Things to Do in Oxnard

Gull Wings Children's Museum appeals to many childhood aspirations as it teaches—the Blast Off area lets kids pretend to be astronauts, the Home Town Hero exhibit lets them play firefighters, and the Lego-a-Go-Go room lets them portray immobile plastic bricks. Aside from the many exhibits, there are a series of regular programs in reading, science, and other subjects. The museum also hosts special events such as storytellers and dance groups.

The sound of crashing pins draws equally loud cheers from players at Ventura Bowling Center as their progress is tallied via an automatic scoring system. Arcade games and dartboards entice them to take a break from alleyways, while hunger draws them toward the snack bar. Meanwhile, a full onsite bar supplies players with enough bubbly soda and ice-cold beer to celebrate a big win or an impressive moonwalk made possible by a pair of smooth-soled bowling shoes.

Captain Frank has navigated Californian waters for more than 30 years, earning his 100-Ton Captain's license in 1980 and consequently became the youngest person to do so at the time. After working for the next 19 years chartering boats and educating students aboard the Channel Islands Marine Floating Lab, he purchased the 85-foot Ranger 85, the very ship he worked on as a teenager. Along with a sister vessel, the Coral Sea, Captain Frank helms his Ranger 85 to carry visitors on scenic tours around Channel Islands National Park and National Marine Sanctuary, allowing them to glimpse rare species of animals and stretches of untamed Californian landscapes. On some trips, passengers may even occasionally spot up to five different types of whales. He also embarks on private charters and bookings for groups or special occasions, such as corporate events or graduation parties for the family harbor seal.

Though little known to humans outside of Ventura, Hook's Landing's sailors are notoriously feared in the sea world. That's due in large part to their successful fishing charters, on which they bag hundreds of rockfish, dozens of whitefish, and multiple lobsters with a crew of tour-goers.The charter's guests can keep any legal-size lobster, crab, and fish they find in their professional-grade hoop nets. Hook's Landing snaps memorable shots of the day's catches and encourages guests to cook their catch, instead of nailing it to a board and trying to make it sing.

The expert staff at Queen Beads bestows its customers with a spectrum of materials and guides fledgling jewelry makers during small, hands-on classes and craft-centric birthday parties. Each student can learn the essentials and make a bracelet during a basic-beading class, master simple and versatile macramé, or turn the fruits of chain-bracelet classes into festive saddles for lilliputian horses. Patrons can design their own necklaces out of coral, turquoise, and glass beads, or purchase recycled-glass beads, whose profits benefit primary and secondary schools in Ghana. Queen Beads’ displays also twinkle with vintage and unique modern jewelry, from dainty bracelets to beguiling necklaces.

Nestled at the edge of the Santa Monica mountains, Park Place Stable’s 1,000-acre ranch is crisscrossed with horseback trails that promise beautiful scenic views of the Pacific from the vantage point of rolling foothills. During the secluded trail rides, even-tempered horses transport riders across myriad canyons and valleys, with the ocean breeze wafting in from the distance, mountains rising majestically toward the stratosphere, and steeds softly humming the theme from the Lone Ranger.