I've been on a kick this year to see more historic parks and landmarks in SoCal. Shout out to Yelper All-Star Derek W. of Lakewood, CA for inspiring me with his awesome photos and experiences! The challenge I'm finding is parks being open through the week, when we (ahem) "more mature folks" like to enjoy less crowds. So when I saw Heritage Square in Oxnard was open, with possible docent tours, on a TUESDAY, I jumped on the opportunity to partake of some local history. We headed for the Square and saw some parking but, being a first timer, I decided to drive around the entire square and see the layout from the street. I decided to park on W Seventh St, to the north and take advantage of shade, and the close proximity to Heritage Coffee and Gifts(separate review), which I knew we would wander into before departing the area. Turns out W Seventh is the perfect place to start. We entered and immediately were taken with the beautiful architecture, landscaping, care and attention to detail this special area exudes. It was all pretty magical and I wasn't sure where to start. Luckily, it wasn't more than a few steps in that we spotted the water tower and visitor's center/gift shop/central hub. We stepped inside and were greeted warmly. I explained that I saw they had docent lead tours and we could sign up online, but I wasn't sure what time we would arrive, so I didn't make a reservation. Was it still possible to get a tour, or was there a self-guided walking tour info sheet? We were asked to wait a moment while the manager and lead docent was found to see if they were available. Gary was available and we began our tour. What a WONDERFUL storyteller! Weaving the families and their history with Los Angeles and Ventura Counties and bringing them to life in front of their very lovingly restored homes! He took us inside of some of the buildings, where operational businesses agree to have the public tours pop in for a moment of show and tell. Details about the original designs, room layouts, furnishings and use were all so amazing to see, touch and learn about. The tour lasted about 45 minutes. We paid $10/pp and it was well worth it! Just to hear the history of the on-site church alone was worth it! But to venture inside, see the details in the hand-made stained glass and the conversion of the oil lanterns to electric. To hear how it has changed denominations over the years and to view the photos inside, documenting the preparation of the Square, the moving process for the homes and the restoration was so intriguing. This is such a beautiful and unique area. I love that these beautiful homes were repurposed and are thriving with businesses! At the end of the tour, Gary encouraged us to check out the annual Holly Trolley Tours, Christmas Tree Lane Event and Gingerbread House Exhibit and tours. All sounded absolutely delightful!. I immediately signed up for their newsletter and I'm REALLY looking forward to returning durning the holiday season and posting more pics of festively dressed docents and delightful decorations. Cheers! "CC" read more

See all

The tours are such a great way to learn more about Oxnard. Ms. Connie Korenstein and all the docents who volunteer are gems and so good at what they do. Make a visit soon and plan your trip by visiting their website to get tour schedules and info. Review the expectations before your visit and ensure the littles are able to follow instruction to not climb and explore on the historic grounds. read more

See all

Cute little part of Oxnard . These Victorian homes have been converted into businesses such as salons, restaurants, bars , etc. There's Heritage Coffee which I love ! Plenty of parking ! They hold summer concerts and other events at Heritage which are always fun. You can book personal parties and even weddings! read more

Beautiful venue to rent out, photographic from every angle great for weddings or all types of parties ,reasonable rates that won't break the bank a lot amenities included the chapel as well a a place to get ready Gary is great to work and will answer all your questions. Do yourself a favor and have an event here at least once accommodates 100 to 160 comfortably read more

See all

I read about this place being one of the great architecture preservation projects in Southern California so decided to check it out. We came on a holiday morning and there were no tours or activities but we strolled around and enjoyed the beautiful restored buildings and beautiful gardens. We noticed many ornate features on the building and learned about them by reading the signs - almost every building has one so you can have a self-guided tour at your own pace. The introductions were well written and provide just the right amount of information. Oxnard seems like a sleeping town to us and we were glad to have found this place- it was free and we enjoyed our walk inside and then around the block. Many free street parking around the property and easy to get to. Overall a low-stress and easy way to spend an hour or two when in Oxnard. read more

See all

What a great venue for any event. I can imagine how beautiful it will be to set up here. The courtyard surrounded by the unique buildings and gardens, even a water fountain. It's a nice place to take a walk at admiring the architecture of the buildings. We came on a Sunday and there was no one around so we had the whole place to ourselves. Strolling through and taking breaks on the benches. There is also a museum that gives you the history of the place and how it became the Heritage Square. Check out their website for information on tours. read more

What a delightful place to have a wedding and reception . SnM-media Captured the moments and lived it !

