Wild Birds Unlimited Nature Shop in Thousand Oaks and Ventura for Local Bird Fans

Wild Birds Unlimited Thousand Oaks is located in the Whole Foods Market plaza at Moorpark and Wilbur Roads. The store offers bird foods of all types, bird feeders and an assortment of other items for backyard bird fans. Owners Richard and Catherine are knowledgeable, helpful and friendly. Open 7 days a week. Consider stopping by this fun little store. There's also a location in Ventura at 4020 E. Main Street near Bed, Bath and Beyond.

Thousand Oaks location thousandoaks.wbu.com. (805) 379-3901

Ventura location ventura.wbu.com (805) 765-4594

Volunteer Opportunities in Ventura County During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Here is a compilation of local Ventura County area volunteer opportunities of particular need during the COVID-19 emergency Stay Well at Home Order. The list was compiled courtesy of the City of Thousand Oaks Public Works Department.

SERVICE OPPORTUNITIES - FROM HOME

Harbor House www.harborhouseto.org - Sign up to make bag lunches for those in need.

SERVICE OPPORTUNITIES - DONATIONS NEEDED

Homeless Support - Kindness/Care Kits www.roonga.com/uwvchomelesscarekits - Support homeless services by purchasing kits for those experiencing homeless through June 1st.

Senior Concerns www.seniorconcerns.org - Pantry items and toiletries needed for senior delivery kits at 401 Hodencamp Road, Thousand Oaks. 805-497-0189 info@seniorconcerns.org

Manna Conejo www.mannaconejo.org - Pantry items needed for local food pantry at 3020 Crescent Way, Thousand Oaks. 805-497-4959 info@mannaconejo.org

SERVICE OPPORTUNITIES - ON LOCATION

Food Share of Ventura County foodshare.com/volunteer - Numerous volunteer opportunities available - senior kit distribution, pop-up food pantries, throughout Ventura County

Volunteer Ventura County www.volunteerventuracounty.org has numerous meal delivery and other opportunities listed at www.volunteerventuracounty.org/need/?s=1&need_init_id=3061.

Senior Kit Distribution:

• Grace Bible Church in Oxnard LINK

• Our Lady of Guadalupe in Oxnard LINK

• Camino Del Sol Apartments in Oxnard LINK

• Santa Paula Apts LINK

• Evangelistic Baptist Church LINK

• Fillmore Active Adult Center LINK

• Heritage Apartments in Oxnard LINK

• New Life Community Church in Oxnard LINK

• Pleasant Valley Senior Center in Camarillo LINK

• Salvation Army in Oxnard LINK

• Senior Kit Packer Mondays LINK

• Senior Kit Packer Wednesdays LINK

• Senior Kit Packer Thursdays LINK

Produce

• Senior Nutrition Garden for Individuals LINK

• Produce Outreach in Santa Paula LINK

Seven Fun Activities With the Kids in Ventura County and Surrounding Areas

There are thousands of things to do in and around Ventura County with or without the kids. Here are some of my family's favorites. For more options, visit the Kid Fun and Do Something sections of CVG!

The Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History is a nice getaway up north because in addition to the permanent exhibits, there's usually a great temporary exhibit that is educational and fun. My kids love the outdoor "backyard" area of the museum, with its trails, rocks, stream, tadpoles and more.

Backyard of the Santa Barbara Natural History Museum

Malibu beach areas along PCH, including Leo Carrillo and Malibu Lagoon State Beach are great places to explore tidepools and play around. The Malibu Lagoon area is also close to the Malibu Pier, Malibu Country Mart and Legacy Park, providing a variety of things to do in close proximity to one another.

As a reward for good behavior we frequent local frozen treateries (Is that a word?). There are over 90 places focused on selling ice cream, frozen yogurt, gelato and other frozen treats around Ventura County. One of my kids is a big Baskin Robbins fan, another is a Tutti Frutti connoisseur. Leone’s Italian Ices are fantastic. Coaches Ice Cream in Newbury Park is a fun, family place.

