Ventura

Ventura is one of the best weekend getaways from L.A. It is a small coastal community about an hour north of Los Angeles and makes for a wonderful weekend vacation where you can enjoy the seaside. Apart from having spotless, extraordinarily broad, empty beaches, it also features a charming downtown area that is suitably concentrated around Main Street.

The majority of the architecture from the 1920s and 1930s has been conserved, giving downtown Ventura a beautiful, vintage vibe. The seaside area features two beaches and a long, wooden pier that juts out into the water. A boat excursion to one of the adjacent deserted islands of the Channel Islands National Park is an exhilarating eco-adventure, and there is a huge harbor. The community was located along the Camino Real, a network of missions in California built by the Spanish in the 18th century and spanning the whole state. On Main Street in Ventura, the Mission Santa Buenaventura and its 1809 church are well worth a visit.

A quiet, nearly beachfront hotel with cozy, modern rooms and suites is the Ventura Beach Marriott. A few blocks separate it from San Buenaventura State Beach and the ocean. A large exercise facility and free-form pool are available. The hotel's on-site restaurant, The Channel Kitchen, serves California cuisine. Burger lovers should cross the street to In-N-Out Burger, a landmark in Southern California, for a Double Double.

Location: Ventura, California