Exploring Ventura

It is hard to pull ourselves away from our "beach house" but we would not satisfy our adventurous spirits if we did not get out and see the towns along California’s central coast. Besides, we were getting hungry and had located a foodie hot spot. The town of Ventura has lots of appeal from its revived downtown to the waterfront dining and shopping at Harbor Village. This sleepy little beach town is progressively charming (there are no one-use plastic bags and Patagonia was founded here) and laid back and people here know how to enjoy the sun and surf. Life revolves around waves and tides.

The Tall Ships that were here for the public to sail on and explore.

On our way downtown, we stopped at Spencer Makenzie’s Fish Company for some “World Famous Fish Tacos.” We were not disappointed in the least. I opted for the tempura fish tacos and Betsy settled on the tempura shrimp tacos. Both rocked our worlds.

The Mission

Much of the Spanish influence is still evident in the downtown. Main Street is great for strolling around and houses numerous boutiques, galleries, antique stores, creative restaurants…and my favorite…thrift stores. The buildings have been restored and retain their tiled charm. The San Buenaventura Mission is the city’s most historic landmark and has been there since 1782 - a proud homage to their Spanish history.

The Groene Building was built in the 1920's and is significant for
its decorative tile on the outside and murals on the inside. It is now a restaurant.