When your teenage children do not want to go on a family vacation because they are too old for Disneyland and too young to appreciate cultural sites, all you have to say is that the vacation includes Six Flags Magic Mountain in Santa Clarita, California. Guaranteed, the kids will be the first ones to the SUV. Although we drove by the amusement park on this trip, we did not stop to partake of any rides, but we did remember why the park is called “The Thrill Capital of the World.” Six Flags Magic Mountain holds the world record for the most coasters in one park on the entire planet; and, it has been my experience that the rides in this park are definitely not for the young or the old!
Santa Paula is home to the California Oil Museum, which contains an 1890s operating drilling rig, historic gas pumps, product containers, and numerous other historic items associated with the oil and gas industry. The museum headquarters is located in the historic Union Oil Company Building, which was the birthplace of Union Oil Company on October 17, 1890. The museum also contains a newer building that was constructed to display larger items.
Santa Paula is also known for its display of large murals that have been painted on various building walls in the historic downtown area. A brochure is available at most business establishments that contains a mural location map and a discussion of each mural.
Mission San Buenaventura was founded in 1782 in what is now known as the City of Ventura. In 1793 the first church burned down and it took the neophytes 16 years to construct a new building, which is still standing today (although it has had numerous renovations).
Channel Islands National Park consists of five of the eight Channel Islands located off the coast of California. The park includes a total of 249,561 acres, of which about 80,000 acres are owned by the Federal Government. Santa Cruz Island, the largest island in the chain, is 76% owned and managed by The Nature Conservancy and 24% owned by the Federal Government. In addition, Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary includes an area that is six nautical miles around the National Park. The Park and Sanctuary are home to a wide variety of natural and cultural resources, so this is a popular destination for hikers and marine enthusiasts during the summer months.
Access to the park is limited to your own private boat or Island Packers, the Park’s concessionaire. Island Packers have offices in various communities along the coast, but we have always left from Ventura. There are boat trips for everyone! If you do not want to get off of the boat to hike some of the island trails, you can take a boat trip that just goes around the islands to view whales, dolphins, sea lions, and a variety of other marine live. And if the weather is nice, the boat captain may even take you into a sea cave!
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