Toastmasters Clubs in Ventura County

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Established in 1924, Toastmasters International is a world leader at helping people become more competent and comfortable in front of an audience. The nonprofit has over 280,000 members in 14,700 clubs around the world, offering a proven, fun way to practice and hone communication and leadership skills.

Most meetings are comprised of approximately 20 people who meet weekly for an hour or two. Participants practice and learn skills by filling a meeting role, ranging from giving a prepared speech or an impromptu one to serving as timer, evaluator or grammarian.  There is no instructor; instead, each speech and meeting is critiqued by a member in a positive manner, focusing on what was done right and what could be improved.

There are over 80 local Toastmasters clubs throughout Ventura County. They meet on different days of the week in various locations, in the morning, during the day or at night.

First step is to find a local club.  There is a search function at www.toastmasters.org that allows you to search for a club by zip code, by meeting day and by meeting time. 

Here is just a sampling of some of the 80+ local Toastmasters clubs in Ventura County and adjacent areas:

Medea Creek Natural Park in Oak Park

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Medea Creek Natural Park has hiking, biking and fitness trails that stretch from Calle Rio Vista and Oaks Hills Drive in Oak Park on the north, then south past Medea Creek Lane and Conifer Street to a cul de sac entrance to the park at the west terminus of Tamarind Street.

Nicely paved Medea Creek Trail north towards Kanan/Oak Park Library

Nicely paved Medea Creek Trail north towards Kanan/Oak Park Library

The paved Medea Creek Trail, great for walks as well as casual bicycling, has a northern entry point at Kanan Road across from Deerhill Road (adjacent to the Oak Park Library). It crosses Sunnycrest Drive, where there is street parking, so you do need to be careful with kids when you cross.

Medea Creek runs through suburbia via this wash, where you will see some neat bird activity.

Medea Creek runs through suburbia via this wash, where you will see some neat bird activity.

The nature loop trail is about 1.5 miles. You will likely see ducks and perhaps other birds enjoying the creek as you choose between the paved and dirt paths. There's also a fitness circuit. It is kind of interesting as you'll see multiple layers of trails; some dirt, some paved, some grassy, some in the creek.

Multiple paths and areas to explore at Medea Creek.

Multiple paths and areas to explore at Medea Creek.

Medea Creek Natural Park is managed by the Rancho Simi Recreation and Park District www.rsrpd.org/business_detail_T9_R29.php

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Sign at east end terminus of Tamarind StreetFitness course signs along 1.5 mile path.

Sign at east end terminus of Tamarind StreetFitness course signs along 1.5 mile path.

Opera Santa Barbara

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Founded in 1994, Opera Santa Barbara brings high quality opera performances to Santa Barbara, such as La Boheme, Madame Butterfly, Aida, Don Pasquale, The Marriage of Figaro, Carmen, Pirates of Penzance, Rigoletto, Don Giovanni and other productions. There are generally three productions each year, plus other great events.

Performances take place at the Granada Theatre, 1214 State Street, Santa Barbara.  To learn more and purchase tickets, visit www.operasb.org.

King Trivia Live Pub Quiz Games at Locations Throughout Ventura County

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King Trivia Live Pub Quiz hosts trivia games in pubs and restaurants all around Southern California. The games are free to play at designated venues, including the following areas local to Ventura County and nearby areas:

  • Institution Ale Co. in Camarillo

  • Mouthful Eatery in Thousand Oaks

  • BL Dancehall and Saloon in Agoura Hills

  • Poseidon Brewing Company in Ventura

  • Seaward Brewing in Ventura

  • Social Tap Pub & Grill in Ventura

  • The Garage in Ventura

For more information, visit www.kingtrivia.com.

Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum

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A local must see is the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum, located at 40 Presidential Drive, Simi Valley.  With sweeping hilltop views of the surrounding valleys, this 153,000 sq ft museum on 100 acres is educational and interesting for all ages.  A wealth of memorabilia and artifacts from throughout Reagan's life is on display.

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In February 2011, over 26,000 sq ft of new exhibits and dozens of interactive displays spanning Reagan's life were introduced.  There are 24 galleries that pay tribute to our 40th President's life. You can act in a movie with Reagan, deliver his inaugural address with a teleprompter, set the table for a state dinner, learn about his economic policies in interactive games, read his handwritten diary, ride a horse alongside Reagan at Rancho del Cielo, and much more. There is also a full-scale Oval Office replica and a 9 1/2 foot, 6,300 lb section of the Berlin Wall on display.

