17 Amazing Things to do in Ventura, Ca With Kids

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Southern California is a region that’s often thought of as a destination full of entertainment and the sun-kissed metropolis of Los Angeles, but for those who want a more relaxing vacation, will find there are many things to do in Ventura.

This quaint coastal city is famous for its beaches which are a surfer’s paradise, but without the crowds of places on the Central Coast like Santa Cruz or Huntington Beach in Orange County.

It’s also famous for is historic Mission San Buenaventura and easy access to the Channel Islands National Park, one of the most underrated national parks in CA, as well as being a spot for whale watching, hiking, windsurfers and so much more.

We knew nothing about Ventura County before we embarked on our Southern California road trip, and I had only ever heard of Ventura Boulevard in a few song lyrics.

After visiting, I can’t believe it’s not more popular as a tourist destination, which is why I’ve prepared this guide on what to do in Ventura so you can discover the best attractions of this hidden gem in California and make the most of your experience!

Where is Ventura County?

Ventura County, California is about an hour north of LA and 30-minutes south of Santa Barbara.

Be sure to leave your pretence and busyness on the highway out of LA, because it doesn’t belong in Ventura County.

It’s slower paced and less crowded, and although it’s a city, has a small town feel.

Things To Do In Ventura, California With Kids

I’m glad we know about Ventura County CA now and can share with you the many amazing things to do in Ventura. It’s full of unexpected surprises and adventures.

Keep reading down below for all our best tips on things to do in Ventura…

1. Explore Ventura Harbor Village

Ventura Harbor Village is located on a small strip of land in the middle of the beach and the harbor.

The beach, Surfers knoll, has a popular surf break at the Santa Clara River Mouth on the Pacific Ocean, and the harbor is one of the largest harbors in North America for offloading squid.

It is a working harbor and fishing marina, which also has shops, galleries, restaurants and waterfront activities.

Just wandering around this harbor will elevate your happiness with the bougainvillea laden paths, places to do some outdoor shopping, and the brilliant blue water filled with sailing ships with the stunning Topatopa mountains in the background.

Don’t miss out on a stroll through Marina Park for amazing coastal views.

Their magnetic power kept pulling my eyes back to gaze in wonder.

In the moments between gazing, there are these fun things to do in Ventura Village Harbor.

2. Soak Up Harbor Life On A Pedal Boat Ride

We were a little wary to take out the pedal boats, not because we didn’t think it would be a fun way to explore the harbor, but because the last couple of times we’ve taken out pedal boats they’ve been an excruciating workout.

We swore we’d never take out another pedal boat again, but we could not resist the lure of sea lions resting on the wharves and swimming in the waters.

Thankfully, these pedal boats were really easy to peddle! We had a fun half hour adventure peddling between the young children sailing and the sea lions resting on the wharves.

One sea lion had taken over the back of someone’s parked boat for a little sunning, the other was resting out on a jetty.

You can rent the pedal boats from Ventura Boat Rentals. They also offer harbor tours, kayaks, stand up paddle boards, electric boats and jet skis!

3. Enjoy A Seafood Lunch With A View At Brophy Bros Restaurant

You can’t beat the views from this second story restaurant on Ventura Harbor. Aim for a table on the enclosed patio.

At Brophy Bros you’ll find any kind of seafood dish that you like. We went for some local pan blackened Cajun sea bass and Mahi Mahi with a mango and papaya relish.

A steamed mussels in broth starter was the perfect accompaniment to the stunning views. Those mountains!!

Friday nights are the popular time for locals to come sit at the full length bar facing the marina to eat oysters and enjoy happy hour drink prices.

4. Treat Yourself With Fish Cone At Coastal Cone Ice Cream

Have you ever had Taiyaki ice cream cone before? Taiyaki is a popular street food found in Korea, Japan, San Francisco, LA and New York.

Coastal Cone is the one of the only places between LA and San Fran to offer Taiyaki Fish Cones.

