A Museum Worth Buzzing About!
WHAT DOES “HOME” MEAN TO YOU?
I often talk about how much I love L.A. but the truth is, I live in Ventura County now and I also love my city of Oxnard.
It’s much quieter here in Ventura County. Traffic isn’t as bad, and, given the county’s rich agricultural history, nothing beats living in a place where morning jogs involve running by strawberry fields and bicycle rides often lead to the ocean.
Still, if you’re from Ventura County and you find yourself second-guessing the joys of living here, I know of a place where you can take in some history, ground yourself and channel your energy back home.
The Agriculture Museum is one of four establishments under the Museum of Ventura County. Located in Santa Paula, the Museum preserves and exhibits the region’s farming and ranching history and explores the present and future of the industry.
LOCAL PRIDE
The Museum of Ventura County has all the elements to bring you a strong dose of hometown pride and nostalgia and the museum is celebrating the county’s 150th anniversary with a thought-provoking exhibit that challenges visitors to ask themselves: “What does home mean to you?”
This question got me thinking a lot, especially since I’ve lived in so many places after hugging my family goodbye in 2002 when I left Oxnard to start my journey as a news reporter.
But I digress, the Museum of Ventura County is comprised of four different locations. The main campus is in Downtown Ventura off Junipero Street. There’s also the Agriculture Museum, the Albinger Archaeological Museum and a Research Library for scholars.
Photography Exhibit at the Agriculture Museum celebrating the county’s 150th Anniversary
LEARN ABOUT THE BEES
The Agriculture museum is located in Santa Paula, which I visited recently and had a wonderful time listening and learning from Chief Curator Carlos Ortega and Angie Brinkhoff, the museum’s Marketing & Comms Manager. (BTW, I’ll be sharing more about the interview in the next issue of Mommy in Los Angeles Magazine).
One thing I really loved about this museum was its fun exhibit about bees.
The bee exhibit itself only takes up a small area of the museum— it’s located in a corner of sorts where you can learn about honey bees by opening information windows and you can observe bees inside a beehive enclosed in a glass case that has a passageway to allow the bees to go in and out.
Mb Hanrahan is the artist who was commissioned to paint the walls showcasing bees at their finest. This particular exhibit is part of the Pollination Investigation traveling exhibit created by Smithsonian Gardens in collaboration with the National Museum of Natural History.
SHOP LOCAL
There is a kid’s area with a play market where young children can pretend play and purchase “fresh produce”. Plus, when you enter/head out of the museum through its main doors, you’ve stepped into a shop that sells plenty of locally made &. crafted gifts and goods:
I was very pleased to visit the Agriculture Museum and I encourage everyone to take a moment to do the same (it’s free through the end of 2023).
And honestly friends, the Ventura County 150 anniversary exhibit had me thinking over the last week until I came up with what home means to me—
To me, home is where I can feel the joys of living close to family and breathe clean ocean air… It’s also the place where I surround myself with good people who allow me to share their stories.
Thanks for this lovely afternoon, Museum of Ventura County.
And thanks for reading, friends!
Xoxo,
-Anabel M.
museum of ventura county (Agriculture museum)
926 Railroad Avenue • Santa Paula, CA 93060
805.525.3100 | Fax: 805.525.0484
Hours
Thursday—Sunday
11am to 5pm
Admission
Admission is FREE through the end of 2023
Free Parking Adjacent to the Museum