The Santa Barbara Maritime Museum has a mission to preserve and celebrate over 13,000 years of human interaction with the ocean. It’s quite the scope,…
Dwight Brooks ship models and more displays inside the main exhibit hall of the Santa Barbara Maritime Museum
Every holiday season, the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley presents a special exhibit of Christmas trees decorated to fit the year’s theme. In…
A closeup of ornaments on the California Christmas tree at the Reagan Library's An American Christmas Story exhibit in 2022
There are many popular museums in Los Angeles, but the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County stands out among them with its comprehensive and…
The exterior of the Los Angeles County Natural History Museum with banners
If you’ve ever driven along the stretch of PCH north of Point Mugu State Park and south of Oxnard, you might have noticed a curious…
An F-4 Phantom 2 jet mounted on display next to palm trees at Point Mugu Missile Park in Ventura County, an open air museum in Southern California
By George Christopher Thomas My wife and I sometimes like to make our two kids do things together that do not encompass screens or video…
Santa Cruz Island seen in the distance across the Pacific Ocean from the decks of an Island Packers boat going to Channel Islands National Park with pelicans overhead
If you’re exploring Santa Barbara with kids, a visit to MOXI, The Wolf Museum of Exploration + Innovation is a must. This interactive science museum…
The white wall exterior of MOXI museum in Santa Barbara, California, with a giant color mixing machine visible in the entrance
“Visit the only Ice Age fossil site in the world that’s being actively excavated in the middle of a city!” This very niche, very cool…
An up close view of the face, trunk and tusks of a replica mammoth at the La Brea Tar Pits and Museum in Los Angeles, California
By Jon Bogart Life’s daily demands propel our minds to wander, as we zoom in and out of computer screens and traffic tie-ups, to a time…
The Santa Barbara, California coastline as seen across the ocean from the pier
The coast of Santa Barbara, California, seen across the ocean from the pier
By Jon Bogart Desert Hot Springs is an oasis of tranquility where people flock to get a breather from the hectic demands of daily living…
Exterior shot of Azure Palm Resort in Desert Hot Springs, California with palm trees and a mountain backdrop
By Jon Bogart “Come on… let’s go… let’s get away!”  These words are often spoken, nowadays, while people are craving to go out, to travel,…
Mural of mission-style arches at the Chantico Inn in Ojai, California
Courtesy of the Chantico Inn & Suites
By Jon Bogart A getaway is always a good thought and, now more than ever, that thought is uppermost in mind. The world is opening…
Palm trees against a bright blue sky in Palm Springs California