It’s a fish shaped cake turned waffle, which is crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside like a dessert pancake, making ice creams extra delicious.

Now to choose from the 46 ice cream flavors for a great pairing.

We ate a lot of ice cream on our Southern California Road trip. No wonder the girls loved the Kidifornia adventure so much.

5. Sea Cave Kayak Adventure At Channel Islands National Park

A definite highlight of our family road trip to Ventura California was our day trip to the Channel Islands National Park, which is about an 80 minute ferry ride from Ventura Harbor.

It is America’s least visited National Park and is full of natural beauty, wildlife and plenty of adventure.

The Channel Islands National Park is made up of five separate islands: San Miguel, Santa Rosa, Santa Cruz, Anacapa, and Santa Barbara.

You can visit any of the islands by boat with Island Packers, by plane with Channel Islands Aviation, or your own private boat.

The boat trip over is just as spectacular as the Channel Islands. The odds are high that you’ll see sea lions, dolphins and whales.

We enjoyed a sea cave kayak adventure tour with Santa Barbara Adventure Company on Santa Cruz Island.

We spent close to three hours paddling through the various sea caves such as Elephant Belly, In and Out, and the Painted Cave.

We learned a lot about the islands, saw plenty of nesting birds and even had a sea lion pop up next to us out of the kelp forest.

Speaking of which, we went snorkeling through the kelp forest once we finished our kayaking tour. It was a special experience, and one that’s well worth doing if you can.

It’s definitely one of the best things to do in Ventura California with kids.

6. Play Vintage Games At Village Carousel And Arcade

Whenever I travel with my kids, I do my best to steer them to adventures in the Great Outdoors, frowning over staying inside to play games, but if there’s one exception to this rule – it’s for Village Carousel and Arcade in Ventura.

We popped into the Carousel and Arcade Games in Ventura Harbor Village for a few games of basketball toss and car races, collecting a few tickets to trade in for prizes as we went.

We end up having a fun time. It’s vintage fun in Ventura!

7. Explore Downtown Ventura

Downtown Ventura is perfect for a relaxed afternoon of shopping (window or not) and soaking up the Ventura vibe.

Main street is several blocks long and filled with boutique stores, antique shops, cafes, restaurants, art galleries, entertainment spaces, and a large collection of second-hand stores.

Downtown Ventura is gorgeous and funky! We instantly liked it when we drove into town.

Amongst the shopping and eating, be sure to stop and marvel at the beautiful Ventura City Hall and the mission.

For all you travel addicts, do not walk past Passport Habits. It’s a store created for travelers by a traveler. The owner has lived and traveled all over the world and continues to hand pack items from her adventures for her store.

I loved it and could have bought one of everything. You’ll find jewelry from Bali, colorful Moroccan and Turkey carpets, luggage and all sorts of travel related knick knacks.

Get lost in there for a while.

For the men, Iron & Resin was a store with swagger. They have a small, hand built collection of goods that draws heavily upon the founder’s own lifestyles and experiences.

They’re focused on local sustainability: crafting clothes in the US, reducing their footprint on the planet, and making clothes that last! I like them.

We also passed by a couple of cool looking breweries and wine tasting rooms.

You have plenty of choices for places to eat and play in Downtown Ventura.

The good news is they are all situated on the main street and in easy walking distance from each other (and the Ventura Pier and Crowne Plaza Hotel).

8. Check Out San Buenaventura Mission

San Buenaventura Mission was created in 1749 with the intention of converting the native Chumash people into the Spanish way of living and Catholic religion.

It’s had a turbulent past of earthquakes, fires and pirates, yet is still a working church today for Catholics and non-Catholics.

The Mission is opened to the public to explore. It’s only small so you won’t need a lot of time, but it’s one of the historic things to do in Ventura California.

We arrived right near closing so had a few minutes to walk round the serene mission gardens. It’s a wonderful spot to get away and contemplate what ever you want to reflect on.

