8922 for more information.

Universal Citywalk

Universal Citywalk is a 23 acre entertainment and retail area adjacent to Universal Studios. It is a popular destination for entertainment, dining, shopping and getting out and about. Always lively, festive and colorful, and easy to get to, to me, Citywalk is a no-brainer destination when you have out of town guests or just want to get out and about from Ventura County.

Other than walking around and gazing at the people and interesting sites, there are plenty of things to do at Citywalk, including movie theaters, IMAX theater, a comedy club, the Gibson Amphitheatre, Jillian's (which has food, billiards and a large arcade), iFly Hollywood indoor skydiving and much more.

My kids absolutely love the Bubba Gump Shrimp Co so we usually eat there when we go. But there's a lot of other choices, like Buca di Beppo, Karl Strauss Brewery, Wolfgang Puck Cafe, Hard Rock Cafe, Saddle Ranch Chop House among others.

We also usually stop by Sparky's for a little sugar fix after our meal. They have chocolate covered Twinkies, s'mores, Rice Krispie treats, pretzels, bacon, jalapeno, you name it. Their candied apples look mouth watering too.

I've barely scratched the surface in this post, so visit www.citywalkhollywood.com to learn more. Click here for directions.

Oh, there's another thing. As of January 2015, general parking is $17 before 3pm ($10 after). While I kind of expect that when I visit an amusement park, it is harder for me to part with that kind of cash if I'm going mainly to have a meal and walk around for an hour.  So let me impart some wisdom on you:

If you are planning on going to the movies, the box office will give you a rebate of $11 if you park before 3pm and $5 if you park after 3pm. That reduces your parking cost quite a bit.