JavaScript must be enabled

Page will not work without JavaScript enabled

California

The Best of California: The Reagan Library to the Channel Islands

Program No. 14491RJ

Experience it all on this comprehensive exploration of California. Savor great cuisine, explore national parks, visit renowned museums and enjoy insightful lectures along the way!

Wishlist

Start

Regional Studies Small Group

Enroll with Confidence

We want your Road Scholar learning adventure to be something to look forward to—not worry about. Learn more

Protecting the Environment

We offset a portion of the emissions created by your travel. Learn more

6 days

5 nights

11 meals

5B 2L 4D

Check-In, Registration, Orientation, Dinner

Ventura, CA

Field Trip to Santa Barbara, Channel Islands Lecture

Ventura, CA

Field Trip to Santa Cruz Island

Ventura, CA

J. Paul Getty Center

Ventura, CA

Field Trip to Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum

Ventura, CA

Program Concludes

Ventura, CA

View Full Itinerary

At a Glance

Experience California’s diverse cultural and natural wonders. View J. Paul Getty’s extensive art collection at the J. Paul Getty Museum, learn about the Channel Islands and sit in the peaceful courtyards at the historic mission of Santa Barbara. Insights gained through lectures and visits will give you a full picture of California culture.

Activity Level

Keep the Pace

Walking up to two miles per day on uneven city streets most days, standing up to two hours on field trips. On a day trip to Channel Islands, walking on uneven, dirt trails with options of walking two to five miles. Boat trips to the Channel Islands are dependent on sea conditions, which can be rough, and subject to cancellation by the boat’s captain depending on ocean swell and wind conditions. Alternate plans on the mainland will be in place if an island field trip is cancelled.

Best of all, you’ll…

Trace the history of the California mission system with a local expert, and sit in the peaceful courtyards at the historic mission of Santa Barbara.
View J. Paul Getty's extensive art collection at the Getty Museum against a backdrop of dramatic architecture, tranquil gardens and breathtaking views.
Learn about the Great Communicator at the Reagan Library, which was renovated after a revealing in-depth study of his diaries.

Featured Expert

All trip experts

Margery Spielman

Margery Spielman is an accomplished environmental artist, lecturer, naturalist and professional diver. As a scuba instructor and stunt diver, she worked underwater on numerous television productions and for many years, worked on freelance assignments for The Cousteau Society, doing research, logistics, diving, speaking and illustrating. Described as a visionary realist, she’s exhibited her artwork in major Marine Art Expos from Hawaii to Paris. For over 25 years, Margery’s been the leading Naturalist in Road Scholar’s Channel Islands programs.

Please note: This expert may not be available for every date of this program.

Margery Spielman View biography

Donna Granata View biography

Donna Granata is the founder and executive director of Focus on the Masters (FOTM), a highly respected nonprofit archive and educational program documenting contemporary artists. An accomplished artist in her own right, Granata is an internationally published portrait photographer. Her photographs have been displayed across the United States. Selected works from her FOTM portrait series are housed in the Smithsonian's Archive of American Artists; in the photographic collection of the George Eastman Museum and other public institutions housing the personal archives of the artists documented.

Jenny Peterson View biography

Jenny Peterson has been a Road Scholar leader since 2009, and has led over 80 programs including Signature City, Grandparent/Grandchild, National Park, and Afloat programs. Jenny hails from Minnesota originally, but now is a Florida resident. However, most of her Road Scholar programs are in California, so she splits her time almost equally between these three states. She celebrated her 40th wedding anniversary in 2023, and has four grown children. Her hobbies include travel, walking, biking, and playing bridge.

Jill Swaim View biography

Jill Swaim is a retired elementary and middle school teacher. She taught for 39 years in San Diego, Oceanside, and Santa Paula, all districts in California. She has worked for Road Scholar since 2003 as a group leader, and has become a volunteer ambassador for the organization. Her hobbies include spending time with her grandchildren, travel, and volunteering.

Walt Agajanian View biography

Born and raised in Southern California, Walt Agajanian left California to see other parts of the country and ended up in college at the University of Wyoming, intended to be a high school science teacher. Returning to California, Walt changed his plans and went into business. Having had a passion for history as well as science, he eventually decided to enroll at California State University, Northridge for a second bachelor’s and a master’s degree in history. He now teaches history at Ventura College.

Susan Morris View biography

Susan Morris has been conducting historical research involving the Channel Islands since 1987. With a bachelor’s in journalism and a certificate in archaeology, she has participated in field studies on seven of the eight Channel Islands. She was the principal investigator of a cave-associated archaeology survey on Santa Rosa Island. Passionate about solving historical mysteries, her focus of the past eight years has been historical research for the Island of the Blue Dolphins website, hosted by Channel Islands National Park.

Karyn Benkendorfer View biography

Karyn Benkendorfer is a native Californian who has a B.A. in communications arts – film and television from Loyola Marymount University. She is also a graduate of ITMI’s International tour management program. Karyn is a passionate storyteller, photographer, writer, and teacher. She is energized by engaging with people, sharing stories and experiences. On her daily walks, she logs 5-8 miles. She is an active volunteer with Opera League Los Angeles.

Suggested Reading List (15 books)

Visit the Road Scholar Bookshop

You can find many of the books we recommend at the Road Scholar store on bookshop.org, a website that supports local bookstores.

