(Patrick Hruby / Los Angeles Times)
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 its 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 every place 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.
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(Jeanette Marantos / Los Angeles Times)
Eat tempura fish tacos at Spencer Makenzie's Fish Co.
Seafood
Whenever out-of-towners come to visit, one of their first requests is to visit Spencer Makenzie’s Fish Co. to order the delicious tempura fish tacos and mixed vegetable tempura. There are lots of other fish-related items on the menu too, along with five signature (and extremely popular) sauces, including the hot (but not the hottest) Sweet Chili Fire, the mild Spencer Sauce with a mayo/sour cream base and the Brooklyn Style, which mixes those two together for a smooth and spicy finish. (It’s great on the tempura fish tacos.) No matter what, be sure to sample at least one of the hand-dipped tempura offerings. We love the mixed vegetable tempura: lightly steamed carrots, green beans, broccoli, sweet potato and zucchini with a thin, crunchy coating. Spencer Makenzie’s does a brisk takeout business, but for the best tempura crunch, try to eat your order as soon as it arrives. Owners John and Jennifer Karayan named the business after their two oldest children, starting it out of a concession trailer in 2007 and going on to earn a string of best food awards at fairs and festivals. There’s also a Spencer Makenzie’s in nearby Camarillo; at both locations, the Karayans use only sushi-grade fish, make their own clam chowder and most of their own sauces, turn their cooking oil into biodiesel fuel for vehicles and offer biodegradable plates, cups and utensils. If you’re coming for the weekend, make this your first Ventura meal. The funky little restaurant with the neon turquoise sign and decor is a delicious introduction to the city’s laid-back vibe.
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(Jeanette Marantos / Los Angeles Times)
Look at the ocean from Ventura Pier and Promenade
Beach Trail
Ventura’s historic wooden pier, the oldest in California, was known as San Buenaventura Wharf when it was built in 1872, jutting 1,620 feet from the shore to sea. Heavy storms in January 2023 closed most of the Ventura Pier for repairs, but the entire length reopened in June 2024. Within days it was bristling with fishing poles and their owners, swapping stories as they cast their lines, and leisurely walkers curious about that day’s catch. The pier stays open until 10 p.m. and is just a few blocks west of Ventura’s downtown eateries, so this is a good place for an after-dinner stroll. You can also find plenty to eat at the beginning of the pier, at Eric Ericsson’s Fish Co., Beach House Tacos and MadeWest Brewing Co.â€s Ventura Pier Taproom. After making the rounds of the pier, walk, skate or bike north for about a mile on the broad Ventura Promenade to Surfer’s Point and the Ventura River Estuary, where you can count surfers and many species of seabirds. Along the way you’ll find benches, restrooms, a playground and Aloha Steakhouse, Ventura’s only beachfront restaurant, where, weather permitting, you can comfortably sit, sip and/or eat while watching the water and everyone walking by. There’s free parking past the fairgrounds at Surfer’s Point, or paid parking at the Harbor Boulevard Parking Structure just north of the pier. The cost is $2 an hour or $10 for the day, and if you dine at a validating restaurant, you can get two hours of parking free.
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(Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)
Go hiking in the Harmon Canyon Preserve
Canyon Trail
The Ventura Land Trust opened the Harmon Canyon Preserve in 2021, offering a network of hikes through groves of native oak trees, along streams and up to high points for vistas of the surrounding mountains and the Channel Islands. Alas, the upper portion of the reserve remains closed due to damage from winter storms, but there are quick and lovely hikes in the lower areas that are good for mountain bikers and hikers (just keep your ears open for the mini-cowbells all bikers are required to carry). Walking the preserve feels like taking a trip through Old California, especially on Trail No. 107, a three-mile loop from the parking lot and back that takes you past some astonishing ancient oaks. Try this walk in the morning or late in the day (the preserve is open from dawn to dusk) when temperatures are cooler. Leashed dogs are welcome for the first 1.8 miles into the preserve (signs will alert you to no-dog zones). If you’re walking with children, give them a special reward by visiting the terrific inclusive play area at the top of Arroyo Verde Park just two miles west off of Foothills Road.
