Going to Ventura

What to do in Ventura

by Cameron Walker

A beach vacation in California can get pricey, with minimum stays and spendy tourist food. Not so in Ventura, a charming city at the southern end of the Central Coast, where you'll feel like you've stumbled on a friendly, unpretentious small town… that just happens to sit on some of the country's beaches and biking and hiking trails.

Stroll the shops and restaurants of Ventura's Main Street (most holidays bring street fairs) and then head toward the water. The Ventura Harbor Village has free concerts and events during the summer (one favorite is Pirate Days), and is the base camp for those heading to Channel Islands National Park. Island-bound boats leave regularly from Ventura Harbor,...

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