Fun for the Kids at Local Ventura County Shopping Malls

Shop and plop yourself down while your kids get entertained or, better yet, entertain themselves.  Here is a roundup of kids' activities and play areas at local shopping malls.  In addition to these ongoing activities, seasonal/holiday events are posted regularly here on Conejo Valley Guide.

The Lakes at Thousand Oaks has a nicely appointed outdoor playground with swings, slide and sandbox, large grassy area, two lakes (with ducks usually enjoying it) and waterfall.

Janss Marketplace in Thousand Oaks has Kids Fun Zone arts and crafts on the last Saturday of the month.  There is a small outdoor kids play area for the little ones and an impressive outdoor water fountain, not to mention a NEOS interactive play wall. And Sky Zone Trampoline Park is fun for all ages.

The Commons at Calabasas offers a Kids Club for kids 10 and under on Tuesday nights at 5pm typically March through October as well as an Edwards Theater.

Simi Valley Town Center has a small outdoor kids play area, dragon structure and $2 mini train rides. There’s also the Rockin’ Kids Play Center and Studio Movie Grill to round out the action.

The Oaks Mall in Thousand Oaks offers an indoor kids play area for little ones, Build-a-Bear Workshop, Jumpify Indoor Playground, Galactic Challenge airsoft B target range on level 2 of the outdoor shops area and the AMC Movie Theater.

Pacific View Mall in Ventura has a nice kids' play area near the food court, Bouncing Fun Land and a monthly Kids Club. Soon the Harbor View Carousel will be operating there in the level 2 food court area.

Camarillo Premium Outlets expanded by 220,000 sq ft in April 2009 with The Promenade, which has a Spanish style courtyard area.  In 2019, a kids playground area was constructed at The Promenade.

Playground installed at the Camarillo Premium Outlets in 2019.

The Promenade at Westlake does not have a kids play area but they do have several nice fountains, live music on most summer weekends, the upscale Cinepolis movie theater and a koi pond.

Malibu Country Mart has a nice outdoor kids' playground area with cool ocean breezes.

The Collection at Riverpark in Oxnard has the 16 screen Century Theatre, Color Me Mine ceramics studio and a nice outdoor playground/park area and the Bowlero bowling alley and Jump ‘N Jammin indoor play center. The Annex Food Hall at The Collection offers a Kids Club the last Wednesday of the month. There are board games available daily at Park View Court.

The Pedestrian Tunnel Under Avenida De Los Arboles in Thousand Oaks

There's a pedestrian tunnel that connects the Wildflower Playfield on Avenida De Los Arboles at Canna Street that goes underneath Arboles to Wildwood Neighborhood Park.

At the west end of Wildwood Neighborhood Park is a trail that will take you into Wildwood Park, and from there, you can either loop around back to the main Wildwood Park trailhead at the west end of Arboles, or turn back the way you came.

Wildwood Neighborhood Park was home to the original Wildwood Fort, built in 1967, but torn down in 2009 due to deterioration. New playground equipment was installed in 2021. There is also a playground across the street at Wildflower Playfield, along with restrooms at both parks. More info at www.crpd.org.

Playground at Wildwood Neighborhood Park

Concert Venues in Ventura County and Adjacent Venues

Looking to attend a concert in the Conejo Valley, greater Ventura County and adjacent areas? Here’s a compilation of such concert venues. For a separate listing of local area restaurant and bars where you can catch live music, visit THIS LINK.

The Bank of America Performing Arts Center (BAPAC) Thousand Oaks is one of the largest performing arts centers between Los Angeles and San Francisco at over 200,000 square feet. Managed by the City of Thousand Oaks, the BAPAC encompasses two theatres – the 1,800-seat Fred Kavli Theatre and the 394-seat Janet and Ray Scherr Forum Theatre. Located at 2100 E. Thousand Oaks Boulevard.  bapacthousandoaks.com

The Santa Barbara Bowl, located at 1122 N. Milpas Street, Santa Barbara, was originally built in 1936 and today with its capacity of nearly 5,000 people is the largest outdoor amphitheater in Santa Barbara County. www.sbbowl.com

The Majestic Ventura Theatre offers a 1920's Mission Style Architecture ambiance - you can see and feel close to the band from practically anywhere in the theater. All genres of music. 1200 capacity venue with multiple full bars, ballroom and occasional dinner shows. The theater is located at 26 S. Chestnut Ave., Ventura.  www.venturatheater.net 

Ventura Music Hall is located at 1888 E. Thompson Blvd in Ventura, hosting live music and offering craft food and drinks. www.venturamusichall.com

