Strathearn Historical Park is truly a hidden gem. We expected a quick visit and ended up staying…read morefor three hours, enjoying every single bit of it. Paul was an outstanding tour guide--knowledgeable, engaging, and clearly passionate about the history, which made the experience come alive. You can really feel the care and effort that goes into preserving this place. Everyone involved in maintaining and sharing its history deserves a lot of credit. If you have even a slight interest in local history, this park is absolutely worth your time.

Really beautiful venue! I didn't even know this place existed and I had the honor of attending a…read morereception here. The entire grounds are so well kept and make the perfect atmosphere! I wish I had taken more time to look around! They had really cool exhibits and signage to look at!

So awesome. So unexpected…read more So clever. So silly. In the distant past this may have been a mailbox. Or maybe a Little Free Library. But it is clearly better, vastly improved and more excellent as a tiny home for fairies. Long live the fairies.

A lot of the stage sets have burned down in fires over the year so not much is left. However, the…read morechurch shown on Westworld is still here. The church is at the entrance so you really don't have to venture much at all. There are some okay trails here, but they don't really end in any good views or landmarks and are more loops. So, it was a bit underwhelming for me. There may be possible gems that I'm unaware of tho... Nonetheless, it's good if you need to get out and want something simple.

Paramount Ranch is a must stop destination if you find yourself out of places to visit in the…read moreMalibu Hills truly a breathtaking view of the mountains surrounding and some historical significance to Los Angeles. Shame about the park ranger, "what's so great about this place?" He asked me.

First time visiting Peter Strauss Ranch. The trails had lots of weeds, under brush. We didn't…read morecomplete the trail, lots of holes on the ground, harder to walk on. Will visit again in the cooler days and when the weeds are cleared... and then update this review. Heard from a local there are free summer concerts every other Sunday. We saw some critters.. lots of lizards, a cotton tail bunny and a ribbon snake. There's lots of place to picnic. But our fave is eating at the Old Place.

First time visiting this place. Was able to find parking and go on a decent hike that is perfect…read morefor beginners. In certain areas it was muddy. It was a bit windy. Would definitely recommend this place if you want to go on a hike that isn't intense.

The world loves a dreamer. And dreamers come in all different forms. Grandma Prisbrey began living…read moreher dream at age 60, on her third marriage, by using found materials from a local landfill and creating her own art environment called Bottle Village. Grandma P lived on the property after a colorful life; she had 7 children with her husband who was 37 years older than her and reportedly worked as a singer in a bar at one point. She may have been something of a hoarder (she build one building just to store her pencil collection) and used her collections as raw materials for the art and buildings on her property including the Pencil House and the Round House. A group of us attended a private tour (suggested donation $15 per person) led by our fantastic tour guide, Debbie. She provided us with fascinating local history of Bottle Village including how a developer almost tricked Grandma P out of the property (he committed suicide three months later, guilty conscience?) and how some local politicians blocked FEMA funds from helping Bottle Village rebuild after the Northridge earthquake. Luckily, a nonprofit was organized to support and maintain this unique work of art. We learned that Bottle Village has appeared in a number of architecture and history books. It is truly a unique art expression on so many levels, not the least of which is the age and gender of the artist. Please contact the nonprofit at the internet link below if you would like to schedule a tour. Highly recommended. http://www.bottlevillage.com/

I live in this area. Went to see it, I thought what the heck. I was not impressed. It looks like…read morea bunch of garbage thrown together and I definitely would not pay to get in. Its chain length fenced off right now. I can see why it didnt get any fema funds. Coming from a trained professional artist all I can say is, everything is NOT art. And this is one of them.

Bowers Cave, also known as Cave of the San Martins, is a little-known cave that sits high near the…read moretop of a steep mountain at the northeastern border of the Chiquita Canyon Landfill located in Castaic. It has been described as the most significant archaeological site on the North American continent. In 1884 two brothers, McCoy and Everette Pyle, discovered a "treasure trove" of Native American artifacts that had been hidden away by Tataviam Indians hundreds of years earlier. Shortly after the discovery the items were sold to Stephen Bowers who later resold most of the collection to the Peabody Museum at Harvard where it is still kept today. Why the cave is named after the person who purchased the artifacts and not the people who discovered them is beyond me. Nevertheless, it is still an interesting piece of history in the most unexpected place. The location can be seen from a distance from inside the landfill. I would never advise visiting the site without permission, but if you did, I would hike from a northern approach, preferably on a Sunday. Make your way towards the large water tanks and you will eventually spot a path that will take you to the backside of the mountain. The climb to the cave looked way too steep for me so I chose to appreciate it from a distance. I am really curious whether or not the sandstone carvings seen in historic photographs are still present. You can read a lot more about the cave on SCVTV's web site and there is also a very odd 20 minute documentary that you can find online.

