Ventura Tourist Attractions
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Location and importanceVentura lies on the U.S. 101 and is 60mi/96km northwest of Los Angeles, 30mi/48km from Santa Barbara, and about 190mi/300km from San Diego. Ventura is an abbreviation for the San Buenaventura Mission. Around this center the town of Ventura has developed over decades. It lies in the middle of an agricultural region. During the previous century people began to grow citrus fruits, avocados and other produce. Today it is the USA's most important area for the cultivation of citrus fruits.In the early twenties oil was discovered very near to Ventura. This led to the town's economic upswing, and today there is a large oil refinery here.Since the end of the Second World War holidaymakers have been enticed to Ventura by the superb beaches, especially the San Buenaventura State Beach, a marina which will accommodate 1,500 motor and sailing boats, as well as by the excursion boats plying between here and the Channel Islands.
Channel Islands National Park
Five islands make up Channel Islands National Park off the coast of Southern California. They offer a great opportunity for wildlife and bird watching, and also contain more than 800 endemic plant varieties.
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Museum of Ventura County (formerly Ventura County Museum of History and Art
The Museum of Ventura County focuses on art and history exhibits dating from early Native Americans to the 21st Century. The range of items includes Chumash Indian pieces to 18th century furniture.
Mission San Buenaventura
HistoryOne of the last of the mission stations to be founded by Father Serra, little now remains of San Buenaventura except the church which, like so many others, suffered damage in the 1812 earthquake. The gardens which once surrounded the church have long since given way to buildings of all kinds, principally because of their location in the center of the present-day town. At the time when the mission stations were built this region was inhabited by Chumash Indians, said to have been the most highly developed tribe in California.Location211 E. Main Street, Ventura, from Highway 101 turn into Main Street via California Street.
Padre Serra Cross
On Easter morning in 1782, Father Junipero Serra, erected the first Padre Serra cross. The Padre Serra Cross offers an impressive view.
Albinger Archaeological Museum (closed)
The Albinger Archaeological Museum is in the same street as the Ventura County Museum of History and Art. It has valuable finds from Indian culture (1500 BC), as well as Chinese and Mexican artifacts.Evidence of an early Indian culture dating from 1600 B.C. and the later Chumash Indians from 1500 onwards. The original mission foundation and an earth oven are in the dig area outside.
Olivas Adobe Historic Park
The Olivas adobe was one of the few two-story homes in the area when constructed in 1847. The family had 21 children and Rancho San Miguel prospered until the drought of the 1860s. The Olivas Adobe Historic Park in Ventura is home to the adobe, rose and herb gardens, family artifacts and furnishings.The Olivas Adobe Historic Park stands as a monument to theRancho Period ofCalifornia history.
Ventura City Hall
Ventura City Hall was designed, and built, by Los Angeles architect Albert C. Martin, in 1912. The Beaux-Arts style features neo-classic columns, arched windows, and a terra cotta facade complete with 24 faces of Fransiscan padres, the order that founded the city in 1782. The foyer features an Italian marble stairway and three stained glass domes, which were a gift from Albert C. Martin.
Ortega Adobe
Built in 1857, Ortega Adobe is typical of the homes ordinary people lived in, which are very different from the homes of the wealthy. There are places where the adobe is peeled back to expose the structural materials beneath.
Ventura Harbor
Ventura Harbor, built in 1963, is a man-made commercial and recreational harbor. The harbor is home to two yacht clubs and a harbor village with many eateries and shops.
A J Comstock Fire Museum
The A. J. Comstock Fire Museum has displays of fire fighting equipment and photos of the firefighters from the turn of the century.
Surroundings
Ventura Surroundings stretch from the Pacific into the wooded and mountainous terrain of the Los Padres National Forest.
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Simi Valley
Simi Valley is located northwest of Los Angeles. The city is the site of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, parks, camping and picnic facilities, bike trails, pools, tennis courts, ice skating rinks, 3 golf courses and one of the largest equestrian trail systems in the United States.
Bottle Village
Bottle Village began in 1956 by Tressa "Grandma" Prisbrey when she was 60 years old. Features are the life size structures all made from found objects placed in mortar such as shrines, wishing wells, walkways as well as the Dolls Head Shrine, and car - headlight - bird-baths.
Ronald Reagan Presidential Library
The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley celebrates the rise from college star, to Hollywood and on to the presidential years of this great American politician. Documents, photographs and artifacts are on display.
Strathearn Historical Park and Museum
The Strathearn Valley Historical Park and Museum opened in 1969 and is located in the Strathearn home built in 1892-3. The 6.25 acre park encompasses a Chumash Indian Village, several barns, a library, general store and Colony House.
Port Hueneme
Port Hueneme is a naval port located 40mi/64km west of Los Angeles.
CEC (Seabee Museum)
Exhibits at the Seabee Museum in Port Hueneme show scenes that highlight the work of the U.S. Navy Seabees and the Navy Civil Engineer Corps.
