A Fun Weekend in Ventura

We heard about this event in Ventura called the Surf Rodeo and the idea of a surf competition combined with a music festival, street fair and cowgirl bikini contest sounded like a “hell ya” combined with a “yeehaw” so we decided to check it out. We booked a booth with the event organizers who are super easy to work with and it’s a two day (weekend) event so grabbed an el cheapo hotel within walking distance. (The experienced traveler Sibylle smartly brought her silk sleeping cacoon to guard against bed bugs!)

I’ve driven through Ventura a million times (I grew up in the Santa Ynez Valley and went to college at University of California Santa Barbara) and have to admit that I was surprised by the hip and youthful yet friendly vibe we found in Ventura. There were loads of young surfer girls as well as a fitness and fashion forward 30’s and 40 something crowd, all a perfect match for Pepper’s athletic bikinis.

We were so busy meeting people and helping customers from 10am to 7pm both days that we didn’t manage to get out of our booth as much as we would have liked. However we did make it over to Main Street in Ventura, an area filled with eclectic, locally owned shops offering everything from clothing and gifts to antiques and art galleries.  We enjoyed a delicious and healthy meal at Nature’s Grill, a casual vegetarian and vegan friendly restaurant on Main Street. (Super similar to The Natural Café that I always hit up when in Santa Barbara.)

Overall we had a great little taste of Ventura that definitely made us interested in coming back again for more!

xx Bridget