Golf N' Stuff, unmistakably adjacent to the 101 freeway off Victoria in Ventura, has a diverse assortment of fun activities and is open literally 365 days a year. After playing one of the two 18-hole, well maintained courses, we blow off steam in the large arcade, knock into each other in the bumper boats and bumper cars and partake in other fun. And even in the heat of the summer, it stays cool here!

It's always fun to see a movie at a local movie theater with the kids, and here's a list of over 150 movie screens in 17 theaters around Ventura County. Not only is it a great way to beat the heat, but it's great for temporarily getting them to stop beating on each other! And you can't beat the experience of seeing a movie on the large screen.

You can't go wrong with Conejo Creek Park North in Thousand Oaks for many reasons...it is quite large and flat, great for riding bikes and scooters and playing on the grass, it has several play areas geared towards younger/older kids, the ponds and creek that run through the park are awesome and the ducks are quite entertaining. And the park is adjacent to the Thousand Oaks Library, Teen Center and Senior Center, linking it with so many other activities and things to do.

I am not ashamed to admit that I'm OK with going to Chuck E. Cheese's in Thousand Oaks and Ventura. The kids love CEC for the obvious...games...win tickets and cash them in for junk they'll never use. I get that. It's fun, loud and exciting in there. I don't mind so much because a) I can order a beer and a chicken sandwich and I'm pretty content, b) some of the games...skeeball, basketball, football toss...I myself enjoy playing and c) if I want to read the paper or mess around on my iPad, I can do so and not worry too much about the kids.

Of course, across the street is Dave and Buster’s, which your kids will gravitate when they are in their teens.

Moreton Bay Fig Tree at Plaza Park in Downtown Ventura Planted in 1874

Moreton Bay Fig Tree at Plaza Park in Ventura

If you're ever out and about in Downtown Ventura, you may want to stop by Plaza Park and admire the historic Moreton Bay Fig Tree thriving at the northwest corner of the park at E. Santa Clara Street and S. Chestnut Street - just one block down from Main Street, near The Majestic Ventura Theater.

This tree, formally called Ficus macrophylla, was planted by someone in 1874 and now stands at over 73.5 feet tall, with a branch spread of 139 feet and root spread of 87 feet. That is one heck of a tree, only slightly smaller than its slightly younger and more famous brother in Santa Paula.

For other things to do in Ventura, visit THIS PAGE.

Live Stream of Anacapa Islands Cove in Channel Islands National Park

Explore.org is the largest live nature cam network on the earth. In partnership with the National Park Service and Ventura County Office of Education, Explore has a local cam in place on Anacapa Island here in Ventura County off the coast of Port Hueneme.

There are several views from this webcam located within the landing cove on the east islet of Anacapa. There is a view north towards the mainland, a view east towards Arch Rock, a view southeast towards the historic Anacapa Island lighthouse, a view east towards a seabird rookery and a view downward towards the landing cove.

Anacapa has the unique distinction as being the only Channel Island that does not have a Spanish-derived name. Anacapa is derived from a Chumash word for "mirage island." The island is composed of narrow islets stretching six miles. 

There are actually eight Channel Islands, five of which are part of Channel Islands National Park. Anacapa is the second smallest of the eight islands at only 1.14 square miles. Santa Barbara is the smallest, at 1.02 square miles.

Visit Anacapa Island through Island Packers.

More on Channel Islands National Park at THIS LINK.

On a clear day you can see Anacapa Island from Newbury Park at the Rancho Potrero Open Space and other locations.

The Highly Interactive MOXI Museum in Santa Barbara

The MOXI, The Wolf Museum of Exploration + Innovation opened in a beautiful building adjacent to the Santa Barbara Amtrak Station on State Street in February 2017.