Search for a Title

The Best of California: The Reagan Library to the Channel Islands

Program Number: 14491

The Getty Center: Richard Meier & Partners

by Text by Michael Brawne

Photography: John Linden; Drawings: John Hewitt, Richard Meier & Partners. (Paperback)

Images of America: Ventura

by Glenda Jackson

Local historian Jackson covers the history of Ventura, California, from the dedication of Mission San Buenaventura to its present status as the Gateway to the Channel Islands and home to more than 100,000. Includes archival photos.

Reagan: The Life

by H. W. Brands

The most recent biography of Ronald Reagan collects his story in detail in more than 800 pages. Brands argues that Reagan is one of the two great presidents of the 20th century, alongside FDR.

National Audubon Society Field Guide to California

by Peter Alden

A compact, easy-to-use guide to 1,000 California trees, wildflowers, mammals, insects, birds and other flora and fauna.

California Missions

by East View Press

This gorgeously tinted hand-drawn map displays California Missions in excellent detail.

Natural History of the Islands of California

by Allan A. Schoenherr (Author), C. Robert Feldmeth (Author), Michael J. Emerson (Author), David Mooney (Illustrator)

Islands have always been fascinating places, their separateness evoking a sense of mystery and inspiring a yearning for exploration. California's islands are unique evolutionary laboratories, places where plants and animals have grown and interacted in isolation for millions of years. This comprehensive book discusses both the human and the natural history of the islands of California, including all eight Channel Islands, Año Nuevo, the Farallons, and the islands of San Francisco Bay. It is also useful as a field guide for visitors, and details on reaching the islands are contained in the first chapter. The authors explore the formation of the islands; discuss the history of human habitation, beginning with the Native Americans who first visited the islands 12,000 years ago; and provide a thorough introduction to the marine and terrestrial biotas of the islands. The authors also discuss past damage and ongoing threats to island ecosystems, including devastation caused by the introduction of non-native animals and plants. Large herbivorous animals in particular have caused considerable damage, since island plants evolved in the absence of herbivores and therefore have no defenses against them.

California's Channel Islands: A History

by Frederic Caire Chiles

The Channel Islands, a string of eight islands off the coast of Southern California, are home to stunning landscapes and remarkable biodiversity. This scholarly work covers ecology as well as natural and human history.

As I See It: The Autobiography of J. Paul Getty

by J. Paul Getty

The J. Paul Getty Museum Handbook of the Collection

by Timothy Potts

Prepared by the museum, this illustrated handbook to the J. Paul Getty Museum provides a comprehensive overview of the collection as well as a history of both the museum and its founder.

Images of America: The California Channel Islands

by Marla Daily (Santa Cruz Island Foundation)

Every day, thousands of Southern California residents see the California Channel Islands on the horizon, yet few can name all eight. Santa Catalina Island, third largest, is by far the best known. It is the only island with a city, Avalon, where dozens of hotels, shops, and restaurants await visitors year-round. Three of the islands are owned by the US Navy: San Clemente, San Nicolas, and San Miguel. Five islands fall within the boundaries of Channel Islands National Park: San Miguel, Santa Rosa, Santa Cruz, Anacapa, and Santa Barbara Islands. Close to the mainland and yet worlds apart, scenic day trips and primitive camping opportunities are available on all five park islands. Cultural anthropologist and author Marla Daily of the Santa Cruz Island Foundation has spent her career researching the histories of all eight islands. The California Historical Society bestowed upon Daily its Distinguished Service Award for her extraordinary service and dedicated efforts in preserving Channel Islands history.

Santa Cruz Island: A History of Conflict and Diversity

by John Gherini

In this thorough history of the largest Channel Island, Gherini introduces the Chumash Indians who lived on the island in pre-Columbian times and details early European explorers and the Spanish-Mexican period, when the island became a haven for smugglers.

California the Beautiful

by Galen Rowell (Photographer)

Rowell's exquisite photographs are accompanied by excerpts from Joan Didion, M.F.K. Fisher, Jack London, William Saroyan and many other luminaries in this celebration of the nature and spirit of California.

President Reagan The Role of a Lifetime

by Lou Cannon

This book by a veteran reporter of Ronald Reagan's political career is one of the best Reagan biographies.

The Golden Shore, California's Love Affair With the Sea

by David Helvarg

In this eminently readable and well-researched tribute, Helvarg, an environmental journalist and filmmaker, considers the crosscurrents of culture, history, economy and myth that come together on the state’s golden shores.

Justinian Caire and Santa Cruz Island: The Rise and Fall of a California Dynasty

by Frederic Caire Chiles

One of the fabled Channel Islands of Southern California, Santa Cruz was once the largest privately owned island off the coast of the continental United States. This multifaceted account traces the island’s history from its aboriginal Chumash population to its acquisition by The Nature Conservancy at the end of the twentieth century. The heart of the book, however, is a family saga: the story of French émigré Justinian Caire and his descendants, who owned and occupied the island for more than fifty years. The author, descended from Caire, uses family archives unavailable to earlier historians to recount the full, previously untold story. The author looks at the family’s daily life on the island from the mid-nineteenth into the twentieth century. This epic contains tragic elements, as well. Family diaries and letters enable Chiles to tell the story of an intensely private clan and its struggle to hold an island dynasty together.

Start Enrolling

The Best of California: The Reagan Library to the Channel Islands

Enroll with Confidence

Protecting the Environment

At a Glance

Best of all, you’ll…

Recommended For You