Peirano Market

The Battle of San Buenaventura was fought on March 27 and March 28, 1838, between forces representing competing claims to the governorship of California, then a Mexican territory. The opposing forces consisted of supporters of Juan Bautista Alvarado based in Northern California and supporters of Carlos Antonio Carrillo from Southern California. The major action consisted of a cannon siege on the Carrillo loyalists who were encamped at the Mission San Buenaventura in Ventura, California. The Alvarado forces won the battle, as the Carrillo forces fled from the Mission under cover of darkness following the first day of the battle. Most of the Carillo forces were captured the following day at Saticoy, California. One person was killed in the battle, an Alvarado loyalist who was shot by a rifleman stationed in the Mission's bell tower.

Mission San Buenaventura (Spanish: Misión San Buenaventura), formally known as the Mission Basilica of San Buenaventura, is a Catholic parish and basilica in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. The parish church in the city of Ventura, California, United States, is a Spanish mission founded by the Order of Friars Minor. Founded on March 31, 1782, it was the ninth Spanish mission established in Alta California (or Nueva California) and the last to be established by the head of the Franciscan missions in California, Junípero Serra. Designated a California Historical Landmark, the mission is one of many locally designated landmarks in downtown Ventura. The mission was named after St. Bonaventure, a 13th-century Franciscan saint, one of the early leaders of the Order to which the friars belonged, and a Doctor of the Church. On June 9, 2020, Pope Francis elevated the church to a minor basilica, and on July 15, 2020, the feast day of its patron saint, the announcement of the Pope's action was made and the elevation of the mission's status was officially proclaimed by Archbishop José Gómez of Los Angeles. The name of the mission was changed to reflect this new status in the Catholic Church.Mission San Buenaventura was planned to be founded in 1770, but the founding was delayed because of the low availability of the military escorts needed to establish the mission. In 1793, the first church burned down. When the mission was completed, it included an adjacent quadrangle with living and work space. All that remains of the original mission is the church and its garden.

The San Miguel Chapel Site is an archeological site in Ventura, California, United States, at the location of the first outpost and center of operations that was established while the first Mission San Buenaventura was being constructed. The San Miguel Chapel was located just outside the southwest corner of the walled garden that was constructed as part of the ultimate layout of the mission complex. The open space park is located at the southwest corner of Thompson Boulevard and Palm Street in downtown Ventura. Interpretative signs and public art have been added to the site, which is protected and managed as a natural environment by the city parks department.

The Emmanuel Franz House is an Italianate style Victorian historical residence located within downtown Ventura, in coastal Ventura County, California.The wood and brick Franz House was built from 1879 to 1891. The house has an interesting front stoop and widow's watch.The City Council of Ventura designated this building Historic Landmark Number 21 by resolution on March 29, 1976. The house was listed in 1982 on the National Register of Historic Places.

Feraud General Merchandise Store, also known as 1903 Building, was built in 1903 in Ventura, California. Jules Feraud opened the Feraud Bakery and Grocery Store and the bakery stayed in the family until 1944. The brick building is a rare intact example of turn-of-the-century commercial architecture during Second Land Boom (1887 – 1905) after the tracks of the Southern Pacific Railroad arrived in Ventura.: 38  The City Council of Ventura designated the building Historic Landmark Number 35 by resolution on July 17, 1978. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986.

The Serra Cross, sometimes also known as the Cross on the Hill or the Grant Park Cross, is a Christian cross on a hill known as "La Loma de la Cruz" in Ventura, California. The site is in Serra Cross Park, a one-acre parcel within the larger Grant Park that overlooks downtown Ventura, the Santa Barbara Channel, and Anacapa and Santa Cruz Islands. According to some accounts, the first cross was erected at the site in 1782 at the time of the founding of the Mission San Buenaventura. The cross has been replaced several times, including known instances in the early 1860s under the supervision of Father John Campala, in 1912 by the E. C. O. Club, and in 1941 by the Alice M. Bartlett Club (successor to the E. C. O. Club). The site was designated as California Historical Landmark No. 113 in 1933; it was also designated in 1974 as City of Ventura Historical Landmark No. 5. In 2003, the threat of litigation over the city's use of public funds to maintain a religious symbol on city-owned land resulted in a settlement pursuant to which the city agreed to dim the lighting of the cross and sold a one-acre site underlying the cross to a private, non-profit organization that is now known as the Serra Cross Conservancy.

