Visit Oxnard Blog
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Looking for something to do with your kids during the Thanksgiving break? Visitors and residents alike can find plenty in Oxnard this holiday season!

1. Enter a Gingerbread House Contest. Get your creative juices flowing, and create your own masterpiece to enter into the 8^th Annual Gingerbread Contest. Ribbons are awarded in more than 10 categories including Most Festive, Best Family Entry, People’s Choice, and more. Entry forms are due November 28th. Gingerbread creations are due November 30th and will be on display at Heritage Square Hall from December 1^st through 24th. For more information call Friends of Heritage Square at 805.483.7960.

2. Explore the Beaches. You don’t need the summer heat to enjoy the beauty of the beach and ocean. Collect shells for a project, play in the sand, take a stroll and enjoy views of the breathtaking Channel Islands which tend make a more prominent appearance during crisp winter days. Check the tide chart before you go and aim for low tide which provides for the least aggressive waves, and the chance of seeing some sea life as the water recedes.

3. Ride. Tear it up at Bedford Pinkard Skate Park at 3250 S. Rose Ave. Or, if you don’t feel like shredding, pedal a four-wheeled surrey, or bike along the paths near the Embassy Suites Mandalay Bay Resort.

4. Visit the Harbor. Start by strolling through the Channel Islands Maritime Museum and view paintings, ship models, and artifacts that rival some of the finest European and U.S. collections. Then take a gondola ride with Gondola Paradiso, or rent kayaks and head out for your own marine adventure.

5. Prepare a Meal with Fresh Products from the Famer’s Market. Let the kids help you pick ingredients and make a snack or cook a meal at home together. With dozens of farmers’ booths, food vendors, regular entertainment and more, this Sunday event held from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. has something for everyone.

6. Channel Islands. Just a quick boat trip away from Oxnard, Channel Islands National Park encompasses five remarkable islands and their ocean environment, preserving and protecting a wealth of natural and cultural resources. Visit Inspiration Point or Channel Islands National Park and Marine Sanctuary, or kayak, or go whale watching. Call Island Packers for boat schedules at (805) 382-1779 or go big and tour via helicopter with Island Air Services at (805) 538-2FLY.

7. Catch a Flick. See a movie at one of Oxnard’s two premier theatres, Center Riverpark 16 at the Collection or Plaza Stadium14 in downtown. J.K. Rowling’s Fantastic Beasts opens November 18^th while Disney’s new feature film Moana premiers November 23^rd.

8. Hike. A fairly easy 2-mile moderately trafficked out and back trail takes you from Silver Strand Beach to La Janella Park. The trail features beautiful wild flowers and of course views of the Pacific Ocean. You might just spy some ocean or other wildlife as well!

9. Play Golf, with Your Feet! Soccer meets golf in FootGolf at River Ridge Golf Course. Similar to golf, kick a soccer ball into the hole with the least amount of strokes possible. FootGolf uses the basic model of golf, with a tee box, a green, bunkers, hazards and 18 holes of play. Open on to the public on weekend afternoons. Call (805) 983-4653 for more information.

10. To the Extreme. Gather some friends up and try your hand at Paintball at Paintball USA Ventura, where eight and nine year olds can enter a Splatmaster game with lower velocity shooting. Or, with a minor release, test your driving skills racing sodi karts at Jim Hall Track Time at 2600 Challenger Place, where discounted racing rates will apply the weekend of Thanksgiving.