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(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
Take in the natural beauty of Ventura Botanical Gardens
Ventura Coastal hike
The Ventura Botanical Gardens is an inspiring place to wander and pause, taking in the views of Anacapa and Santa Cruz islands, the Santa Monica Mountains and Ventura’s long, curling stretch of ocean and shore. There’s also the sharp, sweet fragrance of the plants, such as the Chilean Escallonia illinita bush that smells like maple syrup, especially after a rain, and the crazy eccentricities of prickly, Dr. Seuss-shaped shrubs, succulents and trees.
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.
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.
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(Jeanette Marantos / Los Angeles Times)
Go thrifting for household goods and pick up pastries in Midtown
Neighborhood
Midtown is Ventura’s center, a hodgepodge of eateries, thrift stores and other shops south of downtown and east of the 101 Freeway. You can find a handy list of the area’s thrift stores in this roundup; two of the best are the Assistance League of Ventura County’s Bargain Box Thrift Store at 3351 Telegraph Road and Laguna Vintage at 1978 E. Main St. Abednego Book Shoppe at 2682 E. Main St. is a popular used bookstore crammed with merchandise, and Pete’s Breakfast House, 2055 E. Main St., is high on the must-visit list. If the wait at Pete’s gets too discouraging, note that Midtown also has three excellent bakeries. Cafe Ficelle, with two locations in Midtown, sells French-style breads, pastries and coffee at 390 S. Mills Road (along with breakfast and lunch) and coffee, bread and pastries only at 2126 E. Main St., across from Ventura High School. Two blocks north (just follow your nose) is the new Clemente Baking Co., 2016 E. Main St., which features delicious organic sourdough breads, cookies, scones and other treats. And less than half a mile west, at San Clemente Street and Thompson Boulevard, is Butter & Fold, which features special coffees, teas and a wide selection of handmade baked goods. (Try a tartine with goat cheese and local honey or house-made apple compote and butter on one of the handmade baguettes.)
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(Jeanette Marantos / Los Angeles Times)
Order the classic Brioche French toast at Cafe Nouveau
Californian
Once upon a time Cafe Nouveau was a French restaurant, but no more. Today the vibe is “California fusion cuisine.” I’m not sure what that means, since the name and decor feel very café Français, but I can definitely vouch for the food and the ambience. I get lots of repeat weekend visitors, and almost everyone requests breakfast at Cafe Nouveau. The service is exceptional, with wait staff who are attentive but never make you feel rushed, despite the line of people waiting outside. The menu is varied and reasonably priced. My favorites for breakfast are the chile verde with eggs and the Classic Nouveau Brioche French toast with a side of scrambled eggs and bacon, both about $23. Definitely come hungry if you order the chile verde and eggs. The dish comes with delicious white beans and a blueberry corn muffin (although I usually trade mine for one of the excellent biscuits). When the weather is fair, I always wait for patio seating, but sitting inside is nice as well. I’ve heard the food is equally good for lunch and dinner, but breakfast is where this restaurant shines. Tip: Cafe Nouveau doesn’t take reservations, but you can add your name to the waitlist via Yelp before you go to shorten your wait.
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(Jeanette Marantos / Los Angeles Times)
Visit the grounds of Mission Basilica San Buenaventura
Mission
Ventura’s Mission Basilica San Buenaventura was founded in 1782, the ninth and final mission established by the Spanish Franciscan friar Saint JunĂpero Serra, canonized in 2015 by Pope Francis, and controversial because of the church’s devastation of Indigenous cultures in its quest to convert Native people to Catholicism. The mission is narrow and modest, with a small shady fenced garden, but the grounds are steeped in Ventura history, from the church’s founding on native Chumash land to the recent relocation of a 9-foot-tall bronze statue of Serra that once stood outside Ventura City Hall but was removed after similar statues in Los Angeles and San Francisco were toppled by protesters in 2020. Ventura’s City Council put the statue into storage for protection in May 2020; it was reinstalled on the mission grounds on Feb. 29, 2024. Visitors can tour the grounds, including the church and small museum, daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. for $8 ($5 for seniors 65+ and people with military ID, $3 ages 5-17, free for ages 4 and under). Look for the church’s unique wooden bells in the museum and a smaller version of Michelangelo’s “Pietá” in a church alcove. If you happen to go during Mass at 5:30 p.m., you’ll miss the museum but be able to wander the garden for free and enjoy the church’s excellent acoustics and beautiful music. For more glimpses into Ventura’s history, just walk next door to the Albinger Archaeological Museum, open Saturdays and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is free.
