Discover 11 hidden attractions, cool sights, and unusual things to do in Oxnard (United States). Don't miss out on these must-see attractions: Century RiverPark 16, Channel Islands Harbor, and Oxnard Beach Park. Also, be sure to include Point Hueneme Light in your itinerary.
Below, you can find the list of the most amazing places you should visit in Oxnard (California).
Table of Contents
Century RiverPark 16
Shopping center in Oxnard, California. The Collection at RiverPark is an outdoor lifestyle center located east of the 101 Freeway in Oxnard, California. The shopping center held its grand opening on November 15, 2012; and is anchored by Target, Whole Foods Market, REI, The Container Store, and a 16-screen Cinemark cinema. Originally planned to open in 2008, The Collection was delayed due to the Great Recession.[1]
Address: 2766 Seaglass Way, 93036 Oxnard
Channel Islands Harbor
Channel Islands Harbor is a small craft harbor and shore-protection project in Oxnard, California at the southern end of the Santa Barbara Channel. It is the fifth largest harbor for small-craft recreation in the state of California and is a waterfront resort, recreation, and dining marketplace. Recreational activities include diving, boat charters, sea kayaking, sportfishing, and whale watching.
The horseshoe shaped harbor contains 166 acres (0.67 km2) of water surrounded by 126 acres (0.51 km2) of land and supports more than 2,500 vessels, four yacht clubs, and nine full-service marinas. The five Channel Islands are a popular destination, the closest of which is Anacapa Island. The Ventura County Maritime Museum has a regularly rotating exhibit, maritime-themed art, and model ships. Water taxis are available to drop diners and shoppers at various docks within the harbor. Every three years the harbor is host to the Channel Islands Tall Ships Festival which includes between two and five large sailing vessels and draws thousands of visitors.[2]
Oxnard Beach Park
Oxnard Beach Park is a public beach, playground, and picnic area operated by the city of Oxnard, California at the edge of the Oxnard Plain.[3]
Point Hueneme Light
Lighthouse in Port Hueneme, California. Point Hueneme Lighthouse is a lighthouse on the southeast entrance to the Santa Barbara Channel, in Ventura County, California[4]
Carnegie Art Museum
Museum in Oxnard, California. The Carnegie Art Museum is a public art museum owned by the City of Oxnard, California in the building originally occupied by the Oxnard Public Library. The Neo-Classical building, located adjacent to Oxnard's Plaza Park, opened in 1907 as the Oxnard Public Library and was converted into an art museum in 1986. In July 1971, it became the first building in Ventura County and the first Carnegie library in California to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[5]
Address: 424 S C St, 93030 Oxnard
Mullin Automotive Museum
Museum in Oxnard, California. The Mullin Automotive Museum is a privately owned automobile museum in Oxnard, California, US. Established in 2010, it displays the personal car collection of businessman and philanthropist Peter W. Mullin. The museum has a large collection of vintage Bugattis, and many of the cars are fully restored and able to be driven.
The museum is housed in the building formerly occupied by the Chandler Vintage Museum of Transportation and Wildlife. The 50,000 sq ft (4,600 m2) building was remodeled to be more energy efficient by American architect David Randall Hertz, making use of solar panels and reflective roofing to reduce heat, yet incorporating elements that retain the Art Deco style and motifs in order to match the era of the cars, many of which were made by French manufacturers in the 1920s and 1930s.
Although it is primarily known for its selection of classic French automobiles and grand prix race cars, the Mullin also houses a collection of Art-Deco furniture and contemporary paintings and sculpture.[6]
Address: 1421 Emerson Ave, 93033-1891 Oxnard
Port Hueneme
City in California. Port Hueneme is a small beach city in Ventura County, California, surrounded by the city of Oxnard and the Santa Barbara Channel. Both the Port of Hueneme and Naval Base Ventura County lie within the city limits.