Thank you for the information. My great-grandfather was McCoy Pyle, so it was interesting to find…read moreout why he didn't get credit for the collection at Harvard. I didn't realize the artifacts were sold first!

I've been to this adobe historical park and venue a few times over the last few years…read more The grounds are clean and spacious with plenty of guest parking. They have their own parking lot and also have about a good 20 spaces right in front of the historical house area. I've been here over the years for concerts and more recently an event. This is a great lowkey space for events and I particularly like when they hold the regular concert series here in the spring and summer. Once inside the Adobe house area, it isn't too big but can be spacious enough for a couple hundred people . There are public restrooms near the front entrance and otherwise it's an open courtyard where the event promoters bring their own tables, chairs, and decor. Every time I've come here there has been sporadic seating and food/drink vendors, depending on the event. I like this venue as it's not too far from the freeway and close by the harbor for some pre-post meals.

First time at this place and I think it's a great spot for events. I went for a quinceañera. Just…read moreso reminiscent of all the fiestas i imagine, happened here when California was part of Mexico círca 1847. We had such a blast. We didn't even feel the cold! No heaters or anything just pure dancing. I'd get a bit cold and I'd hit the dance floor. I'm sure heaters could be rented to keep guests warm on chilly nights.

We stumbled upon Mission Basilica San Buenaventura by chance and didn't even realize it was right…read morein downtown Ventura! Unfortunately, we didn't have time to see the whole place, but we did get to step inside the church, and it was absolutely beautiful -- peaceful, historic, and full of charm. We're definitely planning to come back to tour the entire mission next time. A lovely hidden gem in the heart of Ventura!

First time actually checking out VTA properly and had to make a stop at the Mission, which is…read moreprobably the most OG thing in the city. It is a bit whitewashed (real talk: The Chumash were not as happy as portrayed) but regardless, it is a part of California history, and I respect that. I visit cathedrals/churches/missions whenever I travel internationally (Mexico, China, and Italy already this year), and would place the historical significance of the Missions near the top of any global list. $8 at the door, and worth it, if for nothing else, the peacefulness and tranquility...

There are so many fun things to do from late November through the first week of January. Every…read moreyear it seems that a new option pops up to tempt us to expand our holiday experiences roster. It's great to be able to go back and revisit favorite venues / activities like strolling in the Henry T. Oxnard Historic District. We hit the District on Christmas Night with our Adored Grandson and his lovely girlfriend. They compared it to Candy Cane Lane in the Valley, but to me this is preferable because there are actual sidewalks! Also, traffic isn't a small thing, but it seems less hectic than Candy Cane Lane from that standpoint. I love how it's such a family friendly activity. We saw groups in their fam-jams showing unity of spirit. People come with their little ones in strollers. It's fun for all ages to see the creativity and colorful decorations that the homeowners put together to share with each other and with the community at large. We walked F Street from 5th to Magnolia and back again. It's good exercise to walk off Christmas dinner. On F Street between 1st and 2nd Streets is always the most amazing model train layout to bring out the holiday cheer. The homeowner (and likely some helpful elves) do an amazing job of setting up a venue that delights countless numbers of visitors. It's definitely a highlight on the street. Designs vary from themes incorporating popular culture characters, to woodland animals, to religious tableaus, to frosty images, and, of course, Santas and snowmen of all types. It's all magical to me. We'd taken AG there several times when he was much younger, so it was a big deal to me to be able to take him back now that he's a college student and could introduce it to his girlfriend. After we gave full attention to F Street, we went back to our car and drove G Street. By then we were all getting chilled and ready to be sitting. The lighting displays and other decorations on G were fabulous. Next time we might walk G instead. If you only drive on F then you can't fully appreciate the train display up close, though. Decisions, decisions! So much to see and inspire your sense of wonder.