Gary, our docent, was so knowledgeable about the architecture and history of Oxnard. He encouraged our questions and took his time with us. My favorite part was the tour of the old church. read more

Such a beautiful venue, great experience working with Gary . He was a pleasure . I'd definitely give them a 5 star review read more

Heritage Square Oxnard - Wedding - Museums Near Me - Oxnard, California

We booked this property for a wedding ceremony in the chapel / photos around the property. The price is extremely fair, the chapel is nice and perfect for what we needed. We loved that we were able to walk around the property with our photographer to take photos in different areas. The office does get busy so sometimes it takes a bit to hear back from them. When planning a wedding that can add a some stress, but overall Gary was very nice and gives you any information you need. Everything day of ran smoothly. I'm really happy with how it all worked out and I would recommend this location for wedding ceremonies/photography. read more

Back on the trail of the Passport 2 History, we picked up the tour around Heritage Square this afternoon. Loretta was a wonderful docent; quite well-versed with the buildings in the development, as well as the area history. On weekends, tours of the complex are offered for $5 per person. It's free for students, as we learned when the family on the same tour were comped as the are studying at Oxnard College. Originally conceived as a redevelopment project, 15 historic structures (2 are replicas) were moved to city block in the 1980's. 2016 marked the 25th anniversary of the official opening of the "neighborhood". All of the buildings house various types of commercial enterprises. That was the plan, to have businesses occupy the spaces, so that the homes wouldn't set empty with only occasional visits by museum visitors. Rather a brilliant plan! Present day tenants include offices for the largest strawberry distributor in the area (in the state, perhaps?), a dentist, an Italian restaurant, a wine tasting room, real estate agents / property managers, a hair salon, and others. One of the buildings, originally a church, is now multi-purpose space for non-denominational services & weddings, plus meetings and workshops take place there. That one is owned and managed by the City of Oxnard. Unified with landscaping, pathways, and the same color trim, around a central courtyard, the collection of Victorian-era homes is extraordinary. Within the umbrella of Painted Lady Victorianism, there are so many different styles, including Queen Anne and Italianate, plus many more. A number of representations of these aesthetics are present in the Square. Well worth a visit to take a docent-led tour, or you may download a self-guided tour brochure from their website, or pick up a copy at the visitor center. During the summer, they offer musical concerts in the central plaza on many Friday evenings. We've been to the Square to dine at La Dolce Vita a number of times in the past, and had been in the wine tasting building, but learned so much more attending the guided tour. I recommend going to appreciate the effort it took to pull the collection of homes together to preserve parts of Oxnard's history. read more

See all

WOW! I was desperate to find a venue for my parent's 60th wedding anniversary and time was of the essence! I had literally two weeks to plan this all out because our original venue was just too small. Absolutely beautiful venue for one. We held a party of 150 outside in their plaza and it went swimmingly flawless! The staff was so easy to work with, responsive and accommodated all of our wishes. Mind you, this event was planned from out of state, literally, across the country from the East Coast. All of the paperwork was done via email and was so simple to do. The most difficult part was setting up insurance through the City of Oxnard- make sure you do this on any day besides a Friday because they close on some Fridays, and it must be done in person. Tried using my private insurance, but being out of state just made things too complicated. We used their caterer, and the food was fantastic. They took care of everything, drinks, appetizers, mains, plates, silverware, table cloths, security. We had a dance area, a table set up for the cake, gift table, cake table, spot for the photo booth, space heaters and a DJ. The dance area was used for performances & entertainers: dance and flag team, my niece played the guitar and sang. We ate, drank, and danced our lives away. We had the time of our lives. For a 60th anniversary, I wanted this to be the most memorable, fun and enjoyable party ever! It was truly a success, but would not have been possible without the assistance of the Heritage Square team. We held our event in the late afternoon, and as the evening progressed, the ambiance was perfect! We had lights on each table, it was so memorable. Lots and lots of compliments. My parents and their friends continue to talk about it to this day. I absolutely 100% recommend this venue for your private special event. It's such a beautiful spot, unique and just romantic. Being in Oxnard, you can't beat the weather. It was the most affordable spot, on top of being just exquisite! I'm ready to have a party there every year. read more

Heritage Square Oxnard - Night shot of the 60th Anniversary wedding cake and happy couple - Museums Near Me - Oxnard, California

