The Stagecoach Inn in Newbury Park is Ventura County Historical Landmark No. 30

Ventura County Historical Landmark No. 30 is the Stagecoach Inn in Newbury Park. The Stagecoach Inn Museum was originally built as the Grand Union Hotel in 1876 at the southwest corner of what is now Ventu Park Road and the Ventura Freeway. In 1965 it was relocated to its current location at 51 South Ventu Park Road (near the Lynn Road intersection) due to construction of the freeway.

The Inn is a Monterey style redwood structure with a wraparound porch and balcony. The original structure served as a school, post office, steakhouse, church, gift shop and movie set. After it was destroyed by a fire in 1970, the Stagecoach Inn was completely rebuilt and dedicated on July 4, 1976.

Situated on four acres, The Stagecoach Inn Museum site also houses a Chumash Indian hut, an early California Spanish adobe, a three-room pioneer house, blacksmith shop and a collection of vintage items, both inside the Inn and outdoors. Inside the Inn, each room is adorned with antique furniture, dolls, toys, household items and other collections and memorabilia. Behind the Museum is a fun to explore nature trail and stream.

The Inn is also California Registered Historical Landmark No. 659 and was named to the National Register of Historic Places on December 30, 1975.

Adjacent to the Museum is the 4.9 acre Stagecoach Inn Park, with a large grassy area, full basketball court, stagecoach themed play area and three picnic tables and grills. This is a neighborhood park developed by the Conejo Recreation and Park District in 1985. There are no restrooms at this park.

Stagecoach themed play area at Stagecoach Inn Park adjacent to the Museum.

Don't forget the horsies!

In addition to year-round docent-led tours, The Stagecoach Inn Museum frequently hosts special events, including holiday gatherings, Conejo Valley Historical Society meetings and events, antique fairs and more. It is also a popular venue for weddings.

The Stagecoach Inn Museum is located at 51 South Ventu Park Road, Newbury Park.  Open for docent-led tours Wednesdays and Saturdays from 1-4PM. Admission is $7 for adults and $5 for children (as of July 2022).

Call 805.498.9441 or visit stagecoachinnmuseum.com to learn more.

Restoration Work at Potrero Creek at Rancho Sierra Vista in Newbury Park

For months, the National Park Service has coordinated, with the help of dozens of community volunteers and other organizations, native plant restoration at Potrero Creek at Rancho Sierra Vista in Newbury Park.

The creek is home to a young native oak woodland, along with milkweed visited by monarch butterflies and various other native plants used by dozens of local birds, insects and other wildlife. Volunteers have planted hundreds of plants grown from locally collected seed and watered hundreds of oak trees along the creek. You can see their work in this video. It will be interesting to see how the landscape changes over the coming decades as a result of this work.

To participate in other restoration events, including current work being done at Paramount Ranch, visit the Santa Monica Mountains Fund event signup page at www.eventbrite.com/o/santa-monica-mountains-fund-15433390756.

OVER 60 LOCAL AREA HIKES AND TRAILS IN VENTURA COUNTY AND ADJACENT AREAS

Hike to the Danielson Monument in the Boney Mountain Wilderness

One of the more popular and challenging hikes in the local area takes you from the Rancho Sierra Vista/Satwiwa Recreation Area in Newbury Park to the Danielson Monument in the Boney Mountain Wilderness (Point Mugu State Park). 

It is about 5.5 miles round trip and has a net elevation gain of about 600 feet. The Monument is close to 1,500 feet in elevation This is a fairly challenging trail as roughly two thirds of the hike you are going up and down fairly substantial hills. That said, I've seen hundreds of folks on these trails of all fitness levels and ages doing it at their own pace.

Entrance into Rancho Sierra Vista/Satwiwa at Lynn Road and Via Goleta in Newbury Park

Starting at the Satwiwa Native American Culture Center, make your way to the Danielson Road trail by either taking the Big Sycamore Canyon Fire Road (paved) south for roughly .3 mile and then a left on Danielson Road (trail) or take the Satwiwa Loop Trail that runs diagonally southeast until you reach a fork on the trail.

(Note: You can also park at the trailhead at Wendy and Potrero Roads and add another few miles to your trek.)