Volunteer docents are very friendly, helpful and extremely knowledgeable. They are there to help guide you through your visit and answer your questions.

Exhibits include the Air Force One Pavilion, sections of the Berlin Wall, F-117 Nighthawk Stealth Fighter, F-14 Tomcat aircraft, Reagan Memorial Site, M-1 Abrams Tank, Marine One helicopter, Oval Office and more.

In addition to the permanent exhibits discussed above, there are usually temporary exhibits on display. Check out the museum's website for details.

Dine at the Reagan Library! The Gipper’s Bar + Bistro offers panoramic views and is open and is open from 10:30am to 3pm seven days a week. You can access this eatery without entering the Library. The Ronald Reagan Pub is located inside the Air Force One Pavilion and offers drinks and prepackaged sandwiches and other items.

The museum is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. except Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. Parking is free of charge. Admission costs vary based on the special exhibit on hand.

More information at www.reaganfoundation.org.

101 Escape Rooms in Westlake Village and Thousand Oaks

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As of October 2022, 101 Escape Rooms has two locations in the Conejo Valley - 31139 Via Colinas #210, Westlake Village, across the street from the Four Seasons Westlake Village and on the ground level of the outdoor shops section of The Oaks shopping mall in Thousand Oaks (just opened).

Open 7 days a week. Hours vary by day. Offering interactive fun trying to escape from a room, using puzzles and clues.

Learn more at www.101escaperooms.com. Phone numbers are (747) 222-7638 (WLV) and (805) 750-2644 (T.O.).

Painting with a Twist in Camarillo

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Painting with a Twist is located at 2298 E. Ventura Boulevard in Old Town Camarillo (at the intersection of Arneill), next to the El Rey Cantina.

Painting with a Twist provides customers with paint, a canvas and brushes that lead to a fun evening with friends and a finished piece of art.  And yes, you receive professional instruction to create your work of art as well as access to wine.

For updates, visit paintingwithatwist.com/camarillo.

Rancho Camulos Museum in Fillmore

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Rancho Camulos is a National Historic Landmark situated within an 1,800 acre working ranch, a great example of a Spanish-Mexican rancho in its original rural environment.  Rancho Camulos is noted for its literary significance as the setting for Helen Hunt Jackson's novel, Ramona.

Tours detail the lives of the native Tataviam Indians, the del Valle family that established Rancho Camulos in 1853, and the Rubel family, current owners, who purchased the ranch in 1924.  Visitors can see the main adobe, cocina, winery, chapel, schoolhouse and beautiful gardens featuring over 50 varieties of roses and the magnificent black walnut tree, covering 1/2 acre. 

Additional features of the museum are a fish pond (built by the Rubel children as a school project in the 1930s), "Ramona's bedroom" popularized through thousands of postcards and the fountain built in 1853.  Learn about the Ramona connection and view the silent movie Ramona starring Mary Pickford, filmed at Rancho Camulos in 1910.

Tours on Sunday from 1 to 4 p.m. and by appointment.  Suggested donation currently $5 for adults and $3 for children 12 and under.  School tours available.  The venue is also available for weddings and events.

Rancho Camulos is located at 5164 E. Telegraph Road, Fillmore, 2 miles east of Piru on Hwy. 126.  Visit www.ranchocamulos.org or call 805.521.1501 for more information.

Anthony C. Beilenson Interagency Visitor Center in Calabasas

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The Anthony C. Beilenson Interagency Visitor Center is located at King Gillette Ranch, 26800 Mulholland Highway, Calabasas. It opened to the public in June 2012.

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The Visitor Center is jointly operated by the National Park Service, California State Parks, the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy and the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority.

It features exhibits and interactive displays, the work of local artists, tours of sustainable features and a native plant garden. There is a tremendously comprehensive exhibit covering things to see and do within the Santa Monica Mountains.

The Visitor Center was formerly the horse stable for the Gillette Mansion. It retains some of its original design while achieving LEED Platinum certification as the first "net zero" visitor center in the National Park Service. Cool! (literally and figuratively)

Visitor Center staff and volunteers are very friendly and helpful.

There's also gift shop in the center with a variety of items including books, handmade items, kids' items and more.

Call 805-370-2301 or visit www.nps.gov/samo/planyourvisit/visitor-center.htm.

Open Wed though Sun, noon to 4pm. Closed Mon/Tues.

Nearby hiking is plentiful, including the Inspiration Point hike at King Gillette Ranch and across the street at Malibu Creek State Park.

