Planning Your Trip

If you're heading to Ventura from out of town, here are some suggestions and things to keep in mind:

We recommend staying at the Bella Maggiore (805) 652-0277. It's a great little local hotel in the middle of 'downtown' Ventura. Nothing fancy, but there are a range of rooms and breakfast is included. The Sunday brunch is actually going to be here, so one incentive would be only needing to roll out of bed on Sunday morning for a tasty breakfast with everyone. There are plenty of other hotels nearby as well. We're trying to plan the weekend with minimal need to drive, but if you stay outside of the main section of downtown there should be plenty of free parking available for when you come in.

If you're thinking about extending the trip for extra days to check out the area, Ventura is 30 minutes south of Santa Barbara, 30 minutes from Ojai (hot springs, hiking, new age-y-ness) and an hour north of LA (either by the 101 or the coast route).

Downtown Ventura is right next to the beach. There's surfing and hanging out on the beach, hanging out in the park, hanging out and having a drink...well, you get the picture. Don't expect a booming metropolis, but it's a super-accessible town with lots of beautiful nature all around.

We'll post more information about places we like around town a little closer to the August.

When & Where

Save the dates are going out soon, but if you're looking for more than a date to figure out plans, here's the general idea:

Ventura plans

07.31.09 (Friday)
Afternoon family get together; Friends settle in and roam around town
Evening: Dinner with out-of-town friends and family (details to come)

08.01.09 (Saturday)
Morning/Early afternoon: Everyone has breakfast on their own, with options of Farmer's Market wandering, sleeping in, wandering around, etc. (Colby, Tanya & co. set up ceremony and reception sites.)
Late afternoon to evening: Ceremony, then everyone walks downtown to the RECEPTION/PARTY!!!
Later in the evening: Intrepid party goers move through downtown looking for adventures...

08.02.09 (Sunday)
(Not too early) Morning: Breakfast/brunch at Bella Maggiore with friends and family (free for anyone staying at the hotel!)
Afternoon: No particular plans yet, but we're thinking something simple, relaxing and centrally located will be good before/as anyone leaving town takes off

We're working on the rest of the plans. If you have questions, feel free to email or call:

Colby
312.543.4127
tommasini@gmail.com

Tanya
312.404.6278
tanyakellam@yahoo.com