The Simi Valley Cultural Arts Center is a 220 seat theater at 3050 Los Angeles Avenue that hosts musicals, concerts, exhibits, children's theater and other events year-round.  The theater is a landmark Gothic structure built in the 1920s that was named as Ventura County Historical Landmark #67 in July 1981.  The building has served numerous purposes since inception and became the Cultural Arts Center in November 1995.  www.simi-arts.org

The Oceanview Pavilion located at 575 E. Surfside Drive in Port Hueneme offers concerts, theater, fairs, shows and a variety of other events for all ages.  The venue has a capacity for up to 1400 people and can be rented out for special events. www.oceanviewinfo.com

The Oxnard Performing Arts & Convention Center at 800 Hobson Way has over 1,600 seats in a theater that showcases local theater, dance, music and other programs. www.theopac.org

The High Street Arts Center at 45 E. High Street has been owned by the city of Moorpark since 2005, the theater now provides high quality theatrical performances and concerts at reasonable prices  www.highstreetarts.com

The Lisa Smith Wengler Center for the Arts at Pepperdine University, located on campus at 24255 Pacific Coast Highway, Malibu, showcases musicians, performers and artists from around the world at its Raitt Recital Hall (100 seats), Smothers Theatre (500 seats), Helen E. Lindhurst Theatre and the Frederick R. Weisman Museum of Art. www.arts.pepperdine.edu

The Canyon Club in the Whizin Market Square at 28912 Roadside Drive, Agoura Hills is a live concert venue and supper club that host all types of bands and genres, comedy, special events and more. There are tables if you’re there to enjoy dinner too. Capacity is about 600. wheremusicmeetsthesoul.com/canyon-agoura-hills

Libbey Bowl is located in the heart of Ojai near the corner of Ojai Avenue and Signal Street. It was originally built in 1957 and has been used for the annual Ojai Music Festival, Storytelling Festival, Ojai Day event, holiday celebrations and many other community events through the years. It accommodates 1,300 people. www.libbeybowl.org.

The historic Arlington Theatre is located at 1317 State Street in Santa Barbara. Built in the mission revival style, it seats over 2,000 attendees. thearlingtontheatre.com

Then and Now: The Dairy Farm at Camarillo State Hospital

In 1932, the State of California purchased 1,760 acres of the Lewis Ranch and built the Camarillo State Mental Hospital, which operated from 1936 to 1997 and at one point treated as many as 7,000 patients in the mid 1950s.

Located on the parcel was a dairy farm that produced crops and housed livestock that fed the hospital community. The farm was disbanded in the 1960s and has been left in a state of disrepair, falling prey over the decades to vandals and coined "Scary Dairy."

Here are some "then and now" photos of the most prominent elements of the dairy farm.

The hay barn at Camarillo State Hospital in the 1940s (CSUCI John Spoor Broome Library historic photo collection)

The hay barn today.

The dairy at Camarillo State Hospital in the mid-1950s. (CSUCI John Spoor Broome Library historic photo collection)

The dairy building today, fenced off, covered with graffiti. 

Inside the hay barn - undated photo. (CSUCI John Spoor Broome Library historic photo collection)

Inside of hay barn - more recently.

Hiking to the Waterfall in Pt Mugu State Park from Rancho Sierra Vista/Satwiwa

One of the most popular hikes in the Rancho Sierra Vista/Satwiwa open space in Newbury Park is to a small waterfall in the adjacent Boney Mountain Wilderness. The hike is about 3 1/2 miles round-trip from the Satwiwa Native American Indian Culture Center and is a moderate hike that can be done by all ages.

Keep in mind that in drought years, there’s sometimes not more than a trickle flowing down this waterfall, while in rainier years like 2023-2024, the waterfall is quite active. In either case, it’s a fun hike to do.

You have two primary options for where to start the hike. You can drive into the Rancho Sierra Vista park entrance on Via Goleta in Newbury Park and park in a lot that is a brief walk to the Culture Center, or you can park at the Wendy Drive and Potrero Road trailhead and add an another two miles, round trip, to your adventure.

The entrance to Rancho Sierra Vista/Satwiwa at Via Goleta, 1 mile west of Reino Road.

The trailhead where Wendy Road ends at Potrero Road in Newbury Park

The Satwiwa Native American Indian Culture Center is a small building open from 9am to 4pm on weekends (as of April 2024) where you can learn about native Chumash items and local wildlife.

Next to the Culture Center, you'll see multiple paths, all of which can get you to your destination, but the most direct path is the Satwiwa Loop Trail seen on the left, which crosses through a meadow that can be quite green and beautiful in late Winter/early Spring and dry and brown the rest of the year. An alternate route is on the right of the picture above - the Big Sycamore Canyon Trail (paved road) to the Boney Mountain Trail, where you'll take a left.

Satwiwa Loop Trail section that takes you diagonally through the meadow. Seen here when it is nice and green.

