great place to see old western sets and they still film there from time to time, so if your lucky you might see Hollywood in action. Great place to have a picnic, walk trails with great scenery. Also close to wine tasting while on the way to Malibu from the San Fernando Valley. Unless going on a picnic I wouldn't make it a destination trip.
If you are a western buff, or even just looking for a nice scenic view, this is a great place! We only looked around for 30 minutes or so, but you could spend easily spend a few hours hiking the trails and having a picnic there.
My husband took me here as a surprise day trip cute old western town in a beautiful park. They have hiking trails and best of all no fee and they allow pets. True the buildings are sadly in need of a little TLC but over all I really enjoyed walking through the little town its quiet pretty and relaxing and you feel like any minute Billy the kid could come rushing around a corner Loved it
Years ago I went to the Renaissance Faire, now I enjoy early morning walks in Paramount Ranch several times a week. It is not crowded and the air is fresh and beautiful. You may see coyotes and other wild life. It is quiet and peaceful. There is an authentic Western town, been there for many years. They are hoping to renovate it. It is nice to just relax and enjoy the beauty of the mountains.
We just recently moved into the Agoura Hills area. I had been to the Paramount Ranch, many years ago, when they held the Rennaisance Faire there. It was a surprise, to find out, that there has always been a western town there. Where they have filmed many movies, and western t.v. shows. If you look inside some of the buildings, you can see, that some of them are finished inside, and we're used for inside shots. Everyone who visits, seems to enjoy, taking family photos there.There is no admission fee, so if your looking for a free fun side trip, this is a good place to go.
This is an old west 'town' but it's just facades - you can't go inside. But strolling around the 'town' and taking photos is fun. There are a few small trails here that are suiting to kids. They host an annual banjo festival in the spring. It is well worth a visit then too!
little known attraction next to 2,300 acre state forest,lots of parking, tour old and present western movie set, old false front buildings to view, lots of hiking, biking and horse trails,
We tried to visit this free park last year but it had been rented out for a festival and cost $22 per person to get in. Imagine how frustrated we were, going to a free location that was about a 45 minute drive, only to find out we couldn't get in. (Not without paying $44!) Plus it was massively crowded which wasn't what we were looking for to go hang out in a park for the day. We finally had the chance to try visiting again this month. It wasn't busy at all on a Saturday. I love that you can hike trails near Malibu State Parks but not pay anything to get in or for parking. They have bathroom facilities before you go into the cute Western part of town. That's the best part, where you can stroll through where they shot Dr. Quinn and other shows / movies. Lots of fun photo ops. Bring a picnic lunch. And if you're feeling adventurous, it's not far from Mulholland Drive. Take a pretty drive after you visit the park. We took it from there to Malibu Beaches. Very fun, mostly free day trip. I'll paste link to the website to check for events before you go. I assume they'd also post if a shoot is going on so you can avoid it at those times too. (You need a permit for any professional photography or filming.) http://www.nps.gov/samo/planyourvisit/paramountranch.htm
This is a good place for kids to imagine themselves in a western film. The buildings form a really authentic looking frontier town although you can't get into any of them apart from one tumbledown shack which proved an endless source of fun for the youngsters and the rail depot served as a great stage for ŷimpromptu performances. There are nice shady picnic benches and the whole area is quiet and peaceful. We didn't explore the trails as we had a stroller, but we were a bit disconcerted to see a large snake near one of the bridges, although fortunately it quickly disappeared down a hole.
There is more movie history than could be imagined at Paramount Ranch and it's not just Dr. Quinn. Check the Santa Monica Mountains Webb site regarding special events and walking tours. Those old enough to remember will have been to the Renaissance Pleasure Faire when it was held at Paramount Ranch. Always a great place for a Sunday afternoon walk.