Sycamore Canyon Road southbound towards Point Mugu State Park from Satwiwa Center

Veer right (south) at the juncture of the Danielson Road and Satwiwa Loop trails towards a bench that overlooks Sycamore Canyon. This is called the Upper Sycamore Canyon Overlook.

The bench at the Upper Sycamore Canyon Overlook in Rancho Sierra Vista

The short, rocky trail eastbound from there (behind the bench) takes you to another fork, where you can either veer left to the Hidden Valley Overlook trail (part of Rancho Sierra Vista/Satwiwa) or right into the Boney Mountain Wilderness. (Note that dogs and bikes are not allowed in the Boney Mountain Wilderness.)

Entering the Boney Mountain Wilderness

After a steady descent of about another .4 mile, you'll see another sign. Continue towards the left. On the right is the Upper Sycamore Canyon Trail, kind of a fun, winding trail at the bottom of the canyon. Save that for another day.

In non-drought years, there is often a creek you may need to walk through as you continue on Danielson Road. It has been years since the stream was of any significance but it was back in February 2017 after recent rainstorms. But it is generally easy to get across.

After navigating the narrowest portion of trail, you will see a juncture. The unmarked "Waterfall Trail" is straight ahead (only about 120 steps to the "Waterfall" when there's not a severe drought). You can check it out as it is such a short distance. But to get to the Monument, veer sharply right, continuing up Danielson Road.

Juncture of Waterfall (straight ahead) and Danielson Road (to the right)

This is a long, grinding, uphill trail of about a mile until you get to a juncture where you can make a right-hand turn to the Old Boney Trail. As you make your way up, you'll be treated to great views from Sycamore Canyon to Newbury Park and beyond.

This is a bit of a dried out view from Upper Danielson Road looking down from where we came from in 2015.

You're almost there once you see this Old Boney trail sign - just .3 mile to go

Continue straight on Danielson Road. There are some areas coming up that periodically get overgrown. Watch out for poison oak particularly in these areas, continuing on to the Monument. In .3 mile, you're reached your destination.

The Danielson Monument is a tribute to Richard Ely Danielson, Junior who lived on the 7,800 acre Rancho Sierra Vista after purchasing the land from the estate of Carl H. Beal in 1947 for roughly $500,000. Danielson lived on the ranch for over three decades with his family. He donated 5,585 acres of the ranch to the State of California, which became part of Point Mugu State Park, and sold 850 acres, including the horse ranch, to the National Park Service in 1980.  He passed away on December 27, 1988. 

Ranching in the area dates back to the early 1800s, when Spanish soldiers were granted 48,672 acres of land, "Rancho El Conejo," which through the years was subdivided and sold to other landowners. One of these ranchers was Carl Beal, who in 1937 named the area Rancho Sierra Vista "Mountain View Ranch." 

The Monument is in a peaceful setting, surrounded by trees. And it stays fairly green up here. A good place to eat lunch or sit and relax. Adjacent to the Monument is a remnant of Danielson's cabin - the chimney. If you continue up this path to the right, you can get to the top of Boney Mountain.

Remnant of Danielson's cabin adjacent to the monument - a chimney.

One thing I've never seen in my decades on this particular trail are strollers. I think strollers would be a bit of a challenge for many due to rocky and narrow sections, periodic overgrowth and poison oak on the sides of a small portion of the trail and, when we're not in a drought, a stream crossing. 

COMPILATION OF TRAILS IN AND AROUND VENTURA COUNTY

Restaurants That Opened and Restaurants That Closed in the Conejo Valley During the Pandemic

The World Health Organization labeled COVID-19 as a pandemic on March 11, 2020, when there were 118,000 reported cases in 114 countries, leading to 4,291 deaths. The state of California was placed on “Stay at Home” orders, effective March 19, 2020. The rest is history.

Meanwhile, we’ve been tracking eateries in the Conejo Valley, including Thousand Oaks, Westlake Village, Newbury Park, Oak Park, Agoura Hills and portions of Calabasas that opened and closed since the pandemic began.

