Ventura combines Spanish
charm, sophisticated cuisine, cosmopolitan appeal and real
people! Celebrities like to escape and hide
out in Ventura because its bistros and clubs offer the finest
meals, minus the stuffy atmosphere, traffic and big city
trappings. Ventura is vintage not only in its ability to
preserve history with places such as lovely Spanish mission San
Buenaventura, historic ranchos and the building in which famed
writer Earle Stanley Gardner created his Perry Mason crime
solving novels. Modern day travelers seeking something simple,
relaxed, comfortable and beach-oriented will find Ventura an
ideal getaway that works well as a weekend getaway, or as a home
base for longer vacations. Sitting on the edge of a national
treasure, the Channel Islands, you can take daytrips to several
islands, visit Oxnard, shop in Santa Barbara or drive over to
Ojai to explore. Shopping, dining, live theater and an art scene
are a few things that will compel you to spend more time in
Ventura.
Like other one to two-hour drives from Los Angeles and
Orange County such as
Big Bear Lake, Idyllwild, Temecula and
Oxnard,
Ventura offers a refreshing
change of pace with a slower lifestyle and many affordable
entertainment, dining, hotel and resort accommodation options.
You don't have to pack designer stilettos or have hubby take a
tie. You can do so if you like, but Ventura's slightly laid
back, and chances are, you won't need the fancy stuff. Nice
boots and a leather jacket will do fine for most restaurants and
situation you'll encounter on this excursion.
Filled with adventure, shopping, intriguing history, culture,
architecture and fine restaurants, Hollywood celebrities enjoy
escapes to Ventura where
locals allow them to relax in a stress-free environment. One of
California's most scenic beach destinations is flanked on it's
inland side by a mountain range which cascades to fertile
valleys. Bejeweled islands and a magnificent coastline provide
oceans of opportunity for exploration in this once sleepy little
town on California's coast.
Located 100 miles north of
Orange County, 62 miles north of Los Angeles and 27 miles south
of Santa Barbara, Ventura is a
gem that continues to provide an affordable coastal vacation.
Ventura, officially known as San Buenaventura, means
"city of good fortune" in Spanish. The name is taken from
the Spanish mission built in 1782 by Father Junipero Serra as
the ninth and last of the 21 missions the founder of California
missions actually oversaw. Destroyed by an earthquake and
rebuilt in 1815, a triangle at the entrance symbolizes the holy
trinity and the ornamentation on the wall around the side door
opposite a fountain is actually a map of the area for wayward
travelers. The curved lines above the door are the two
rivers--the Ventura and the Santa
Clara--which straddle the mission, and the hills behind the
church are represented by the top line.
Chumash
Indians who inhabited the Central Coast were among the earliest
settlers to Ventura. Artifacts
dating to 10,000 years ago yield evidence that the Chumash were
hunters and fisherman who built sea vessels. As the Spanish
settlers arrived and brought not only a new religion and culture
that involved farming, San Buenaventura became a center for
growing apples, pears, peaches, pomegranates, grapes, olives,
figs, grain and lima beans. Like so many Native
populations, the Chumash were ravaged by diseases of the
visiting Spanish and a population of Chinese workers was brought
into the region to continue the farming and commerce vital to a
growing region with fertile soil and central location.
Albinger
Archaeological Museum located adjacent to the San Buenaventura
Mission; the Ventura County
Museum of History and Art, one of the oldest museums in
California; and the A.J. Comstock Fire Museum with
turn-of-the-century firefighting equipment and artifacts all
provide excellent educational opportunities with interesting
artifacts of Ventura's past. Historic
buildings include the Olivas Adobe, an outstanding example of
two-story Monterey style architecture and Ortega Adobe, known as
the birthplace for the Ortega Green Chiles. Ventura's historic City Hall, formerly the
Ventura County Courthouse,
sits on top of a hill overlooking the city and features a
neoclassical design with doric columns, Italian (Carrera)
marble floors, a domed stained-glass ceiling, bronze fixtures
and 24 terra cotta friars who stand as sentinels.
Got ghosts? You'll be
surprised just how many historic California buildings are
reported to contain the ghostly spirits of those who once
enjoyed human form and existence in places such as the
Ventura Courthouse and Olivas
Adobe. Former
coordinator for historical programming for the City of
Ventura, Richard Senate, believes
Ventura
is one of the most haunted cities in America! A prolific author
of titles such as Ghosts of the Haunted Coast, The Haunted Queen
Mary and Haunted Hawaii, Senate has spent several decades
recording more than 800 separate ghost sightings in
Ventura and he believes that
Ventura is one of the most
haunted cities in America.
Olivas Adobe, open for public tours, offers a glimpse into
California's past. Built in 1847, it continues to provide a home
to the spirits of family members such as a woman in black who
traipses the grounds and a woman who peers from an upstairs
bedroom window. The tap-tapping of a typewriter is
sometimes heard at night in an office on Main Street that once
housed the law offices of Ventura's
native son Erle Stanley Gardner, author of the Perry Mason
novels. Guests to that building reported several ghosts
and the unexplained sounds of 1930s-era big band music.
