Alameda Park in Santa Barbara

Ranking high up on the list of parks with cool play areas around town is Alameda Park, located at the corner of Garden Street and E. Micheltorena Street in Santa Barbara. Alameda Park has an 8,000 sq ft mostly wooden play structure that was built by local residents.

Your kids will fall in love with the nooks, crannies, steps, bridges and places to hide in this play structure. There are also swings and things to climb on. The park itself is 2 blocks long and one of the oldest parks in Santa Barbara. It is next door to the beautiful Alice Keck Park Memorial Garden. Plenty of grass, spectacular, large shade trees and much more make this a perfect picnic lunch stop when you're in town.

More information at www.santabarbaraca.gov/gov/depts/parksrec/parks/features/horticulture/alameda.asp.

Free Airplane Rides for Kids in Camarillo and Santa Paula

Each month, Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) Chapter 723 offers free flights to youth ages 8 through 17, weather permitting.

The EAA Young Eagles program was launched in 1992 to give young people the opportunity to fly in a general aviation airplane. EAA volunteers will explain what you will see and do pre-flight, then take you on a 15 to 20 minute flight. After the flight, your pilot will present you with your own Young Eagles logbook, along with an entry for the flight.

In Camarillo, flights take place from the EAA Hangar Area at 501 Aviation Drive at the Camarillo Airport on the first Saturday of the month. Look for signs; it is next to Commemorative Air Force, CAF Museum, and near the Animal Shelter. Please park on the street, Aviation Way. DO NOT PARK in the CAF Parking Lot.

In Santa Paula, flights are from Santa Paula Airport and take place on the first Sunday of each month. Look for signs.

Visit chapters.eaa.org/eaa723/young-eagles/eagles-flights for more information.

Chase Palm Park in Santa Barbara

Chase Palm Park in Santa Barbara is a huge park that sandwiches East Cabrillo Boulevard.  On the ocean side of Cabrillo the park consists of a palm-lined, narrow strip of park adjacent to East Beach with an oceanfront bike path and walkway from Stearns Wharf to East Beach.  This side of the park is host to Sunday/holiday arts and crafts shows.  The 14,600 square foot Skater's Point skate park is also located on this side of the park.

Call 805.564.5418 for more information or visit www.santabarbaraca.gov/gov/depts/parksrec/parks/features/playgrounds/chase.asp.

On the other side of Cabrillo is a huge 10 acre parcel that features fountains, creeks, a lagoon, carousel, snack bar and a shipwreck playground modeled after an ocean schooner from the turn of the century.

The park is walking distance to Stearns Wharf, the beach, bike rentals, State Street, etc.

From 1999 to 2017, the park was home to a vintage 1916 40 foot in diamater carousel, The carousel was relocated to Fort Hood, Oregon to a museum.

Children's Storytimes at Local Ventura County Area Barnes & Noble Locations

Barnes & Noble bookstores offer up some great storytimes for kids at designated times. Below is information about local B&N stores in Ventura County and nearby areas.

Children's Storytime in the Childrens' Department of Barnes & Noble at The Promenade at 160 S Westlake Boulevard, Thousand Oaks on Saturday mornings at 11am and certain other days and time frames. For more information and upcoming events, call 805.446.2820 or visit store-locator.barnesandnoble.com/store/2751.

Children's Storytime at The Commons at Calabasas location, 4735 Commons Way, is on certain Saturday mornings at 11:00 a.m. and periodically Toddler Storytimes are on Thursday mornings at 10am. For more information and upcoming events, call 818.222.0542 or visit store-locator.barnesandnoble.com/store/2054.

Children's Storytimes at the Ventura Gateway, 4820 Telephone Road, Barnes & Noble location vary from some Friday night storytimes at 7pm (geared towards ages 2 to 8), Saturday morning storytimes at 11am and Tuesday morning Toddler Storytimes at 9:30am, but do check first as dates/times can vary! For more information and upcoming events, call 805.339.0990 or visit store-locator.barnesandnoble.com/store/2054.

For other locations and information, visit www.barnesandnoble.com.

Bike Paths In and Around Ventura County

Click the image below for a link to finding Class I (bicycle only...no cars) bike paths in the Conejo Valley and throughout Greater Ventura County! And yes, those are scooters in the picture! Bikes, scooters, roller skates, it's all good!

Bob Kildee Community Park in Camarillo

Bob Kildee Community Park is located at 1030 Temple Avenue (at Ponderosa) in Camarillo. This 13 acre park has newer play equipment and restrooms, 6 lighted tennis courts, pickleball courts, handball courts, horseshoe pits, soccer fields, picnic shelters and BBQ pits, 3 lighted baseball fields, the Pleasant Valley Skate Park, and Pleasant Valley Aquatic Center. More information at www.pvrpd.org/bob-kildee-community-park.

The park is named after the Pleasant Valley Recreation & Park District's first Chairman of the Board from 1962-1966 and again in 1968.

As you can see from the photos below, the play area has some pretty cool and unique equipment!

Westlake Village Skate Park

The Westlake Village Skate Park opened in August 2015 at the Westlake Village Community Park at 31107 Thousand Oaks Boulevard. It is open from dawn to dusk to skateboards and inline skates only. No bikes or scooters allowed. The skate park is closed when the surface is wet.

This is an unsupervised skate park. Helmet, elbow and knee pads are required. Adult supervision required for children under the age of 13.

More information at www.wlv.org/index.aspx?nid=389.

Moorpark City Library

The Moorpark City Library is an independently run city library located at 699 Moorpark Avenue. It is open 7 days per week (closed major holidays).

Visit www.moorparklibrary.org or call 805.517.6370 for more information.

Anyone in the State of California can obtain a library card for no charge. The Moorpark City Library is not part of the Ventura County Library System, so you will need a separate library card to check out books at other local libraries.

Agoura Hills Library

The Agoura Hills Library first opened on October 27, 2001 in its 17,772 square foot facility at 29901 Ladyface Court. The library is part of the Agoura City Hall Civic Center and well as the County of Los Angeles Public Library System (and thus your library card is can be used at dozens of L.A. County libraries).

The library is located off the Kanan Road exit or Reyes Adobe Road exit from U.S. 101 Freeway on Agoura Road and Ladyface Court. The facility has a copy center, computer center, 2 conference rooms, and a Friends of the Library bookstore & browsing area.

There’s also a household battery recycling site at the library.

Visit lacountylibrary.org/agoura-hills-library or call 818.889.2278 for more information.

As of January 2022, the library is open noon to 8pm Tuesday, 10am to 6pm Tuesday through Saturday and closed Sunday/Monday.

The Oaks Mall Indoor Play Area - Thousand Oaks

This play area for kids under 42 inches tall opened in December 2007 at The Oaks Mall in Thousand Oaks, located by the food court outside of JC Penney on the 1st floor. There are different animals, a tree tunnel and slide, bridge, etc.