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(Jeanette Marantos / Los Angeles Times)
Stroll Ventura's pedestrian-friendly downtown
Ventura Shop
Any day — and many evenings — of the week you’ll find scads of people strolling Main Street in Ventura’s historic downtown, where the roadway was closed to traffic between Fir Street and Figueroa Plaza in May 2020 to enable restaurants and stores to set up seating and shopping outside during the pandemic. The street closure, dubbed “Main Street Moves,” is still under review; a decision about whether to make the closure permanent is now scheduled for January. For now, it’s fun to walk on Main and its side streets, browsing shops and downtown’s many good restaurants, bars and brewpubs. Notables include Rumfish y Vino, Fluid State Beer Garden, Peirano’s, Immigrant Son Caffe, the Taj Cafe and Paradise Pantry, a combination restaurant, wine shop and cheese counter. Ventura’s busy farmers market is on Main Street between Palm Street and Figueroa Plaza every Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to noon. And note that many of Ventura’s best thrift stores are situated downtown, particularly on Main Street between Figueroa Plaza and Oak Street, where you’ll find the Coalition Thrift Store, CAAN Thrift Store and SPARC Second Chance Store. There are also parking lots offering free parking for four hours or all day. And note that the beach and Ventura’s pier and promenade are just four blocks west on “C” Street, a.k.a. California Street.
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(Jeanette Marantos / Los Angeles Times)
Take the kids to Arroyo Verde Park's inclusive playground and trails
Park
Arroyo Verde Park is a 132-acre park laced with trails and an extraordinary playground designed for children of all ages and abilities, and it’s only about four miles from downtown. My 4-year-old granddaughter came to California for her first Disneyland visit in February, but her reaction to this playground was nearly as joyous as it was to seeing Mickey, and unlike the Magic Kingdom, our weekday visit was free — the city charges $3 for parking on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays. The park features a popular 2.3-mile loop trail around its perimeter and has large grassy areas for barbecues, family gatherings, games and romping. Dogs are permitted off-leash between 6 and 9 a.m. Tuesdays through Sundays. But the highlight for us was the playground near the end of the road, where you’ll find lots of parking. There’s a wide array of equipment for climbing, sliding, spinning and exploring, and even the ground is made of a spongy material to minimize rambunctious injuries. If you have children in your group, it’s definitely worth your time to explore this park.
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(Jeanette Marantos / Los Angeles Times)
Savor live jazz at the Grape
Jazz club
The Grape House of Jazz & Spirits is in Midtown Ventura, and true to its name, it does serves up a good mix of alcoholic drinks and excellent live jazz on Tuesday through Saturday evenings. You have to be 21 to enter, but this is no smoky dive bar. You can stand outside and look (enviously) inside through the large windows, listening to everything from big bands to intimate trios. There is a cover charge that can be as much as $30 or $40 for big performers on Saturday nights, but the cost to get in for nightly happy hours from 5 to 7 p.m. ranges from free to $10. Some Saturdays, the Grape also offers less expensive performances in the late afternoon. Note that the venue doesn’t serve food, but you can bring in meals purchased elsewhere, and there’s a menu on hand for the excellent nearby Ventura Sandwich Co., so you can order something yummy and have it delivered to the bar. If you’re planning a visit, check out the Grape’s website to see who will be playing and save yourself a few dollars by buying your tickets online. And get there early if you want a good seat; if you sit at the bar you can hear the music but only watch it on monitors since the main action is in the next room. The ambience is terrific and rejuvenating, even if you’re only listening to the bar’s regular performers during happy hour.