Eateries That Opened Since the Pandemic Began

Wingstop at Janss Marketplace Thousand Oaks (Opened Mid-April)

Nick the Greek Souvlaki & Gyro House at North Ranch Mall in Westlake Village (May 2021)

Cork Dork Wine Bar in Westlake Village (May 20. 2021)

Fierce Ave Korean BBQ in Newbury Park (2021)

Saffron Mediterranean Kitchen in Agoura Hills (January 2021)

O’t Bistro Asian Comfort Food at Janss Marketplace (March 2021)

Bagelicious Cafe at Whizin Market Square in Agoura Hills (December 2020)

Agoura Wine & Beer Co at Whizin Market Square in Agoura Hills

Drive-Thru Starbucks at Janss Marketplace (January 2021)

E+MON Sushi and Ramen at the Westlake Commons (December 2020)

Siblings Bakery in Thousand Oaks (January 2021)

Chef Danny’s Naru Bento at Janss Marketplace (November 2020)

Leone’s Original Italian Ices in Thousand Oaks (November 2020)

Porta Via at The Commons at Calabasas (September 2020)

Limena Peruvian Eatery in Thousand Oaks (July 2020)

Urban Vejjie at The Shoppes at Westlake (June 23, 2020; but closed in 2021)

Sage Plant Based Bistro & Brewery in Agoura Hills (May 2020)

Peebee & Jay’s Newbury Park (May 2020)

La Esquina Mexican Grill in Thousand Oaks (June 2020)

Armando’s Tacos Thousand Oaks (Fall 2020)

Pedals & Pints Brewing Company Thousand Oaks (March 17, 2020)

Eateries That Announced They are Opening Soon

The Waffle Experience in Newbury Park (Coming Soon)

Valentino’s Take & Bake Pizza in Thousand Oaks (Coming Soon)

Wild Fork Foods - Meat & Seafood Market in Thousand Oaks (Coming Soon)

Azuki Tea at North Ranch Shopping Center in Westlake Village (Coming Soon)

Viet Kitchen at The Village at Newbury Park (Opening Soon)

Amy’s Drive Thru Organic Fast Food in Thousand Oaks (Early 2022)

Barney’s Gourmet Hamburgers at The Commons at Calabasas (Summer 2021)

The Waffle Experience in Newbury Park (Coming Soon)

Furn Saj Lebanese Bakery at The Summit at Calabasas (Now Open - Late May)

Everbowl at the North Ranch Mall in Westlake Village (Coming Soon)

Salsa & Beer Mexican Food in Calabasas (Coming Soon)

Parma Pizzeria to open Agoura Hills Location (Coming Soon)

Caribbean Haven in Thousand Oaks (Coming Soon)

Chakaa Tea Cafe in Newbury Park (Coming Soon)

sweetgreen at The Promenade at Westlake (Coming Soon)

Eateries That Closed Permanently

Flame Broiler in Newbury Park

Lemonade Restaurant at The Promenade at Westlake (Feb 21, 2021)

Mimi’s Cafe Thousand Oaks (February 2021)

Currying Flavors in Agoura Hills (Late 2020)

Roma Italian Deli in Newbury Park (November 2020)

Currying Flavors in Agoura Hills (Fall 2020)

Champagne French Bakery at The Promenade at Westlake (Summer 2020)

Jack’s Donuts Thousand Oaks (August 2020)

Champagne French Bakery at The Promenade at Westlake (Summer 2020)

Taco Bell Westlake Village (July 2020)

Pizza Rev at The Oaks mall (Summer 2020)

Edelweiss German Bierhaus in Newbury Park (June 2020)

Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf on Moorpark Road in Thousand Oaks (May 2020)

Peet’s Coffee in Westlake Village

Freddy’s Frozen Custard and Steakburgers in Westlake Village (March 2020)

Starbucks on Moorpark Road (closed, but re-opened up the street as a drive-thru)

E.T. Donuts in Thousand Oaks

Flatiron Bagel in Thousand Oaks

Eateries That Closed Temporarily, Possibly Permanently (TBD)

Stacked at The Oaks mall

Red Robin at The Oaks mall

Pitfire Pizza in Westlake Village

Hot Dog on a Stick at The Oaks mall

Other Local Businesses of Note

K1 Speed Indoor Go Kart Racing in Newbury Park (Late Summer 2021 anticipated date)

Five Below Store at Janss Marketplace in Thousand Oaks (Coming Soon)