See all

My fiancé and I were looking for a place to get married. And I remember that this venue does weddings. I spoke with a man named Jerry he was very knowledgeable about the location. We put in the application but he told us we can hold off on the on the deposit because the restaurant that only does the catering service was going through change of ownership. Ok but after a week on waiting we just said we would like to have the ceremony at the location. He dodged us for about a week. I called him with a different number he answered real quickly and said that he doesn't think they can accommodate the ceremony. But he will call us the next day and let us know. Dodged us two more times and we just got tired of contacting him and had the stress to look for a place. In the end we getting married at a park. I would not recommend this place. Jerry was a nice guy at first. But that was such a jerk move on his part. read more

What a fantastic afternoon touring Heritage Square with Gary Blum. Not only was he incredibly knowledgable about the gorgeous architecture of the buildings, he has a personal connection to one of the most beautiful houses, which had been in his family for generations, and that he painstakingly restored to a magnificent state. He answered all our questions: from how paint colors were chosen, to zoning laws and the  obscure details about the windows. A wonderful afternoon and a total treat. Gary is a local treasure. read more

See all

The summer concert series has been very good this year. Good size crowds, great music, and the addition of some food items. However, the portable toilets are absolutely horrendous. Last night it was the worst. Toilet hasn't been serviced in four days and there was no water in the wash station either. Last week is was the same, just awful. Come on Heritage Square, is this any way to run an otherwise great venue? Get it together, I'm sure there's some public health ordinance that's being violated. No way to display how great Oxnard is to people that come from out of the area either. Clean up your act! read more

The tour was excellent! The docent Gary had great information to share about this interesting area of California. I highly recommend! Sandy read more

Ummm, who knew this place is poppin during summer?? I had the best time here during one of the summer concerts. You pick a spot in the surrounding area, bring food or can buy there at one of the few restaurants they have, bring your own drinks and enjoy. So many people show up, partake and share, it was so much fun. People from all ages attended. Looking forward to doing it again and maybe get some dancing in this time. read more

Well my fiancé and I were planning on having our wedding here. Our wedding is coming up very soon. We got penciled in for our date. They are going through a change of ownership currently, but I don't think that excuses the fact that they decided to dodge both my mother-in-law's and my fiancé's calls for a week. One day my fiancé got fed up with it and tried calling with a different number, and the guy picked up right away. So he was clearly dodging their calls. He gave some lame excuse, saying he doesn't think it's going to work out because of the change of ownership. He could've simply answered our phone calls and told us that straight up but instead he wasted our time. I'm very disappointed in this place. But whatever, it's fine we found a better venue anyways. read more

So occasionally I get an itch to travel. When I don't have the budget to actually travel, the husband and I just wander off on day trips to cities nearby. A few weekends ago we meandered over to Oxnard to see what was up. Online, I found heritage square and it seemed kinda cool. So we packed up the dogs and drove an hour north. We got there and peeked around. It didn't seem too exciting, but we found the visitor's center and a nice little old lady offered to give us a tour for $5 each. It was an architecture tour and so we went around to the different houses and she pointed out interesting things about the building and why it was constructed and who constructed it. Now, I'm not really an architecture buff so a lot of it went over my head. The tour guide was really nice though! The houses were pretty cool. It's sort of a weird place though. It's a business park, but the buildings are really old refurbished houses from back in the day. It would have been better if the houses were museums that you could go in to and learn about the history of Oxnard or California in general. If you're looking for something fun to do for the day, I would not highly recommend it. If you live in Oxnard and have a few minutes to kill, I would check it out! They have a wine tasting building there that looked like it could be fun. read more

I researched Heritage Square because I wanted it to be one of my destinations on my two-day road trip. I was so excited about coming to Heritage Square; I had high expectations that this place would be full of Victorian inspired gems (because of the great pictures on its website), so to speak, but I was so wrong. I arrived past 1 p.m. (3 hours after opening time) on 4/13/13, and noticed that this place was a ghost town! The houses looked abandoned, and there were trash peppered all across grounds. Maybe I came on a day when the weather wasn't so great, but being that it was an okay Saturday afternoon, I thought families would be huddled around a place like this, especially since residential homes were literally only a few feet away. Might was well add tumble weeds blowing in the picture, because it deemed appropriate. This place is smaller than I thought; there was nothing special about it. The surrounding area (residential) looks run down and "ghetto" looking. I was not impressed one bit. Sorry, but I will not be returning. read more

See all

If I lived in Oxnard and was going to get married and had less then 100 guests on my list then this place would be #1 in my book. The quaintness of the chapel, the simplicity of it's decor, the buildings that surround it, and just the overall vibe it gives off screams have a wedding here. I've only toured it and I have never actually been to a wedding at this location, but personally I fell in love instantly. read more

