Courtesy photo.
OXNARD — With the County of Ventura moving into the State’s Orange Tier this week, Oxnard museums are set to re-open after a long year of closures. The museums will follow health and safety guidelines set by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), State of California, and County of Ventura to help reduce the spread of COVID-19.
The Murphy Auto Museum returned Saturday, April 3 with a “soft opening” and a “full-blown reopening” Saturday, April 10. The Murphy will be open Saturdays and Sundays from 10am to 4pm. The museum features an impressive display of beautiful vintage automobiles and Americana; it is also home to the Fireball Art Gallery and Gold Coast Modular Rail Road Club.
Check out Muscles and Mojo, the Murphy’s Sunday “cars and coffee” style meetup every 1st and 3rd Sunday morning of the month from 8am to 10am in the museum parking lot. Top-ranked Oxnard professional boxer Hugo Centeno Jr. will be at the April 18 meetup to help the Murphy welcome back visitors.
Heritage Square in Downtown Oxnard is currently open for guided tours by appointment only. Tours have been temporarily expanded to seven days a week 10am to 4pm. The guided exterior tour is approximately 45 minutes long.
With their first event of the Spring, Oxnard Historic Farm Park & Museum will host the original Filipino fusion food truck “White Rabbit Food Truck,” with live music by Karen Eden and Cary Park. Learn about the history of the Farm Park, and enjoy spring crops grown by the Ventura County Master Gardeners. Saturday, April 3 from 10am to 2pm; free admission.
Famous for its world-renowned collection of French automobiles and winners of historic races, The Mullin Automotive Museum will be reopening Friday, April 9, with a new schedule of 10am to 3pm, split into a morning and afternoon session, Friday through Sunday. To comply with pandemic restrictions, docent-led tours will not be offered at this time, although docents will be available for Q&A sessions at each gallery. Visitors must purchase tickets in advance on the museum website MullinAutomotiveMuseum.com.
Also set to reopen Friday, April 9, Executive Director Adri Howe says Channel Islands Maritime Museum will reopen at 25% capacity with temporary hours Friday through Sunday from 12pm to 4pm. Another cause for celebration, the museum is celebrating its 30th anniversary.