Commemorative Air Force Aviation Museum at Camarillo Airport

Located at the Camarillo Airport at 455 Aviation Drive, the Southern California Wing of the Commemorative Air Force has hangars devoted to preserving, maintaining, displaying, and flying World War II aircraft.

The Commemorative Air Force Southern California Wing Aviation Museum is open Thursday through Saturday from 10 am to 4 pm and Sunday noon to 4pm.

Donations requested of $15 for adults, $10 for ages 10 to 18, $5 for ages 6 to 10 and active military. Kids under 6 are free (as of November 2025). Visit www.cafsocal.com or call 805.482.0064 for more information.

Also, take a vintage WWII airplane ride on the only remaining U.S. Navy/Marine Mitchell B-25 PBJ Bomber, the open cockpit Primary Trainer PT-19, the SNJ Texan and the Aircoupe. Details at www.cafsocal.com/warbird-ride-program.

Docents are enjoyable to speak with as they have a lot of history to share at this museum. Two 15,000 sq ft hangars and a 32,800 sq. ft. hangar complex serve as a Museum Hangar and a Maintenance and Restoration Hangar.

The Museum Hangar contains some of the many artifacts that are currently on display as well as a gift shop. It also houses any of the aircraft that are not away on a mission or undergoing maintenance.  For safety reasons the maintenance hangar is not available for a walk-through, however visitors can observe any work in progress from behind a safety perimeter.

There are a number of aircraft on display, including several you can physically inspect, which is always fun to do with the kids. There are some interesting WWII exhibits on hand too. 

The only authentic Marine BPJ-1J variant of the famed Mitchell B-25 Bomber. It flew into Camarillo from Midland, TX in 1993 for a 20 year restoration project. It is now flight-ready!

The Kakovlev Yak-3 is widely considered the lightest fighter aircraft between 1939 and 1945.

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 November 2025) 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.

Channel Islands Maritime Museum

The Channel Islands Maritime Museum opened in 1991 as an independent, not-for-profit public benefit corporation funded by members, friends, charitable foundations and businesses. It is located at 3900 Bluefin Circle, Oxnard (off of Harbor Boulevard) in the Channel Islands Harbor.

The museum is open Thursday to Monday from noon to 4 PM. Closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. As of November 2025, admission is $10 for adults, $5 for seniors, active military and college students (with ID) and free of charge to those under 18.

The Channel Islands Maritime Museum is home to a permanent collection of extensive marine art, featuring works by the Dutch and Flemish painters, 17th century artists Willem van de Velde and Bonaventura Peeters. Noted modern artists in the collection include John Stobart, Montague Dawson, David Thimgan, Roy Cross and Christopher Blossom.

The museum also houses one of the two largest collections of antique Napoleonic prisoner of war sailing ship models in the US. Three thousand years of maritime history are illustrated by historic ship models, including the life's work of renowned builder Edward Marple. Exhibits on whaling, sailors' arts, the history of the Channel Islands Harbor and Port of Hueneme round out the collection.

In my many visits to the museum, I have been very impressed by how knowledgeable the docents were about the contents of the museum! I learned a lot and was amazed at the collection of nearly 100 intricate ship models on display going back hundreds of years. I was also pleased to see docents take the time to engage my kids in some of the exhibits.

For more information, including current exhibits and upcoming museum events, visit www.channelislandsmaritimemuseum.org or call 805.984.6260.

Santa Rosa Trail and Lower Butte Trail in Thousand Oaks

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.

Harmon Canyon Preserve in Ventura

Look for this address sign on Foothill Road to access the trailhead.

Established in 2020, the Harmon Canyon Preserve is owned and managed by the Ventura Land Trust. The 2,100 acre preserve located at 7511 Foothill Road, Ventura (just west of Kimball Road) contains about 6 1/2 miles of well-maintained trails in the canyons and hills. It is the largest permanently protected open space in the Ventura area with public access.

Open to hikers, bikers and runners. Dogs on leash allowed, but only to the 1.8 mile marker. Open daily, sunrise to sunset.