The
Landmark 78, an historic building offering the charm of another
era, features fine dining—and ghosts. A woman named Rosa
committed suicide in the building by hanging herself in the
ladies room decades ago.
Bella
Maggiore Inn, a lovely bed & breakfast establishment a few
blocks from the heart of downtown Ventura shopping and dining is home to Sylvia, a woman of
ill-repute who was found hanged in a room at the inn which was
built in the 1940's. Guests write about their experiences in the
B&B's books and one family seeking a paranormal encounter was
let down twice before enjoying their very own Sylvia experience.
On their third stay at the historic inn, a couple booked a
beautiful suite with a living room and fireplace, complete with
stained glass windows overlooking the Pacific Ocean.
On a
relaxed Sunday morning, a guest lounged in front of a warm fire
but was suddenly aware of “something” close by. "I became so
frightened; it felt as if the air was being sucked out of the
room. No matter how hard I tried to reason with myself, I just
knew if I looked to my left, something awful was about to
happen. When I finally calmed my nerves (just a little), and
forced myself to look to the left, the strong, sickeningly sweet
smell of rose perfume permeated the air. It was suffocating. I
was so scared that I grabbed my long coat and ran down the
hallway, to the front desk."
The guest was then escorted
back to her room by a man on hotel staff who watched
the
lights flicker on the hall lighting next to Sylvia's room. The
man said that could not be as he had just done the light check
for his shift.
Another hotel guest at
said that in his prolonged visits to the Inn while on business, he
learned to ignore Sylvia's pranks that included his wallet being
moved to different parts of his room.
Ghost hunter
Senate
attributes Ventura's wealth of
ghost experiences to the host of different cultures. He said
he's observed more paranormal activity in locations where a
variety of cultures interact. While some hotel managers and
owners shy away from reporting spirits, the ledgers and guest
room journals reveal stories of activity that's unusual. With
California travelers more than ever seek new experiences that
include ghost encounters, some (reported) haunted accommodations
include Hotel del Coronado in San Diego, Monterey Hotel in
Monterey, Queen Mary ship in Long Beach, Gold Manner Inn in Big
Bear Lake and The Cary House in Placerville. Read more about
California ghosts
Elevation: 35' Visitors: (800) 333-2989
Ventura California Travel Photos
and Information
Ventura County, California
California Bonfire Experience
Ventura Photos, California, Mission,
Perry Mason and Channel Islands
Ventura Aerial View
Ventura Airlines
Ventura Photos, California,
Mission, Perry Mason and Channel Islands
VENTURA COUNTY
HOTELS CALIFORNIA
VENTURA COUNTY
CALIFORNIA CITIES POPULATION
Ventura Photos, California,
Mission, Perry Mason and Channel Islands
A & F Country
Market Ventura - Produce Market
Ventura Vacation Hotels -
Ventura Travel and Photos
Ventura
City Lights Downtown at Night Photos
Ventura
Restaurant Sidecar Thanksgiving Menu 2007
Ventura Spanish
Lady Photo Ventura California
San Buenaventura State
Beach Photos and Information
Ventura Artist
Exhibit ArtWalk Event
Ventura Buenaventura Art Association Fundraiser Event
Ventura Car Show
California Vacation Event
Ventura Holiday and
Seasonal Events Celebrate the Beach Lifestyle in Ventura County,
California
Ventura
Annual Kinetic Sculpture Race Event, Ventura, California
Ventura
Museum and Moorpark College Partnership Formed in California
Check
these out:
San
Buenaventura Mission, 225 E. Main, Mon.-Sat 10 am - 5 pm, Sunday
10 am - 4 pm. Free, donations welcomed. (805) 648-4496
Ventura County Museum of
History and Art, 100 E. Main, Tues. - Sun. 10 am - 5 pm.
$3, under 16 free. (805) 653-0323
Erle
Stanley Gardner Office Buiding - Birth place of fictional
detective, Perry Mason, 21 S. California St.
Albinger Archaelogical
Museum, 113 E. Main St., Wed - Fri. 10 am - 4 pm, Sat & Sun 10
am - 2 pm. Free, (805) 648-5823
Channel Islands National
Park Excursion leaves from Ventura
Harbor, Cost $32-$45. Island Packers Cruises - 800-474-1361 or
805-642-1393 islandpackers.com
Whale Watching tours
800-474-1361 or 805-642-1393.
Fillmore and Western
Railway Company Dinner Trains are located in this scenic city
with a small town feel located in Ventura County. Events all year long include Romance,
Barbecues, Christmas Tree Excursions, Mother and Father's Day
Celebrations and more, all on vintage trains that glide
through the local countryside. fwry.com 800.773.2546
