7 Reasons to Visit Ventura

The Weather    

With 273 sunny days a year   (we could use more rain),  it is a great place to be outside no matter what time of year.  

The Beer

7 breweries in the city and at least another half dozen in the county there are some serious artisanal suds to be found.  Not only do all of these breweries have tasting rooms but you can usually find these beers on taps in bars all over Ventura!

The Surf

Epic surf from beginner to expert year round!  You can drive to the beach pop on a wetsuit and jump in pretty much everywhere. The big swells come in the winter and mellow off in the summer.

Best beginner spot is Mondos with a slow right facing break, bring your longboard.

Favorite Spots are anywhere from Emma Wood to Solimar Reef, these are beach breaks so while

it does get walled you can catch both left and right and often times have the wave to yourself.

Best for ripping Rincon and Hollywood beach, experienced only.

The best surf scene is C Street (Surfers Point) this is right off of the promenade so there is always a crowd but also always rideable waves.

Click here to see a guide to all surf spot in Ventura County

http://www.wannasurf.com/spot/North_America/USA/California/Ventura/

The Music

There are live music spots all over and most can be enjoyed with no cover.  

Favorite spots - Saloon , Bombay, Tavern , Cafe Fiore, The Majestic Theatre.

The Deftones on Halloween Night at the Majestic

Food Trucks

Excellent Street food!

The Regulars - Tacos Aaron (blue light tacos, Scratch Food Truck, Mom & pops Tacos).  Feeling adventurous try the Cabeza tacos from Tacos Aaron on the corner of Thompson and Chestnut every weekend.

Food Truck Fridays - Every 3rd Friday - trucks from all over come to Ventura with live music and everything from Sushi Burritos to Korean chicken wings.

Click here for more info https://www.midtownventura.org/projects/project-1

Fresh Food

Farmers Markets pop up Wednesday Thru Sunday throughout the County.

Favorite is downtown Ventura on Saturdays, if you go on the second Saturday of the month there is also a handmade crafts market with all locally made jewelry and artwork.

 For a full schedule of all Ventura County Farmers Markets Click Here

https://www.conejovalleyguide.com/welcome/farmers-markets-and-farm-fresh-produce-around-ventura-county.html

The Biking

Venturas bike lanes are everywhere and pave a way for everything from beach cruising to more serious long distance rides.  This is a very friendly biking community.  My favorite loop rolls along Mains street through downtown and cuts in along the Ventura River Trail and then cruises the promenade back up to the Ventura Pier.

Click here for a full city bike map -http://www.cityofventura.net/files/file/public-works/Transportation/BicycleMap2016.pdf

 

Best Day Hikes in Ventura

The  Demonstration Trail in the Botanical Gardens located in the foothills above downtown ventura is a light 1 mile climb with a great views the whole way up.This trail won  "Best of" awards in the categories of Hiking Trail (1st place) and View(3rd place).   By the  2015 VC Reporter's awards. This hike starts  behind the State building and winds its way through local vegetation and to the cross - views of the coast line and west ventura. It is packed dirt trail with some steps on the steeper incline to the top and a couple of different routes to switch up the hike, if your like me you will probably do this one more than once. It is a great before or after work hike.

Sulfur Mountain Trail in Ojai is only a 10 minute drive from downtown Ventura. This is an 11 mile jeep trail that goes up the whole way through tight switch backs and gorgeous views of the Ojai valley.  If you are looking for a longer hike or a little off road bicycling- the ride down is fast and full of tight turns. Don't worry if you see oil hear its not from a spill, it is natural seepage!

Wildwood Park in Conejo Valley is home to 400’ deep Wildwood Canyon. You can navigate your way down on any of the 9 trails that are surrounded by steep walls and abundant cacti.  The beautiful Paradise Falls is near the bottom.  There are shaded picnic areas to stop and snack at before ascending back to the top to check out Lizard Rock.

Paradise Falls

SoCal Beach Paradise

We have been living here for a few years, and yes you should be jealous.  With some of the best weather in the world, (we could use a little more rain), awesome community and beautiful beaches. 

With world class surfing and an eclectic mix of coastal Mexican and American cuisine, and a solid night life boasting 5 breweries and live music venues on almost every corner and a day life full of hiking and beach activities it’s hard to fit it all in without feeling that your missing something. 

 ......

When I came to Ventura on vacation to get in some surfing and beach side camping, I never imagined I would be calling it home. 6 months later I was riding local waves a couple times a week and mapping out the area for all its SoCal beach side activities.

There is a lot of reasons people have been living on this stretch of beach for 10,000 years!

It’s hard to choose one thing to be the starting point of a large list of attributes that describe this city, Ventura has been called the best city to live in the US by Men’s Journal according to the Ventura county star, livability and Los Angeles CBS 1 . (links at the bottom of the page) 

Whether you live here, want to move here or just want to vacation, we will tell you what are the must-dos. 

Links to articles mentioned on this blog:

http://archive.vcstar.com/news/local/ventura/national-magazine-picks-ventura-as-one-of-best-places-to-live-now-ep-999799224-347605681.html

http://www.livability.com/ca/ventura/real-estate/why-ventura-ca-top-100-best-place-live

http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2015/08/19/ventura-county-named-most-desirable-place-to-live-nationwide/

About

Welcome to LOST &  FOUND TRAVELS

Our love in life is travel and adventure and we would love to share our adventures with you.  Weather you just love reading crazy stories or you actually want to visit any of the places we have visited, we hope that you find this information entertaining and useful.

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Bon voyage !