At the end of the meadow, continue straight up a fairly steep hill, where on the right hand side you'll see the Sycamore Canyon Overlook bench shown below.

bench on sycamore canyon overlook

Hike up the moderately steep and rocky path up the hill behind the bench and you'll reach another fork in the road. If you veer left at this juncture you'll be on the Hidden Valley Overlook Trail within Rancho Sierra Vista/Satwiwa. Stay to the right and you'll be entering the Boney Mountain Wilderness area within Point Mugu State Park.

Sign that shows you the Hidden Valley Overlook Trail is on the left.

Veering right into the State of California managed Pt Mugu State Park; as you can see, dogs are not allowed in the back country area of the park.

This trail is referred to as Danielson Road, named after the last private owner of these lands. The path down into the canyon is seen below (taken from a higher point en route to the Danielson Monument).

View of the initial section of Danielson Road trail down into the canyon; this is the path you will be taking towards the waterfall.

Danielson Road is a bit on the steep side but I see folks young and old walking up and down this section all the time. Seen here in very dry conditions.

THIS IS THE OLD SIGN, WHEN IT WAS CALLED DANIELSON ROAD (PRIOR TO 2024)

NEW SIGN IN 2024 SHOWING THE “OLD CABIN TRAIL” INSTEAD OF DANIELSON ROAD.

After .4 mile, you will reach the bottom of the canyon and see the sign above, the final sign indicating you are on your way to the Waterfall Trail. Then you will cross a creek bed, which can have water in it after the rains. The photo taken below in January 2015 shows minimal moisture, making it easy to cross. Some years you may have to rock hop your way a bit over the creek.

Creek bed crossing on the way to the waterfall IN 2015

Creek Crossing in April 2024.

After you cross the creek, the remainder of the trail to the waterfall is single track. Be careful not to come in contact with poison oak often seen on the sides of the trails. For this reason, I would generally not recommend strollers be taken up here.

Soon you will reach the final fork in the road. Go straight and soon you will be at the waterfall. To the right, the Old Cabin Trail (formerly Danielson Road Trail) continues upward to the Danielson Monument.

the waterfall in april 2024.

OTHER HIKES AND TRAILS IN AND AROUND VENTURA COUNTY

Areas in the Santa Monica Mountains Recreation Area Allowing Dogs on Leash

Pooch on leash

The Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area is the largest urban national park in the United States at over 150,000 acres, extending from the Hollywood Bowl on the east to Point Mugu at its western end; including the beaches of Santa Monica and Malibu as well as the canyons and peaks extending north to Simi Valley.

Dogs are allowed in a number of areas within the Santa Monica Mountains, as long as they are on leashes that are no more than 6 feet in length. Here is a listing of areas where dogs are allowed:

National Park Service: Arroyo Sequit (has been closed since the Woolsey Fire in 2018), Castro Crest, Cheeseboro/Palo Comado Canyons, Circle X Ranch, Deer Creek Canyon, Paramount Ranch, Peter Strauss Ranch, Rancho Sierra Vista/Satwiwa, Rocky Oaks, Solstice Canyon and Zuma/Trancas Canyons

Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy: Calabasas Peak, Dixie Canyon, Escondido Canyon, Franklin Canyon, Fryman Canyon, Marvin Braude Mulholland Gateway Park, Red Rock Canyon Park, San Vicente Mountain Park, Temescal Gateway Park, Wilacre Park

City of Malibu: Charmlee Wilderness Park, Malibu Bluffs

California State Parks: Pets are NOT allowed on backcountry trails of Topanga, Malibu Creek, Leo Carrillo and Point Mugu State Park, including the Boney Mountain Wilderness.

Canines are not allowed in the backcountry trails of Point Mugu State Park, including the Boney Mountain Wilderness.

Dogs on leash are allowed at County Line Beach, Leo Carrillo State Park (on beach north of lifeguard tower 3 and campground only), Point Mugu State Park (on beach and campground only in Sycamore Cove and Thornhill Broome Beach), Will Rogers State Historic Park (day-use areas and loop road only)

L.A. City Recreation and Park District: Coldwater Canyon Park, Laurel Canyon Park, Runyon Canyon Park, Temescal Canyon Park

While you're out on the trails with your pooch, remember to pick up after your dog and bring plenty of water and food for you and Fido.

For more information, visit the Anthony C. Beilenson Interagency Visitor Center in Calabasas or www.nps.gov/samo.

Outside of the Santa Monica Mountains, trails in the Conejo Valley, Simi Hills and other local area locations are generally dog-friendly as long as your furry friend is on a leash. 

Dozens and dozens and dozens of local area trails and hikes

DOG PARKS IN AND AROUND VENTURA COUNTY

VISITING STATE PARKS WITH YOUR DOG