Ventura station (referred to as Ventura–Downtown/Beach station by Metrolink) is a passenger rail station in downtown Ventura, California. The station is served by Amtrak's Pacific Surfliner from San Luis Obispo to San Diego. Ten Pacific Surfliner trains serve the station daily. Of the 73 California stations served by Amtrak, Ventura was the 33rd-busiest in FY2010, boarding or detraining an average of approximately 125 passengers daily. The single platform is located on the south side of the tracks with a view of the Santa Barbara Channel and the Channel Islands. The Ventura Freeway (U.S. Route 101) is parallel with and on the north side of tracks. Ventura station is served by ten Amtrak Pacific Surfliner trains (five in each direction) evenly spaced throughout the day.Metrolink’s Ventura County Line terminus is in Montalvo at the Ventura–East station since overnight storage of trains in the downtown area was impractical. Special service trains may come to this station such as service to the Ventura County Fair, in season. In March 2022, Metrolink announced that Ventura County Line trains will terminate at this station sometime in the future.

The Father Serra statue in Ventura, California, representing Junípero Serra, the founder of Mission San Buenaventura, was commissioned by Ventura County through the Works Progress Administration as part of the Federal Art Project in 1935. This statue, made of concrete from a clay model by Uno John Palo Kangas, was placed in a prominent location in a public park across the street from the Ventura County Courthouse in 1936. After the Courthouse was repurposed as Ventura City Hall, the statue was designated as City of Ventura Historic Landmark No. 3 in 1974. As deterioration of the concrete statue became a concern, a wood replica was created by local carvers and used to make a bronze cast. The concrete statue was replaced by the bronze cast in 1989. The wood replica was set in the atrium of the city hall for public display. The public display of statuary honoring Serra has been a source of controversy, particularly among those alleging that Serra was responsible for the suppression of the culture of Chumash people. The city council decided in 2020 to remove the bronze statue and the wood replica from public display.

Babe Ruth Field was a ballpark in Ventura, California, United States, named after the famous baseball player George Herman ("Babe") Ruth, (1895–1948), of Baltimore, that was used as a minor-league park from 1948 to 1955. Tenant franchises (all of the old California League) included the Ventura Yankees, (1947–1949), the Ventura Braves, (1950–1952), and the Channel Cities Oilers, (1954–1955).The site of the old stadium is now the Ventura County Fairgrounds adjacent parking lot, now directly in front of the Ventura train platform/station, served by Amtrak's (National Rail Passenger Corp.), West Coastal trains, the Pacific Surfliner, from San Diego to San Luis Obispo, and the non-stop express Coast Starlight. This broad flat area adjacent to the Pacific Ocean beach has been known as "Seaside Park" after Eugene P. (E. P.) and Orpha Foster donated the land to the public. They envisioned a beautiful waterfront gateway to the town of Ventura, where families could walk, picnic, and enjoy family outings.

The Ventura County Fair is an annual event held each August in Ventura, California, United States, at Seaside Park, commonly called the Ventura County Fairgrounds. The fair includes an agricultural show, carnival rides, food booths, and nightly concerts.

The Ventura County Courthouse, known since 1974 as Ventura City Hall, is a historic building in Ventura, California. It is located on a hill at the top of California Street, overlooking the city's downtown district with views of the Santa Barbara Channel and Channel Islands. It was the first building in the City of Ventura to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places and has also received historic designations at the state, county and city levels. Built from 1912 to 1913, the Neoclassical courthouse was designed by the noted Los Angeles architect Albert C. Martin Sr. in a Beaux Arts style. The building's facade includes white glazed terra cotta panels and decorations, including 24 whimsical faces of Franciscan friars, fluted Doric columns, a copper-sheathed dome and cupola, as well as Roman-arched windows. The second-floor city council chambers (previously the building's courtroom) include carved mahogany woodwork, stained glass skylights and arched windows overlooking the city and ocean. The courthouse was expanded in the early 1930s with the construction of an annex off the building's west wing. In 1968, the building was declared structurally unsound and county workers relocated. The City of Ventura purchased the building from the county and renovated it at a cost of approximately $3.4 million. The building has served as Ventura City Hall since 1974.

The Ventura Botanical Gardens (44 ha / 107 acres) re-opened November 3, 2018 after widespread damage caused by the Thomas Fire, is located at 567 S. Poli Street in Ventura, California, United States.