Tourist Attractions in Ventura, California

We are an hour or less from Santa Barbara, Magic Mountain, Malibu, or the Heritage Valley - which is a beautiful, amazing, historic area to the east of us. We have the Channel Islands National Park nearby,

which is a series of five islands and there is whale watching, scuba diving, and kayaking all around. It is the least visited National Park in the country partly because you have to go there by boat, you can't just walk on to it or drive and over half the park is underwater. It has been called the American Galapagos because the plant and animal species there have evolved into completely unique and distinguishable species from their mainland counterparts.

One more thing that I would like to mention is our thriving art community. We have visual artists, performing artists, musicians - we are an enclave for artists. Wherever you go you are inclined to come across an arts display within a gift shop, a performing artist on the street, or in a restaurant. We also have professional theater companies based in town. It adds a unique flavor to our town and we are constantly striving to hold on to these artists and being as close to Los Angeles as we are, not let them flee to more affordable areas.