The Perfect Family-Friendly Getaway North of Los Angeles

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Our first stop on our 6-month adventure was to Ventura County, California. We planned a weekend getaway with 3 other families, made up of friends that we’ve had for over 20 years. While I can’t take much credit for the planning, I did get to enjoy the fruits of it and wanted to share as it was absolutely perfect for families with young kids.

Where: Oxnard, Ventura County, California

Closest Airport: Burbank

Rental Car: Turo - we rented a minivan, with 2 car seats for around $45/day, delivered to the airport when we landed

House: 4 bedroom beachside house that was made for children. We rented on Airbnb (here’s the listing) - it had a sand pit with toys, a 2 second walk to the beach and a 5 minute walk to an amazing park. I was so pleased with it (even though my entire family of 6 stayed in 1 room).

Activities:

  • Mandalay Beach in Oxnard — we basically had this amazing beach to ourselves. The water was a bit cold but it was gorgeous. We brought a beach tent, some toys and snacks and called it a day.

  • Old Creek Ranch Winery: OMG - I can’t recommend this place enough if you like wine and have kids. We brought our own picnic lunch, set up, drank wine as our kids played on the grassy area. Does it get any better than that? NOPE!!!

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Dinner: We went to Rumfish y Vino in Ventura and loved it (we got a babysitter). The drinks were fantastic and the food was even better (and that’s not because we drank wine all day and didn’t have kids with us).

Late Afternoon Snack: The Jolly Oyster. OMG - this place was the cutest: beach side shuck-your-own oysters.

While I’m not too familiar with California, it does seem that Ventura County is a hidden gem. It’s about 65 miles from downtown LA, doesn’t have the typical “LA scene”, isn’t touristy and the temperature can’t be beat.



TravelMarissa GoldsteinComment