Heritage Square Oxnard - Museums Near Me - Oxnard, California

A group of us from the Stagecoach Inn Museum in Newbury Park, CA., were hosted yesterday by the director, Gary, and another lovely docent on a tour of the beautiful square and it's 11 building. Alas, most of the buildings are not open to the public (private businesses and residences) but there is a whole lot of history surrounding them that Gary was more than happy to share. There is a restaurant on the square and a coffee shop for those who come hungry (check hours). All the buildings were moved here and lovingly preserved. Stories abound. If you have any curiosity about Ventra County history, you will not be disappointed. Call ahead to book a tour. read more

I love this place! Where else can you go to learn about history and architecture for free in a historical and renovated town square? Back in 1991, they developed this place to teach and keep history alive. We ate at La Dolce Vita. Check out my upcoming review on that special restaurant gem. This square also has a church, salon, water tower, and a wine tasting room too (Rancho Ventavo Cellars). Docents present tours on weekends, and they host spring teas and summer concerts/food cart events. I love Victorian Charm, and places that bring me back to a different time or another generation. This is a great place for field trips and a great place to teach children about history. Heritage Square is such a treasure, and if you are visiting Oxnard, you should check this place out. In December they have a gingerbread contest and I could see 3 of the gingerbread homes on display in the church. I think tours used to be free, but they are $5 a person now. I visited here at dusk on December 27, 2013. read more

See all

I hosted my mother's retirement party here recently and it was a pleasure to work with Michelle Kenney (the owner) of La Dolce Vita. Her sweet restaurant is the perfect spot to host a party of 40. We were looking for a great spot in Ventura, Oxnard, and Camarillo and decided on this restaurant in Heritage Square because from the start, Michelle was quite professional and communicative with our needs as we prepared for the event. We had access to an extensive menu, a sound system to play music, and a full-service wine and spirits bar. Everyone enjoyed the food, ambience, and atmosphere of the restaurant situated in a restored Victorian in the beautiful oasis of Heritage Square in Downtown Oxnard. In the summertime on Friday's, bands play in the courtyard adding to the ambience of the Square. La Dolce Vita Restaurant: http://www.theldv.com/ read more

Got married in the chapel 11 years ago. Our reception was at LaDolce Vita. Loved it so much. Now my sister is getting married and wants to get married there too. Repeat business speaks for itself. read more

Too small, although nice and quiet. Sadly, this is located near a hash store and a whore house(a massage parlor) . The upside, there is a pool hall, Golden Chicken Inn, Jesse's TDM, El Polo Norteno, and Asahi Market nearby. read more

Very cute tourist spot in town! Our tour guide was so knowledgeable and fun to be around. This square is very historic and interesting to learn about. The preservation is incredible! Thanks Gary for the amazing tour! read more

I took my meetup group to Heritage Square for a tour and we received a tremendous amount of history of the area from Gary. Everyone in my group really loved taking the tour and hearing all about the Family Farms that were brought into the area and the history behind each family that lived in those homes. I would recommend this tour to anyone who is visiting the Heritage Square in Oxnard, I am sure you would appreciate all of the wonderful history behind this area. Thank you again Gary for such a wonderful afternoon. read more

It is nice to see that people had the foresight to preserve these marvelous structures done in authentic turn of the century craftsman and victorian styles. For those who love old architecture and are into local history, this is a wonderful place to visit. We had a very nice lady docent give us a tour (the gals even dress in period attire . . .except for the corsets!) of them including some interiors as well as the lovely little church. The entire area is beautifully laid out and is quite charming. So if you can, take the tour, it's relaxed, pleasant, interesting and well worth it. read more

This is a pretty cool place to check out. It's really well maintained and the old houses are awesome. We went during the week and just walked around and read the signs. Fun for a quick little tour. read more

an excellent place to spend any time. been to Halloween Victorian house open house and steampunk & fantasy event at this site. wonderful events with fun, music and well produced attractions and vendors. Two criticisms: food vendors need to be more varied (cupcakes and sausage sandwiches isn't enough) and the steampunk fest costume contest winners were mostly non-steampunk pirate types....shame on the judges & organizers ! read more

This is a great day trip from Los Angeles. We had a great guide, plus there is wine tasting, and local restaurants within walking distance, plus, plenty of parking. I recommend to take a tour with a Docent, because they will fill in the blanks and make the trip more interesting. There are eleven (11) homes that were moved to Heritage Square and each one has an great story. read more

beautiful gem in oxnard. during the summer they have concerts in the park. really good music and crowds. throughout the year they also have wine tastings and tequila tastings. a couple of the houses need work but, overall, its a nice unexpected place. read more