Jumping and Climbing Options In and Around Ventura County

If your kids are bouncing off the walls around the house and need to jump off some steam, perhaps they need a new environment for jumping and/or climbing in and around Ventura County. Here are some options to consider.

Sky Zone (formerly DojoBoom and Defy) Extreme Air Sports opened at the Janss Marketplace in Thousand Oaks in November 2017, offering over 50,000 square feet of trampolines, launching decks, foam pits, obstacle course and much more.

Sky Zone Trampoline Park is located at 2825 Johnson Drive in east Ventura. Similar to Sky High, Sky Zone offers wall to wall trampolines with open jump sessions, a "SkySlam" court and more.

Boulderdash Indoor Rock Climbing at 880 Hampshire Road, Suite A, Thousand Oaks, is a 10,000 sq ft climbing area with sections ranging from 25 feet to 45 feet tall. Fun for all ages.

An additional Boulderdash Indoor Rock Climbing opened at 2879 Seaborg Avenue, Suite 101, Ventura in January 2019. This facility is also 10,000 sq ft.

The Agoura Hills/Calabasas Community Center at 27040 Malibu Hills Road, Calabasas features, among other things, a 35 foot rock climbing wall. (Center has been closed pending renovations; anticipated to reopen in late fall 2023.)

Santa Barbara Rock Gym is an 8,500 sq ft facility located at 322 State Street, Santa Barbara.

Not for the inexperienced...rock climbing at Westward Beach in Malibu.

For more seasoned climbers, there is a sheer cliff used by rock climbers at Westward Beach in Malibu as well as near the Rock Pool at Malibu Creek State Park.

Veterans Plaza at Rancho Tapo Community Park in Simi Valley

Rancho Tapo Community Park is located at 3700 Avenida Simi in Simi Valley. At the southeast end of the park is Veterans Plaza, a memorial area that opened in November 2002 to commemorate U.S. veterans. The Plaza includes a grass amphitheater area, a ceremonial area with descriptions of American wars going back to the Revolutionary War and an adjacent pond and fountain.

The Corriganville Movie Ranch Site in Simi Valley is a Ventura County Historical Landmark

The Corriganville Movie Ranch Site in Simi Valley was designated a historical point of interest by the Ventura County Cultural Heritage Board in January 1982, then subsequently was redesignated as a historical landmark in August 1995.

Corriganville was a 1,500 acre piece of land in Simi Valley purchased by western film star Ray “Crash” Corrigan in 1937. The site was a working movie ranch for nearly three decades, and was used in the making of roughly 3,500 western films and television series such as Fort Apache, The Lone Ranger, and The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin. Actors like John Wayne, Gene Autry, Johnny Weissmuller, Tex Ritter, Joel McCrea, Dale Evans and so many others filmed movies here.

Corriganville today...the ranch burned down in the 1970s, leaving just these cement slabs and exterior walls.

In 1949, the ranch opened to the public as “Corriganville,” a western themed amusement park. The ranch was later purchased by Bob Hope in 1965, deeming the ranch its alternative name, Hopetown. The ranch burned down in the 1970s and all that is left are the cement slabs and exterior rock walls of the barn. 

View of Corriganville Park from a trail on the east side of the park. The trail takes you up to 118 Freeway and a wildlife corridor tunnel that takes you under the freeway into Rocky Peak Park.

In 1988, 190 acres of the original ranch was purchased by the City of Simi Valley and is now owned and managed by the Rancho Simi Recreation and Park District. Corriganville Park is located at 1601 Kuehner Drive, Simi Valley and is open to the public for hiking, walking and exploring. For a detailed compilation of historical aspects of the site, visit www.corriganville.net.

A photo of the Corriganville Movie Ranch when it was an active movie set. Learn more about Corriganville and see a model of what it looked like in the 1960s at the nearby Santa Susana Depot Museum.

Rotary Club of Simi Sunrise "Simi Smiles" Peace Project Rock Exchange at Corriganville Park

Rotary Club of Simi Sunrise recently installed a community peace themed rock exchange at Corriganville Park, 7001 Smith Road, Simi Valley.

Through the efforts of Simi Sunrise, the city of Simi Valley has been established as an International City of Peace, one of 375 Cities of Peace in 70 countries.

To encourage the community to promote peace, students were invited to design hand-painted rocks to spread peace, love and friendship. Over 500 rocks with these themes were created and were placed in a large peace sign formation adjacent to the Corriganville Park parking lot.

Learn more about the Rotary Club of Simi Sunrise at rotaryclubofsimisunrise.org.

More on the International Cities of Peace movement at www.internationalcitiesofpeace.org. Other local Cities of Peace include Ojai, Santa Barbara and Los Angeles.

