Central Coast Secrets: The best museums you’ve never visited

Check out our favorite Ventura County museums

By Don Sonderling

When you think of museums in Ventura County, the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley probably comes to mind. The site, high on a hill overlooking a beautiful landscape, is famous for many reasons: It’s the burial place of Ronald Reagan, the 40th President of the United States, and his wife, Nancy. It houses historical records and has impressive permanent exhibits (including Air Force One and a replica of the Oval Office), with rotating special exhibits throughout the year.

But Ventura County is dotted with several museums you may have never heard about. So, let’s tour 
some of these small specialty museums. Bonus — many of these are free!

Point Mugu

The Point Mugu Naval Air Station is located near Oxnard along the beach. It was established in the 1940s and became a Navy missile test site — no surprise, then, that it has some great displays! Point Mugu Missile Park is just outside the Base and offers a great free outdoor display. Learn about some of the important military history and see many of the missiles developed and tested here. Located on Highway 1, about two minutes off the freeway, this compact outdoor park is a great place to stop and wander. In addition to missile displays, several jet fighters are on display. If you’re lucky, you might just spot a jet or two taking off or landing on the runways nearby!

Point Mugu Missile Park is located at 10A Naval Air Rd, Port Hueneme.

 

Port Hueneme

About a 10-minute drive from the missile park is the U.S. Navy Seabee Museum, which blew me away! Located right outside the Naval Base, you will want to allow at least an hour or two to take in the displays throughout this building, depicting the storied history of the Seabees. According to its website, “The mission of the U.S. Navy Seabee Museum is to select, collect, preserve, and display historic material relating to the history of the Naval Construction Force, better known as the Seabees.”

Established in 1942, the Seabees have played essential roles in every conflict from WWII on. Their motto is “Construimus, Batimus,” meaning “we build, we fight,” and they have been an integral support force doing precisely that. The Seabee Museum, established in 1947, is charged with preserving and protecting the history of the Seabees and Civil Engineer Corps for future generations.

As you take the self-guided tour through this museum, you will see original photos, equipment, letters, commendations, historical records, military equipment, weaponry, medals, photographs, newsreels, uniforms, and many souvenirs brought back from overseas. The displays depict this specialized unit of the Navy and the part they play in being the advanced force laying the groundwork, building from the ground up, and being truly the first responders who prepared the way for the invading forces.

Of all the military subdivisions, the Seabees are perhaps the least known, yet one of the most critical specialized forces that allows boots on the ground to complete their mission.

Visit the U.S. Navy Seabee Museum and learn their history. You will leave appreciating the “Can Do” spirit of the U.S. Navy Construction Battalions and the Civil Engineer Corps: The Seabees.

U.S. Navy Seabee Museum is located at 3201 S Ventura Rd, Port Hueneme. For more: history.navy.mil/content/history/museums/seabee/visit-us.html

 

Thousand Oaks

Four miles east of Highway 101 in Thousand Oaks, you will discover a world that existed 13,000 years ago — before cowboys, stagecoaches, automobiles, and housing developments. The Chumash Indian Museum is located on an ancient Chumash Village site, Sap’wi, which was discovered in the 1980s. This museum gives you a window into what life was like many, many years ago, in this exact area, and includes a replica Chumash village about a quarter mile walk from the museum itself. As you walk to the replica village under the oaks, you can close your eyes and imagine the Chumash ancestors singing, laughing, and living, as you experience a peek into their ancient culture.

A tour through the museum and grounds will give an appreciation of the people who inhabited this area so long ago, and who still keep their history and traditions alive. Discover displays with carvings, baskets, photographs, arrowheads, and a fantastic reproduction of Chumash cave art. You’ll also find displays from the Chumash territories showing the local wildlife, a typical “home interior,” a fishing boat with a fishing net and spear, musical instruments, tools, and everything necessary for daily living.

As you leave the museum and walk toward the village, note the surrounding ethnobotanic gardens. Dozens of native plants, all with interpretive signs, surround the area: California buckwheat, which is used for tea for rheumatism and stomach issues; chaparral yucca, the leaves of which were used to make sandals; coast prickly pear, with its edible fruit and juices used as a pigment.

The Chumash Indian Museum is located at 3290 Lang Ranch Pkwy, Thousand Oaks, and is open on weekends only. For more: chumashmuseum.org

 

The Stagecoach Inn Museum is tucked away down a short driveway in Newbury Park. This is a true hidden gem depicting life in the local area more than 100 years ago. Although at first thought you would think of this as a “stagecoach” museum, the name is derived from the fact that this was a “resting” or stagecoach stop, between Los Angeles and Santa Barbara.

Originally known as The Grand Hotel, it was also a post office, church, restaurant, and military school. In 1970, the original structure burned to the ground and remained that way until it was rebuilt in 1976 (100 years after the original hotel was built) and turned into the Thousand Oaks/Newbury Park historical museum that it is today. It is under the ownership of the Conejo Recreation and Park Department and has an all-volunteer staff. It was the first business in the Conejo Valley, and is said to be among the most haunted places in California!

Your admission includes a tour of the Inn, led by one of the many docents — all in period dress. Learn about the Inn’s history, tour the many rooms, and learn what life was like from the 1870s to the early 1900s. How did they take a bath? How did they entertain? You’ll soon find out!

Although the house tour takes about an hour, you want to leave plenty of room to roam the grounds, visit the other structures and special exhibits, and visit the Hunt Blacksmith Shop. Constructed as a period blacksmith shop, “smithy” Wayne Robb will put on demonstrations using the 2,000-degree coke-fired forge. You may even walk away with a newly forged souvenir.