Batchoyan Ilonggo Filipino Cuisine in Camarillo (October 2020)

Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers in Oxnard (March 2021)

The Mighty Axe - Axe Throwing & Ales at Janss Marketplace (Coming Soon)

ALDI Thousand Oaks at Janss Marketplace (Opened December 2020)

Amazon Fresh Store at The Promenade at Westlake (Date TBA)

Sherwood Homes in Newbury Hills in the Conejo Valley in 1969

Sherwood Homes in the delightful new community of Newbury Hills offered 3 and 4 bedroom homes in 1969 with pass thru service bars, ceramic tile kitchens, double door entries and more. Starting at $21,820. Walter Avenue and Wendy Drive. See you there!

Today (2021) these homes are in the $700K to $800K range. That outpaces the inflation rate over that period by a five!

Trail Etiquette Tips in the Conejo Valley and Surrounding Areas

The trails that surround us here in the Conejo Valley, including the Santa Monica Mountains maintained by the National Park Service, California State Parks and other organizations, as well as the Conejo Open Space, are a year-round wonderland for hikers, bikers, runners and equestrians. As such, it’s good to be reminded of the rules for trail etiquette.

Here is a summary of tips summarized in a brochure posted at trailetiquette.org:

Hikers, runners and mountain bikers must always yield to equestrians. Do so by immediately stopping and waiting on the downhill side of the trail. Greet the rider, as your voice also signals to the horse that you’re human and not a potential threat. Communicate with the rider and ask how to proceed. As beautiful as the horses are, do not approach or pet them without asking for permission first. If you are a cyclist, after communicating with the horse rider, pass slowly and steadily, without sudden movements or noises.

Hikers should always listen for cyclists, runners and equestrians approaching from behind. Listen for “on your left” so that you can stay to the right and let them by. Hike single-file on narrow trails and try to stay to the right on wider trails. Keep your dogs on short (6 feet maximum) leashes and of course, clean up after them. If you wear headphones, consider wearing only one earpiece or turning the volume down so you can hear your surroundings.

Bikers should slow down and yield to hikers and horses. Consider using a bell to alert others you are behind them. On a single track trail, downhill cyclists should yield to uphill cyclists.

And some other reminders…stay on the trails, don’t litter, don’t block the trail if you need to stop and don’t use the trails when the are wet and muddy.

And of course, be nice, smile at and greet your fellow trail users! We love our local trails!

GREAT TRAILS AND HIKES IN AND AROUND VENTURA COUNTY

Eateries in the Conejo Valley That Have Expanded Their Outdoor Dining Capacity

UPDATE 12/5/20: There’s a new order effective December 6th that, among other things, limits restaurants to take-out, pick-up and delivery only throughout Southern California, for at least 3 weeks. The reason for this new order is that ICU capacity has dropped below 15%. The order will be reevaluated once ICU capacity is higher.

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With the most recent COVID-19 health order effective July 13th, restaurants were required to close indoor dining operations. In their entrepreneurial spirit, we’ve seen local eateries scramble to adapt to this new requirement. Here’a a compilation of what we’ve seen and heard around town. (Contact us to let us know of additional eateries that are not on the list.)

Temporary additional outdoor dining at Bandits BBQ Thousand Oaks.

These eateries have added a significant amount of outdoor seating in the parking area:

• Bandits BBQ Thousand Oaks (in addition to existing outdoor patio area). Also in Camarillo.

• Lure Fish House Westlake Village.

• Cronies Newbury Park and Agoura Hills

• Q Sushi Westlake Village

• Made In Italy has a cute outdoor dining area in the parking lot

• Cisco’s Thousand Oaks

• Tavern Tomoko and Ladyface Brewery in Agoura Hills

• Crown & Anchor Thousand Oaks

• Islands Newbury Park

• The Alamo Newbury Park

• Pedals & Pints Brewing Co. Thousand Oaks

• Holdren’s Steakhouse Newbury Park

• Boney Mountain Pizza Co. Newbury Park

• Patron Mexican Restaurant Newbury Park

• Azar’s Newbury Park

• Rustico in Oak Park

• Pickles Deli Newbury Park

• Open air patio at Plata Taqueria Agoura Hills

• El Sancho Loco Newbury Park

• Sunset Terrace Thousand Oaks

• Saffron Indian Cuisine and neighboring The Nook in Newbury Park

• Los Dos Amigos in Thousand Oaks has expanded seating arrangements into the parking lot.