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(Jeanette Marantos / Los Angeles Times)
Admire historic homes on Poli Street and Hobson Heights
Historic Home
As you’re driving around Ventura, take a little detour to admire the historic homes in Midtown’s Hobson Heights, starting at the corner of East Main Street and Encinal Way. Then drive along Poli Street (pronounced “pole-eye” by natives) north toward downtown to admire the classic whitewashed bungalows lining that curvy, narrow road. For an extra thrill, casually (and carefully) turn left off Poli Street (toward the ocean) onto the very steep downhill on Palm Street and prepare yourself for the shrieks of your companions. If you really enjoy rubbernecking, you can find lots of classic California bungalow homes throughout Midtown between Poli Street and the 101 Freeway.
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(Jeanette Marantos / Los Angeles Times)
Explore Ventura Harbor
Boats
Yes, Ventura Harbor is basically about ogling boats, but it’s also adjacent to some of the city’s most popular beaches, at Surfer’s Knoll and Harbor Cove. The Robert J. Lagomarsino Visitor Center at Channel Islands National Park is across the street from Harbor Cove, next to the very popular (and quite delicious) Harbor Cove Cafe, with a bookstore, exhibits about the Channel Islands and marine aquatic life, and free Tidepool Talks at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays. Nearby, the Island Packers boat tour company offers whale-watching cruises as well as daily trips to the Channel Islands, and you can rent anything from paddle boards to (very slow-moving) electric boats to explore the harbor at Ventura Boat Rentals. But most people just seem to enjoy wandering around the shops, restaurants and boardwalk of Ventura Harbor Village, which has some kind of event (such as the Ventura Art and Chalk Festival Sept. 14-15) or live music nearly every weekend. If you enjoy belly dancing and good food, make a reservation for dinner on a Friday or Saturday evening at the Greek Mediterranean Steak & Seafood.
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(Jeanette Marantos / Los Angeles Times)
Grab pizza, brews and views on Front Street downtown
Pizza
Ventura-owned Toppers Pizza Place and Transmission Brewing next door have created a delicious partnership on Front Street in downtown Ventura, where you can savor some excellent pizza and an extensive salad bar along with locally brewed beer and spectacular ocean and city views in the soaring seating area. You have to be 21 to dine in the aerie just behind the restaurant and taproom (accessible by stairs or elevator), but no worries if your party includes children: Toppers has ample seating inside and out for families. Transmission Brewing, an old auto mechanic shop converted into a gleaming 30-barrel taproom, is pretty arresting as well. Weekends are particularly popular here, but the food and drink are worth the wait. If you’re already parked at the pier, you can cross the Ventura Freeway on the special pedestrian bridge that extends from the pier at Harbor Boulevard to Ash Street, and then it’s just a short half-block to Front Street, where you turn right and walk another couple of blocks south. On the way, nearly next door to Toppers, you’ll pass the Wharf, a Ventura institution that opened in 1916 as a warehouse selling products delivered by sea or train. Today it offers a vast array of jeans, Western wear, boots, shoes and other clothing, as well as an astonishing selection of food and accessories for pets, livestock and even wild birds. If you need it, they likely have it.
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(Jeanette Marantos / Los Angeles Times)
Take in a beach sunset
Beach
Really, you can go to any beach in Ventura around sunset and experience the same thing — locals wandering toward the shore, sometimes with beach chairs and a glass of their favorite beverage, coming to admire the setting sun and all its wonders. It would be an exaggeration to say that Ventura always has great sunsets, but they happen more often than not and even when they’re relatively mundane, there’s just something magical about watching the sun dip below the horizon, briefly turning the sky and sea vibrant shades of plum, salmon and pink. Some of the most popular viewing spots are along the Ventura Promenade — you can usually find free parking near Surfer’s Point in Seaside Park, outside the Ventura County Fairgrounds — but I recommend getting there an hour or so before sunset, so you can get settled somewhere on the shore, or even at the end of the Ventura Pier, to enjoy the show. Pierpont Beach at the end of Seaward Avenue is another popular area for watching the sun go down. We’re not talking firework displays here, just a quiet, lovely way to savor the end of the day.
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