I took several pre-teen kids to the museum and the key word of this museum is --- INTERACTIVE! Every exhibit is made to be touched and experimented with. If you have kids, this is a local area must-do.

The moment you walk into the first floor of MOXI you are drawn to a gigantic handprint globe, gigantic guitar, magnet exhibit, sound studio and more.

The handprint globe exhibit near the entrance to the Museum.

Then outside in the first floor courtyard are some really fun activities involving wind propulsion, spinning devices, magnetic fields and a massive collection of see-through tunnels. Very fun!

But the fun just gets started on the first floor as the second floor of MOXI immediately brings back memories of Pinewood Derby - build a car and race it down a high tech track. Or do a jump shot, build a marble roller coaster, use your mind and compete in a game of Mindball and more.

You'll find light-driven exhibits on the other side of the second floor, with a gigantic "Lite Bright" type exhibit, a color mixing machine, light waves and more.

On the top of the building after picking up your jaw that just dropped at the panoramic views towards the ocean, State Street, adjacent Amtrak Station and mountains, there's even more to experience.  The "Whitewater" exhibit allows everyone to help move water down the line. Make music with the Weather Orchestra. Try the five observation scopes. And more!

Tickets can be purchased online for $25 (ages 13+) and $20 (ages 3-12) (as of July 2025); 2 and under are free. Or if you plan to visit several times a year, consider a family membership. More information at moxi.org.

To get there from Ventura County, take the 101 to the Garden Street exit (96B) and turn left. Take a right on Yanonali Street to State Street and you'll see MOXI. You can park in the train station parking lot or any local lot. 

Another idea to consider to make your visit more of an adventure is to take the Pacific Surfliner Amtrak train from Camarillo, Oxnard, Ventura, Moorpark or Simi Valley to the Santa Barbara Station adjacent to MOXI and the Reagan Ranch Center Exhibit Galleries. Fun!

Conejo Valley Guide Facebook Followers' Favorite Coronavirus Stay at Home Order Games

In a recent drawing on the Conejo Valley Guide Facebook Page, we asked folks to tell us their favorite games to play while quarantined at home during the COVID-19 pandemic emergency. Let’s take a look at the most frequently mentioned choices. Perhaps this will give all of us some ideas for new games to try out.

Games mentioned at least 4 times:

• Uno - 18

• Monopoly - 15

• Yahtzee - 7

• LCR - 5

• Scrabble - 5

• Ticket to Ride - 5

• Cards Against Humanity - 4

• Apples to Apples - 4

• Candyland - 4

• Mexican Train Dominoes -4

• Phase 10 - 4

• Rummikub - 4

• Sorry - 4

Games mentioned 2 or 3 times:

• Charades - 2

• Clue - 3

• Hedbanz - 2

• Jenga - 3

• Life - 2

• Loteria - 2

• Mario Party - 2

• Nerf Gun Wars - 2

• Pictionary - 3

• Poker - 2

• Puzzles - 2

• Quite Game - 3

• Scattergories - 3

• Trouble - 2

• War - 3

• What Do You Meme? - 2

Other games mentioned:

• Authors Card Game

• Bananagrams

• Beat the Parents

• Blokus

• BS

• Bunco

• Chutes & Ladders

• Code Names

• Colorku

• Connect 4

• Crazy Lego

• Cribbage

• Dominoes

• Don’t Step In It

• Family Feud

• Farkle

• Five Crowns

• Go Fish

• Guess Who

• Hi Ho Cherry O

• Hide and Seek

• Jackbox

• Kings in the Corner

• Mafia

• Mancala

• Memory Game

• Ninja Turtle Monopoly

• Old Maid

• Outburst

• Parcheesi

• Pop the Pig

• Race to the Treasure

• Rummy Tile

• Shifty Eyes Spies

• Ship Captain Crew

• Snoopy Monopoly

• Taboo

• Texas Holdem

• Upwords

• Words with Friends

• Zingo

Yahtzee is one of our personal favorites.