What to do for a weekend in Oxnard?
 

OK, I'll let the jealous grumbles subside before I ask the question. What is there to do in Oxnard? I'll be there for a day and a half and need to stick pretty close to the town. I've googled around and mostly come up with military bases and trailer parks. There has got to be something else.

Any advice?

Drive north to Santa Barbara or south to L.A. :D

Go to a local farmer's market and buy great strawberries.

What about a trip to the Channel Islands?

http://www.nps.gov/chis/

http://www.islandpackers.com/isltrips.html

You could probably hire a sailboat for the afternoon at the Channel Islands Yacht Club.

I visit a friend who lives on a big hill. Its wonderful have some wine and watching the fog roll in each eve.

MisterNice

I'd drive to Ojai, about 30 minutes away, some great little restaurants (Bocallai's on the eastend - great Italian food, very casual) - wander around the little town - for a very nice dinner try Suzanne's or The Ranch House (reservations will be needed). Enjoy, I love Ojai.

Can the OP visit your friend too so that statement can be useful?

If he wishes to do such he may be welcomed as I am. If not the OP could pack some sandwiches and a six-pack or two, drive up the nearest big hill and enjoy watching the fog roll in as I stated and I enjoy. I suggest a designated driver be appointed.

The nice interesting pseudo-Danish town of Solvang is fairly close and you dont have to drive up a steep hill to get there. Enjoy.

MisterNice

Thanks for the tips.

Watching the fog roll in sounds pretty relaxing if the weather is nice. I may scout around for a spot and do just that. Also there is a small auto museum that could be worth a look, and a small harborside I may check out.


Since my time is only available in 4-5 hour slices I'm not going to be able to spend much ground time in SB, Ojai, or Solvang.

And the hotel does have a pool

if you go when there isn't traffic even sb is workable. just the drive up and back and through and around town is nice.

Downtown Ventura is closer than SB and probably has more local character, some decent cheapish restaurants and a California mission right on main street.

Highway 1 along the Malibu coast starts just south of Pt. Mugu. I don't know if there is much restaurant choice along this section, which may not be official Malibu yet. But it is closer than SB and I think it would have less chance of traffic most times of day. It's the most dramatic part of the coast too.

What I did in Oxnard
 

I never got to the hill to se the fog roll in, or the auto museum.

But I did get to see some pretty cool aircraft flyovers at the Channel Isl ANG base. And I went to very well done Earth Day Festival at a park in Downtown Oxnard, ate a seriously great Mexlican dinner at Sal's on Oxnard Blvd, and hung around Santa Barbera for a few hours. All told it was a fun weekend.

Howver I will never stay at the Channel Islands Inn again.

Malibu is not too far, and a good choice is the outlets in Camarillo, or a trip about 15 minutes north to Thousand Oaks/Westlake. Just a nice little community and some cool places to look at.