Port Hueneme has a south-facing sand beach, known for its surfing. The beach has a wooden fishing pier and is about a mile long between Ormond Beach downcoast and Point Hueneme Light at the harbor entrance shared by the naval base and the port. The Waterfront Promenade, also known as the Lighthouse Promenade, provides a paved public access along the shoreline with two historic sites at viewpoints: the 1872 Wharf and the Oxnard Packing House.[7]
Silver Strand Beach
Neighborhood in Oxnard, California. Silver Strand Beach is an unincorporated beach neighborhood in Ventura County, California, United States. Lying between the mouth of Channel Islands Harbor on the north and the ocean entrance to the Port of Hueneme on the south, the eastern side of the beach community lies along the boundary of the Naval Construction Battalion Center Port Hueneme. The harbors and the Naval base almost completely surround Silver Strand, keeping the area relatively separate from the city of Oxnard and making it accessible by only one main road, Victoria Avenue.
For statistical purposes, the United States Census Bureau has combined Silver Strand with two other historic neighborhoods, Hollywood Beach and Hollywood by the Sea, to define a census-designated place (CDP) named Channel Islands Beach.
Because of its location near an open water trench, it is common to see a large array of marine life including dolphins, seals, and jellyfish. Silver Strand is also home to the Oxnard Base of the United States Coast Guard.[8]
Port of Hueneme
The Port of Hueneme in the city of Port Hueneme, California, United States, is the only deep water harbor between Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay area. Located in Ventura County on the Santa Barbara Channel, the port complex not only serves international shipping businesses but is an operating facility of Naval Base Ventura County.
The original wharf was built to serve the new farmers on the Oxnard Plain and became the largest grain shipping port south of San Francisco. The modern port continues this legacy as a dominant port for agribusiness (fruit and other produce), liquids, fresh seafood and vehicles. Bulk cargo and automobiles are specialties of the port and distinguishes it from much larger ports. General cargo includes household goods and oversized cargo. This includes providing support services for the offshore oil industry in the Santa Barbara Channel.
The port has a direct highway connection to the nationwide freight network which raises the status of the port and gives it access to more federal funding resulting in a competitive advantage. The port owns a railroad line through Port Hueneme and south Oxnard that is operated by the Ventura County Railroad and connects nationally to the Coast Route of Union Pacific. The District does not perform cargo handling operations as the companies shipping through the port take responsibility in cooperation with the port district. The commercial port operations have five deep-water berths.
The Navy controls the ship movements. As a shared port between NBVC and the Oxnard Harbor District, the U.S. Navy has over 4,500 feet (1,400 m) of berthing space for various ship platforms for use by tenant commands of NBVC: Port Hueneme and transient government contract/military shipping.[9]
Henry Levy House
Historical landmark in Oxnard, California. The Henry Levy House at 155 S. G Street is a historic American Craftsman home located in Oxnard, California. The house has 18 rooms with five bedrooms and five bathrooms, a detached two-car garage, and a detached workshop in the rear. It is approximately 5,200 square feet and sits on three parcels of land totaling nearly 21,000 square feet.[10]
McGrath State Beach
Park in Oxnard, California. McGrath State Beach is a protected beach park located on the south bank of the mouth of Santa Clara River in the city of Oxnard, California. McGrath State Beach is one of the best bird-watching areas in California, with the lush riverbanks of the Santa Clara River and sand dunes along the shore. A nature trail leads to the Santa Clara Estuary Natural Preserve. Camping sites are available. Two miles of beach provide surfing and fishing opportunities. Just south of the station is the undeveloped Mandalay Beach Park which is about a mile downcoast beach walk from the park or a bike ride along Harbor Blvd. Located south of Ventura on Harbor Boulevard, the beach is on the Pacific Coast Bicycle Route and the California Coastal Trail.
The park overlies the productive West Montalvo Oil Field and oil wells are in an enclosure just behind the beach, and slant-drill into the offshore part of the field. A bit farther downcoast is the Mandalay Generating Station – the stack is easily visible from the beach – owned by Reliant Energy.
The park often closes in winter but a lack of funding to repair the infrastructure, specifically a rusting sewage pipe, closed the park in 2011 until repairs could be made. Flooding has been a continuing problem. The water level in the estuary rises when the winter rains fail to breach the sand bar at the mouth of the river. When campgrounds and necessary facilities flood, the park closes until conditions changes. The beach and McGrath Lake are available during the closures but access is limited to walking from an adjacent area. Surfers Knoll Park on the beach on the north side of Ventura Harbor can be used to access by walking south across the sand bar at the mouth of Santa Clara River.
A study in 2015 outlined the benefits to moving the campground within the park to higher ground.[11]