See a holiday parade, explore a zoo by night: 5 outdoorsy things to do this weekend
Head to Santa Paula for a holiday parade, explore a zoo at night or wander through a farmers market. Here's five outdoorsy things to do in Ventura County this holiday weekend.
1. Opt-outside, hike for free
Ventura Botanical Gardens has free admission from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Thursday.
Get birds-eye views of the Ventura coastline and the Channel Islands on a climb through the gardens off Poli Street. Trail-goers can spot California oaks, lemonade berry shrubs, olive saplings and many more plants along the way.
Parking is available in a lot above City Hall, 501 Poli St. in Ventura. More information: venturabotanicalgardens.com.
2. Check out a zoo by night
Explore “Wild Lights & Ocean Nights" at the Teaching Zoo at Moorpark College.
Zoo-goers can check out a glow-in-the-dark garden, interactive displays and catch a glimpse of Ira the lion under his "canopy of lights." The event runs 6-8:30 p.m. on Friday or Saturday at 7075 Campus Road.
Admission is $17 for those over 13 and $14 for children 3-12. Parking is free. More information: zoo.moorparkcollege.edu/holiday-lights.
3. Catch a glimpse of Santa
Cheer on Santa dropping into Janss Marketplace via parachute Friday.
The Thousand Oaks' mall expects the Jingle Bell Jump to happen at noon. Then, free activities for children from face-painting to singing are scheduled until 3 p.m.
Free parking is available at the mall, 275 N. Moorpark Road. More information: janssmarketplace.com.
4. Celebrate with a parade
Grab a chair and head to downtown Santa Paula for 73rd annual holiday parade on Saturday.
The parade hosted by the Santa Paula Chamber of Commerce starts at 6:30 p.m. But organizers urge people to get there early to find a spot. The streets will start closing around 4:30 p.m.
The route will run along Main Street from 7th to Mill streets. This year’s theme will be Spirit of the Holidays and the line up includes floats, the Santa Paula High School band and several local car clubs.
More information: santapaulachamber.com.
5. Explore a farmers market
Breathe in the ocean air and wander through booths full of vegetables and fruit at Channel Islands Harbor Sunday.
The farmers market opens from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 3600 S. Harbor Blvd. in Oxnard. Organizers said to expect dozens of stands and live music.
More information: channelislandsharbor.org/listing/farmers-market.
Cheri Carlson covers the environment and county government for the Ventura County Star. Reach her at cheri.carlson@vcstar.com or 805-437-0260.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Thanksgiving weekend: See a parade, explore a zoo by night, opt-outside