A visit to the Stagecoach Inn Museum will transport you back in time to when four-horsepower stagecoaches on dirt roads were the mode of transportation, before freeways with 300-horsepower four-wheelers were zipping around and before smart homes were dotting the landscape, and even before the telephone became something to carry in your pocket to look things up, like the history of this museum.

The Stagecoach Inn Museum is located at 
51 S. Ventu Park Rd., Newbury Park. For more: stagecoachinnmuseum.com

 

Fillmore and Santa Paula

The Fillmore Historical Museum dates back to 1798 as part of Rancho Sespe. What a trip it was to visit this museum! You will first notice the railroad cars and old train station behind the museum as you arrive. The museum is an old rancho bunkhouse filled with history. Wander around the many rooms downstairs and upstairs, each displaying period treasures, such as children’s toys, Native American artifacts, military weaponry, uniforms, and music boxes. There’s also a room dedicated to today’s Fillmore High School. Along the walls upstairs, you can see the history of Hollywood movies shot in Fillmore, including such classics as La Bamba, Seabiscuit, The Lone Ranger, The Thornbirds, Bullitt, and scores of others.

Once you leave the museum, take some time to go into the railroad depot express office, the U.S. Post Office (as it was back in the day), and the garage, where a fully reconditioned — and drivable — 1928 Model A Ford is housed.

You won’t have to get in your Model A or take your horse and buggy to your next stop: Santa Paula. Take a walk around the Historic District before starting your museum visits at these locations, which are all walking distance from one another: the California Oil Museum and the Santa Paula Art Museum.

The Oil Museum is temporarily closed as of publication, but the building alone is well worth seeing. It’s on the corner of Main and 10th Streets, and is historically significant. The Santa Paula Hardware Company Building (officially known as the Union Oil Company Building) was the birthplace of the Union Oil Company on Oct. 17, 1890. Take a stroll by and peek in the windows.

Just a few blocks down, you will come to the Santa Paula Art Museum, an intimate museum filled with stunning art from local and international artists alike. The permanent collection may be described as “Central California Art,” and is well worth visiting.

Check the website for special exhibits and upcoming events, such as multi-generational art programs, children’s programs (especially in the summer!), and classes and workshops at the Cole Creativity Center next door. There is also a lovely gift shop featuring creations by local artists.

The Santa Paula Art Museum is located at 117 N. 10th St, Santa Paula. For more: santapaulaartmuseum.org

Continue your stroll to the Ventura County Agricultural Museum, housed in the historic Mill Building. Constructed in 1888, it was initially used as an agricultural warehouse, a feed and grain outlet, and an antique mall. Today, you will see displays of agricultural machinery equipment, a scale, tractors, and even a working beehive. The museum also features special rotating exhibits. Currently, you’ll find Diego Huerta’s displays of images titled Mexican Indigenous Voices of Ventura County.

Outside is an extensive garden (and, at the end, a large water pump). Take your youngsters here for an immersive and 
fun experience!

The Ventura County Agricultural Museum is located at 926 Railroad Ave, Santa Paula.

 

Ojai

The Ojai Valley Museum is a gem that depicts the area’s history, art, and culture. Housed in what was 
originally the St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church (1918), the city bought the property in the 1990s, 
and it has been the Ojai Valley Museum since 1994.

Upon entering, the first thing you will see ahead of you is an alcove, the Sespe Wilderness diorama, and several taxidermy wild animals of the area. This will surely get the kids’ attention! As you walk around, discover displays and exhibits like: The Rancho Era under Spain from 1769; a history of tourism in the valley; Chumash exhibits of artifacts; information on Edward Libbey (of the Libbey Glass family and the aptly-named Libbey Park) as well as spiritual leader Jiddu Krishnamurti, and so much more. Another room has rotating exhibits that focus mainly on local artists. There is always a focus for children, which includes different interactive displays and an “I Spy” game.

This gathering place is for the community (and visitors), young and old. On the third Friday of each month, 
there are community events and refreshments.

The Ojai Valley Museum is located at 130 W Ojai Ave, Ojai. For more: ojaivalleymuseum.org

 

Camarillo

Come fly with me at the Commemorative Air Force SoCal Wing (CAFSoCal) at the Camarillo Airport. Learn the impressive flying history, and see up close and personal several WWII airplanes! Here, you’ll get an up-close look at a C-46 Commando — you can walk up the boarding ramp and get a feel for how troops were transported. This particular plane was used for “Flying the Hump,” which was going over the extreme elevation of the Himalayas and India.

One of the most impressive parts of the museum is the history, in words and pictures that depict important parts of airborne history, including photographs of the Tuskegee Airmen and notable women in aviation (the first being in 1798, if you can believe it, when a woman piloted a hot air balloon!). Other displays show models of planes from the Cold War, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War, as well as WWII propaganda, military equipment, military uniforms, and more.

Now, are you ready to actually fly in one of these vintage airplanes? Because you can! Go on in a B-25 bomber and take the nose machine gun position. Or, book a ride in an SNJ two-seater or an open cockpit PT-19 primary trainer. Rides are piloted by experienced pilots, subject to availability, and must be booked in advance.

Commemorative Air Force SoCal Wing is located at 455 Aviation Dr, Camarillo. For more: cafsocal.com

The philosopher George Santayana said, “Those who don’t remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” Visit museums, learn about the past, take from it what is good for humankind, and appreciate the sacrifices of those who came before you.

Don Sonderling is a freelance writer covering 
California’s unique lifestyle of wine, food, adventure, and special places to visit, from Ventura County north to Napa Valley and beyond. He can be reached at: donsonderling@gmail.com