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Bike Path in Oxnard at Oxnard Beach Park to Channel Islands Harbor

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There's a bike path that starts at the ocean side of Oxnard Beach Park at Mandalay Beach Road at Beach Way and takes you south all the way to Hollywood Beach and Channel Islands Harbor. Alternatively you can just park at the Oxnard Beach Park and go from there. It is roughly 3/4 of a mile one way to Harbor Boulevard.

Cross Harbor Boulevard and make your way into Channel Islands Harbor, where you can ride all the way to the south end of the harbor.

Entrance to bike path at Mandalay Beach Road and Beach Way

Entrance to bike path at Mandalay Beach Road and Beach Way

There's a loop you can do around Oxnard Beach Park

There's a loop you can do around Oxnard Beach Park

The bike path continues south and goes around the Embassy Suites Mandalay Beach Hotel

The bike path continues south and goes around the Embassy Suites Mandalay Beach Hotel

Soon after passing the hotel, the path swing east towards Harbor Boulevard

Soon after passing the hotel, the path swing east towards Harbor Boulevard

At Harbor Boulevard, you can cross over to Channel Islands Harbor or veer right (west) on West Channel Islands Boulevard towards Hollywood Beach. 

At Harbor Boulevard, you can cross over to Channel Islands Harbor or veer right (west) on West Channel Islands Boulevard towards Hollywood Beach. 

plenty of sand at Hollywood Beach. There's a restroom facility here. You can bike along Ocean Drive, which parallels the beach, to an entry point. do note that you are no longer on a bike path. you can continue south on Ocean Drive until i…

plenty of sand at Hollywood Beach. There's a restroom facility here. You can bike along Ocean Drive, which parallels the beach, to an entry point. do note that you are no longer on a bike path. you can continue south on Ocean Drive until its endpoint, where you turn left on South Harbor Boulevard past Channel View Park, where you will soon reach Channel Islands Harbor. 

On S. Harbor Boulevard going north now, you will be able to take a right (east) turn on Albacore Way to get to the nice pedestrian/bike path along Channel Islands Harbor. It will take you past the Channel Islands Maritime Museum and marina, where th…

On S. Harbor Boulevard going north now, you will be able to take a right (east) turn on Albacore Way to get to the nice pedestrian/bike path along Channel Islands Harbor. It will take you past the Channel Islands Maritime Museum and marina, where there are restaurants and other things to do.

Pretty cool place to ride bikes at the harbor...and rarely crowded in my experience.

Pretty cool place to ride bikes at the harbor...and rarely crowded in my experience.

If you and the kids are up to it and want a longer ride, after reaching the north side of the Harbor, you can take Harbor Boulevard back over to W. Channel Islands Boulevard over the bridge to the middle of the Harbor. There's a popular Toppers…

If you and the kids are up to it and want a longer ride, after reaching the north side of the Harbor, you can take Harbor Boulevard back over to W. Channel Islands Boulevard over the bridge to the middle of the Harbor. There's a popular Toppers Pizza over there. Or go the east side of the Harbor. 

Other options of course include parking at the Channel Islands Harbor somewhere and cycling your way up to the Oxnard Beach Park. And you can also pedal your way over to S. Victoria Avenue and take the bike lane all the way down to Silverstrand Beach (or even park at Silverstrand and ride your way up from there...though do take not that this is not a bike path). Have fun!

Lake Casitas Recreation Area in Ventura

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The Lake Casitas Recreation Area is operated by the Casitas Municipal Water District, which supplied water to 70,000 people and hundreds of farms in western Ventura County, encompassing Ojai, the Ventura River Valley area, the city of Ventura to Mills Road, the Rincon and beach area to the ocean and the Santa Barbara County line.

Lake Casitas is a reservoir that was completed in 1959, with a capacity of 254,000 acre feet. The lake was used for canoeing and rowing events for the 1984 Summer Olympics. While swimming is not allowed in the lake because it is a water supply, boating, canoeing, kayaking and fishing is indeed allowed here.

There are a lot of fun things to do in the Lake Casitas Recreation Area:

Day use hours are 6 am to 7:30 pm daily. $10 entry fee for vehicles during off season (Labor Day to Easter) and $20 on weekends during “on” season (Easter to Labor Day). Or you can be a cheapskate like me and park on Santa Ana Road and walk in. Location is 11311 Santa Ana Road, Ventura. For more information, visit www.casitaswater.org/recreation or call 805-649-2233.

Front entry to Lake Casitas Recreation Area in the summer of 2022.