9. Play At Ventura Pier And Ventura’s Promenade

We didn’t get to spend much time exploring Ventura Beach and Ventura Pier. The pier is at the bottom of Downton Ventura and is the 8th longest in California and a favorite for fisherman.

On both sides of the pier is the popular San Buenaventura State Beach.

There is a sand playground at its base with kids’ swings and the boardwalk along the beach is great for walkers, skaters, bikers, you name it.

We heard the tacos on the pier are yummy and cheap!

There is a great surfing break just to the north of the pier as well at Surfers Point Beach. It’s located next to the Seaside Park at the mouth of Ventura River.

I enjoyed watching the surfers of a morning from the balcony of where we were staying, the Crowne Plaza Hotel. The waves were consistently good every day.

Spencer Makenzie’s Fish also came highly recommended to us by the locals as one of the best places in California for fish tacos. Let me know!

10. Enjoy A Seafood Dinner At Lure Fish House

Locals’ favorite, the Lure Fish House, is an elegant (and reasonably priced) seafood restaurant in Downtown Ventura.

It has a relaxed and friendly atmosphere and feels like the kind of place where everyone will know your name.

You can sit at the booths inside, the patio deck outside, or if you don’t want to wait for a table, grab an empty seat at the bar or high tops.

Lure is one of the most popular places to eat in Ventura and can get very busy so you might want to reserve a table.

Don’t worry about dressing up though, you’re in Ventura, come as you are!

The menu at Lure Fish House features fresh and sustainable seafood locally caught, organically grown local produce, and wines from local vineyards whenever possible.

We both ordered the local wild Pacific Rockfish with local brussel sprouts and almond pesto cauliflower #delish

11. Be Waffle Wowed At Harvest Café

Wow! We discovered Harvest Cafe as we were leaving Ventura and were looking for a quick breakfast spot. It was the perfect end to our time in Ventura.

Harvest Café promises to be a true farm-to-table restaurant, serving only the freshest produce, arriving daily from farms in the Ventura area.

All of their ingredients are organic, and grown as close to our location as possible. How can you not support such a socially responsible local company who cares about your health and delicious food?

Waffles are rarely on my agenda so I could not resist ordering a serve of the gluten free vegan buckwheat waffles topped with berries and cashew nut cream and maple syrup.

The combination of flavors were superb.

I don’t have a sweet tooth so don’t order pancakes much, but this had just enough sweetness to be delicious without making me feel ill, and combined with the berries, and the cashew nut cream, it was total heaven.

I could eat them every day.

The coffee was pretty good too and I was delighted with the healthy breakfast options for kids.

Seriously, do not miss Harvest Café when you are in California! They even have games the kids can play even while you eat your breakfast.

12. Have A Sunset Dinner at La Cosecha Modern Cochina

After our Channel Islands adventure, we decided to go back to our hotel in Ventura and eat dinner at the restaurant so we could relax around the fire pit with views of the islands we had just sailed back from.

I’m always a little cautious eating at hotel restaurants as they can be so hit and miss, but we were just ready to relax. I forget that we were in California so of course the food was going to be good.

La Cosecha proved to be a winning choice for our final meal in California and probably our last great Mexican meal we’ll have for awhile.

You just can’t find great Mexican anywhere else in the world like you do in SoCal.

La Coscha has award winning innovate Mexican dishes created from ingredients that honor the local agriculture as well as sustainably sources seafood.

We ordered Chile Relleno for me and more shrimp tacos for Craig.

It was a wonderful space to watch the sunset and relax around the fire chatting with other visitors staying in the hotel.

And the girls were happy as they could run around safely on Ventura’s Promenade in front of us.

13. Wander Around Ventura Botanical Garden

You can never go wrong with a picnic in the botanical gardens whenever you need to escape the chaos of city life.

The Ventura Botanical Gardens was founded by a group of local residents, who wanted to preserve the native plants and fauna of the region and create an educational space for the local community.

Located in Grant Park, it has a beautiful 360-degree view of the coast, mountains, and city below.