Ronald Reagan Ate Jelly Beans to Give Up Smoking While Running for Governor in 1966

According to Reagan Library archives, when Ronald Reagan ran for Governor of California in 1966, he began eating jelly beans made by the Oakland based Herman Goelitz Candy Company. Why? To give up pipe smoking. It worked. 

He continued receiving Goelitz Mini Jelly Beans from the company for the duration of his two terms. Then he continued receiving shipments from Goelitz, which in 1976 launched a new brand, Jelly Belly. 

Then in 1981, 3 1/2 tons of red (Very Cherry), white (Coconut) and blue (Blueberry) Jelly Belly jelly beans were shipped to Reagan's Presidential Inauguration ceremony.

And the Jelly Belly jelly bean brigade continued for the duration of Reagan's eight years in office. His favorite Jelly Belly flavor was licorice.

And as many of you know, there's an image of Reagan done completely in Jelly Belly jelly beans at the Reagan Library. It took about 10,000 of them to complete this work of art.

More information at www.reaganlibrary.gov/reagans/ronald-reagan/jelly-bellyr-jelly-beans-and-ronald-reagan.

More on the Reagan Library at THIS LINK.

Jelly Belly is a privately-owned company based in Fairfield, California. Open for tours at www.jellybelly.com.

"You can tell a lot about a fella's character by whether he picks out all of one color or just grabs a handful."  - President Reagan (in reference to jelly beans)

Ventura County Animal Services Promotes and Protects the Welfare of Animals

Ventura County Animal Services (VCAS) is a division of Ventura County Public Health and a department of the Ventura County Health Care Agency. Ventura County Animal Services is committed to promoting and protecting the health, safety and welfare of the people and animals living in Ventura County.

VCAS's main animal shelter and administrative offices is located near the Camarillo Airport at 600 Aviation Drive. The shelter houses up to 400 animals, including dogs, cats, rabbits, birds, livestock and exotic animals. The Simi Valley shelter at 670 West Los Angeles Avenue accepts strays from Simi Valley and Moorpark that can be reclaimed by local residents but due to space limitations are photographed and brought to Camarillo usually within 24 hours. Both shelters are currently open seven days a week. Visit www.vcas.us for operating hours.

To reach either shelter, call 805.388.4341 or 888.223.PETS, Monday through Friday 7:30 am to 5:30 pm and Saturday/Sunday 8 am to 4 pm. Field officers are on duty 24 hours a day, 365 days a year and can be reached through these numbers.

How to Adopt an Animal: Animals become available for adoption over varying periods, depending on if the animal has been given up for adoption or is a stray. All adopted animals must be spayed/neutered. In-county adoption costs $125, including certification of sterilization, preliminary vaccinations, first rabies vaccine, Ventura County license*, Trovan microchip for permanent identification, free obedience classes and a certificate for a free health exam at participating local veterinarians. You must be 18 or older with valid ID and commit to providing a "home" (not just a yard) for the animal.

*State law requires that dogs over four months of age be licensed and vaccinated against rabies. VCAS handles licensing for all of Ventura County except Thousand Oaks and Santa Paula, which have their own licensing programs. The City of Thousand Oaks contracts with the Los Angeles County Animal Shelter located at 29525 Agoura Road in Agoura Hills. The Agoura Hills shelter is open seven days a week and can be reached at 818.991.0071. Visit the Santa Paula Animal Rescue Center site at www.santapaulaarc.org for licensing information in that city.

Dog adoption fee for Ventura County residents as of January 2022 (includes license, sterilization and microchip): $115 ($90 fr out of county residents; excludes license). Cats $80, rabbits $50, birds $15.

Buy Gift Cards at Costco and Save a Lot of Money Elsewhere

If you're not already a Costco member and have no intention of becoming one, gift cards are a reason to consider a Costco membership. Costco offers an assortment of gift cards for sale at bargain prices; typically 20% off.  A $55 annual Costco membership fee can quickly be recovered if you use these cards. Here's a summary of what several (Oxnard, Westlake Village and Simi Valley) local Costco stores either currently have on hand or have carried in the past.

• Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf: $100 in gift cards for $79.99 (also available online)

• Buca di Beppo $100 in gift cards for $69.99 (in store)

• CPK $100 in gift cards for $79.99

• P.F. Chang's $100 in gift cards for $79.99 (online and in store)

• Roy’s $100 in gift cards for $79.99 in store

• Marmalade Cafe $100 in gift cards for $79.99 in store

• Build-a-Bear Workshop $100 Gift E-Cards for $79.99 (available online)

• 24 Hour Fitness discounted 2 year memberships

• Cold Stone Creamery $100 in gift cards for $69.99

• Yogurtland four $25 gift cards for $79.99

• Krispy Kreme 4 $15 gift cards for $44.99 (online)

All of this of course is subject to change and availability.