Free parking is available at the preserve trailhead off of McVittie Place. You can park on the west side of Kimball, or park a few blocks down Kimball and Loma Vista Road at Juanamaria Park, and walk a few blocks to the trailhead.

More details and trail map at www.venturalandtrust.org/harmoncanyon.

Trailhead

Old Jeep on the trail

Marty's Hobbies in Thousand Oaks

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.

The Calabasas Stairs

The Calabasas Stairs is a set of 375 stairs located in the Santa Monica Mountains, leading up to a residential area above a locked gate.

To get there, take Calabasas Road west to its endpoint, then turn around and park near the Anza Loop Trail trailhead, which is a paved area. (There’s a different trailhead at the very end of Calabasas Road that will take you elsewhere.)

Take the Anza Loop Trail about half a mile until you can see the stairs. Veer right to the New Millenium Loop Trail when you see that sign. At some point you’ll reach another fork in the trail which is unmarked. Veer left to hike into canyon, where you’ll eventually reach the path to the bottom of the staircase.

This is the unmarkeded split where you veer left down into the ravine to get to the stairs

Chumash Indian Museum / Oakbrook Regional Park

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.

Oakbrook Vista Trail in Thousand Oaks

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.

Red Door Escape Room at The Collection at RiverPark in Oxnard

Red Door Escape Room at The Collection at RiverPark in Oxnard is a cool way to unplug and connect! Bring the whole gang for a day of adventure. Outsmart a mad scientist, escape from prison or find your way through a fairytale - the possibilities are endless!

After your 60 minute experience, debrief over some food at the Annex! With six escape episodes to choose from, pick your escape or escape from them all!

Learn more at www.reddoorescape.com or call 805-485-2520.

Opened on October 15, 2021 at 531 Collection Boulevard, Space 4065 in Oxnard at The Collection at RiverPark.

Charmlee Wilderness Park in Malibu

Charmlee Wilderness Park is a 532 acre park located at 2577 Encinal Canyon Road in Malibu, just 10 miles from the Conejo Valley. It is located within the Santa Monica Mountains. There are over eight miles of hiking trails, a nature center (currently closed), picnic areas and more. Park hours are 8 a.m. to sunset. Parking is free of charge.

Visit www.malibucity.org/561/Charmlee-Wilderness-Park for more information.

To get there from the Conejo Valley, take the 23 (Westlake Boulevard/Decker Canyon Road) toward the ocean and turn left on Lechusa Road. Continue on Encinal Canyon Road and look for the sign on the right.

Photos below courtesy of Suzy Demeter Photography.

The Ultimate Escape Rooms at Ventura Harbor Village

The Ultimate Escape Rooms are a recent addition to Ventura Harbor Village. There are four different themed rooms that a group of up to eight people are have to escape within a 60 minute time frame.

But how? The room is full of puzzles, riddles and props that the group must decipher to come up with the ultimate "code" to escape the room. Using the combined efforts of your group, you must review the clues and solve a series of puzzles to make your way out of there.

Yes, I have tried it with a group of 11 to 14 year old kids and we had a fun time trying to get out of there. Although we were unable to figure out the final piece to our puzzle, we enjoyed it. And don't worry...if the group needs clues, you can all raise your hands and you will be given a bit of help.

They do not allow you to bring personal belongings like cell phones into the rooms, but lockers are provided. 

Learn more at www.theultimateescaperooms.com.

California Dance Theatre / Pacific Festival Ballet

California Dance Theatre (CDT) was founded in 1985. With five studios spanning over 10,000 square feet, and over 30 teachers on staff, CDT instructs students of all ages and levels — from children to adults, beginners to professionals — in ballet, lyrical, contemporary, modern, tap, musical theatre, jazz, acro and hip-hop. 

CDT's Pacific Festival Ballet is the resident ballet company of the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza, Bank of America Performing Arts Plaza.

California Dance Theater / Pacific Festival Ballet is located at 2282 Townsgate Road, Westlake Village. More information and tickets available at www.californiadancetheatre.com.