Unfortunately, much of the park was damaged in a forest fire in 2018, but is has now reopened and has been lovingly put back together.

14. Slow Down On A Gondola Ride

Time for a little Venetian flavor on your Ventura County vacation. And why not?

The Channel Islands Harbor in nearby Oxnard, a 15-minute drive away, is the perfect place for a gondola ride. Unlike Venice in Italy, you will mostly have the canals to yourself, which makes this gondola ride experience even more special.

As our guide, and owner of Gondola Paradiso, Mark Schooling explained to us, “we live fast paced lives, something our bodies (and spirit) are not actually wired to do. It’s vital for our health that we take the time to slow down and do not much else but sit in a gondola and move at the pace of a human paddle stroke.”

I felt that return to myself only just a few strokes in.

Apart from our conversations, all I could hear was the gentle lapping of the paddle, and the only other movement we were witness to was the group of kids paddling by on their stand up paddle boards.

Their music broke the serenity a little, but their laughter only added to the joy of experiencing local living.

The gondola ride is a loop around the canals of Coral Island where you get to see the beautiful mansions on the water. In Oxnard, California they run cheap at an average of about 2 million.

Mark has everything set up for a comfortable gondola ride; warm blankets to offset any cool breeze. And that’s all you need for your gondola ride.

There was also plenty of space for us to sit and relax. You are more than welcome to bring your own food and drinks as well.

We have penciled in a sunset gondola ride with wine and cheese for our next visit to Ventura County. Don’t forget yours!

And remember the gondola rule for passing under bridges – you have to kiss your partner. Pucker up, you’ve two of them ahead.

This was one of our favorite things to do in Oxnard California.

16. Dine At The Annex Food Hall At Riverpark, Oxnard

The Annex is a culinary focused, community minded marketplace.

It’s the first Food Hall in Ventura County and has a collection of eateries and shops around a central common eating area.

The Annex is a collection of global cuisine ranging from burgers, Mexican, Italian, crepes, Vietnamese, Hawaiian Poke and Latin American Ceviche bowls, and even healthy smoothies.

And perhaps a little of the unhealthy: ice cream that had a line wrapped around the annex, and a small bar (Bottle & Pint) showcasing craft beer from around the world.

My pineapple cider with my bowl of steaming Vietnamese pho (from Love Pho) was a winner!

When you have finished you can wander around The Collection, which is an outdoor mall with plenty of major retailers and smaller boutique stores.

17. Bike the Ojai to Ventura River Bike Trail

Another popular activity to do in Ventura is to cycle along the Ojai-Ventura bike path. This is a 15 mile path that offers beautiful views of Ventura and the surrounding mountains.

Although it’s quite an easy route, you should allow for a full day to complete it, as you will want to stop several times to take photos and have breaks.

It’s a beautiful trail that’s open year-round.

Where to Stay in Ventura California

Now you know what to do in Ventura, you might be wondering where is a good place to stay. Below is where we stayed on our trip to Ventura…

Crowne Plaza Hotel

We stayed at the Crowne Plaza Ventura Beach Hotel. As one of the Ventura Beach hotels, it has prime beachfront location and some of the rooms have ocean views.

As mentioned earlier, I loved sitting on my balcony of a morning watching the surfers.

The rooms, although a little small, were modern, clean and comfortable. The fitness center was well stocked with everything you need to maintain your workout.

For those who want to relax around the hotel, the Crowne Plaza has a pool facing the beach. And we loved the firepit to sit around at night.

It was relaxing, warm and quite social. And you could easily walk into downtown from the Crowne Plaza.

Final Thoughts

Ventura was the last stop on our family road trip from San Diego to Ventura, via Orange County.

We spent three days there to enjoy the coastal living, and to see one of the main tourist attractions in Ventura, the Channel Islands National Park.

We were pleasantly surprised by how much there was to do here, and we instantly fell in love with this quaint destination in CA.

We hope this guide helped you plan some attractions to add to your itinerary and gave you some inspiration for things to do.

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