14 things to do during a weekend in Ventura, SoCal’s last truly chill beach town
- Forget about the glam. Bring flip-flops to Ventura, a vintage beach town at the northern edge of Southern California where “chill” is a way of life.
- Locals are big on hiking, biking or just watching the sunset on the beach, often with a dog in tow, but they also support many excellent restaurants, bakeries and pubs.
If you’re coming to Ventura, forget pricey glam and try to channel the Dude. “Vintage,” “rustic,” “dog-friendly” and “flip-flop casual” are the code words for this beach town at the western end of the 101 Freeway before it starts heading north.
People strive to be outside in Ventura. During the COVID-19 pandemic, I was lucky enough to find a house to buy here. I’m in a residential area a few miles from the beach, and every day I see dozens of people walking their dogs; escorting their children to school, coffee cups in hand; running while pushing three-wheeled baby strollers; or cycling in pairs in the bike lanes, deep in shouted conversations.
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Beyond exercise and errands, quick scenic hikes abound around this city, so you can easily hit the trail and still have plenty of time for shopping and/or playing at the beach.
When they aren’t recreating, Venturans like to chill. For a city with just 110,000 people (a quarter of Long Beach’s population), there are plenty of good places to eat and drink. We have at least three excellent bakeries making their own breads and pastries, and breakfasting out is particularly popular, as is hanging at brewpubs playing trivia or listening to music, browsing thrift stores or just grabbing a spot at the beach to watch the sun go down.
This is the corporate home of Patagonia, an environmental champion and maker of ultra-hip outdoor gear, but lest you think you’re in tree-hugger central, note that the Ventura Raceway (located at the Ventura County Fairgrounds) hosts weekly races from which the whine of circling cars can be heard for miles. And heading east on Highway 33 toward Ojai (just 20 minutes away), you’ll see plenty of oil rigs bobbing along the highway.
Not far from the ocean, Ventura’s farmland grows crops like berries, celery, citrus and avocados. And unlike in Santa Barbara to the north, where almost every square inch of foothills seems covered with houses, the community here fought to keep most of their foothills undeveloped. At least for now.
Affordable housing is increasingly hard to find in Ventura, even as new townhouses and apartments are springing up all over, to the relief of some and fury of others who want to preserve the city’s vintage vibe.
So, like everyplace on Earth, Ventura is changing, but it’s still easy to bask in its simple pleasures. Just bring a wrap — summer and early fall evenings can get chilly here — along with an appetite for excellent eats and laid-back adventures, which you can pursue or not. Whatever moves you, dude. It’s all good.
Eat tempura fish tacos at Spencer Makenzie's Fish Co.
Look at the ocean from Ventura Pier and Promenade
Go hiking in the Harmon Canyon Preserve
Take in the natural beauty of the Ventura Botanical Gardens
It’s hard to imagine a bad time to visit the gardens, but try to choose a day with billowy clouds and the sun drifting in and out. These terraced gardens are focused on the flora of the world’s five Mediterranean climates, in Southern California, Australia, Chile, South Africa and, of course, the Mediterranean, but the walks are as much about the heart-soaring vistas of surf and sky as they are about the plants beside your feet.
Most of the walkways are meandering switchbacks of earth and rock, and it’s a good two miles from the welcome center to the top gardens. You can make a loop on the return too. The walks are uphill, but the incline is so gradual and the view so distracting that you hardly notice you’re slightly out of breath. The first half mile or so is packed hard for wheelchair access, but the rest of the paths can be challenging for wheels; nonetheless, I’ve seen more than one adult pushing all-terrain strollers along the paths.
These are young gardens, mostly replanted since mid-2018 after the Thomas fire in 2017 and 2018. Leashed dogs are welcome on Wednesdays, Fridays and monthly free days. There is ample free parking in the garden’s lot behind Ventura’s City Hall. Admission is $7, except on Fridays, when entry is free. Ages 18 and younger are free.
Go thrifting for household goods and pick up pastries in Midtown
Order the classic Brioche French toast at Cafe Nouveau
Stroll Ventura's pedestrian-friendly downtown
Take the kids to Arroyo Verde Park's inclusive playground and trails
Savor live jazz at the Grape
Admire historic homes on Poli Street and Hobson Heights
Explore Ventura Harbor
Grab pizza, brews and views on Front Street Downtown
Take in a beach sunset
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