• Outdoor patio at Tuscany il Ristorante in Westlake Village

• Wood Ranch Agoura Hills, Moorpark and Camarillo outdoor patio areas

• Sunland Vintage Winery in Thousand Oaks

• The Melting Pot opened up outdoor dining on August 28th

• Julio’s Agave Grill in Westlake Village

• Exotic Thai Bistro in Agoura Hills

• Sunset Terrace in Thousand Oaks has expanded its outdoor seating area

• Melting Pot Thousand Oaks recently expanded into the parking lot for outdoor dining.

• Lal Mirch in Agoura Hills has created an outdoor eating area

• BJ’s in Westlake Village has a large seating area in the parking lot

• Brent’s Deli has added an outdoor patio with a tent and heat lamps

Outdoor dining at D’Amore’s Pizza Thousand Oaks

Eateries that already have large outdoor seating capacity:

• Tarantula Hill Brewing Company Thousand Oaks

• Eggs N Things Thousand Oaks

• The Latigo Kid Agoura Hills

• Restaurants at The Landing in Westlake Village - Boccaccio’s, The Landing Grill, Zin Bistro

• Side Street Cafe Newbury Park

• All eateries at Janss Marketplace have plenty of outdoor seating available , including Buca di Beppo, Crazy King Kong Sushi, Greco’s Pizzeria, Janchi Korean BBQ, Karma Indian Cuisine, Lucky’s Dog House, Panera Bread, Sharky’s Sunset Terrace and Cold Stone Creamery.

• Bad Ass Tacos Thousand Oaks

• Tabu Shabu Thousand Oaks

• Eateries at The Lakes at Thousand Oaks - CPK, P.F. Chang’s

• Eateries at The Promenade at Westlake, including Grill on the Alley, Shake Shack, Soom Soom, Paul Martin’s, Social Monk, Marmalade Cafe, Farfalla, others

• Eateries at The Oaks mall, including Lazy Dog Cafe, The Cheesecake Factory, Olive Garden, others

• Five 07 Coffee Bar

• Droughts Thousand Oaks

• Pacific Fresh Grill Thousand Oaks

• Snapper Jacks Thousand Oaks

• Toppers Pizza Thousand Oaks

• Grabbagreen Thousand Oaks

• Cafe Rio Thousand Oaks

• Urbane Cafe, Kabob Plus and Dog Haus Thousand Oaks

• The Original Pizza Cookery Thousand Oaks

• Mejico Grill Agoura Hills outdoor patios

• Stella’s in Newbury Park has outdoor tables

• Chili’s in Newbury Park has set up outdoor tables.

• Adobe Cantina in Agoura Hills

This list is obviously not 100% complete, so contact us with additions.

bit.ly/OutdoorEating

Eateries that have been closed in the Conejo Valley during the pandemic:

• Stacked at the Oaks Mall - All Stacked locations have been “temporarily closed” since March and there have been no updates since then at stacked.com

• Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf on Moorpark Road in Thousand Oaks - permanently closed

• Five Guys Thousand Oaks has been closed for the duration of the pandemic - while it appears permanently closed, I have not been able to independently confirm this with Five Guys.

• Pitfire Artisan Pizza in Westlake Village indicates it is temporarily closed.

• Azi Grill at Janss Marketplace has been closed. It is unclear if the closure is temporary or permanent.

• Champagne French Bakery at The Promenade at Westlake.

• Red Robin at The Oaks Mall.

• Flame Broiler in Newbury Park

• Janchi Korean BBQ at Janss Marketplace temporarily closed until further notice in December

Eateries that were closed for awhile that have reopened:

• Le Pain Quotidien in Westlake Village has been closed for months but is now (as of 9/29) back open, 8am to 4pm daily.

Eateries that appear to have permanently closed :

• Pizza Rev at The Oaks appears to have permanently closed.

• Roma Deli closed its doors in November.

New local eateries that have opened in recent months in THIS SECTION OF LOCAL BUZZ.

Other local eateries that have closed in recent months in THIS SECTION OF LOCAL BUZZ.