Grant Park is a city park in the hills directly above Mission San Buenaventura. It offers the most spectacular views of Ventura without having to engage in some hiking. Perched at the top of a hill, it seems like a classic Hollywood makeout spot.
Father Serra Cross is perched near the top of the hill, a reminder of the Mission heritage of Ventura (but installed later). However, since the cross was on public land, lawsuits threatened to remove the cross from the hill to preserve the separation of church and state. The City of Ventura came up with an inventive solution to keep the cross: sell the small parcel of containing the cross to a private conservancy. The cross used to be lit at night, but neither the city nor the conservancy has money for that these days.
There are three roads up to the park:
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Go up Kalorama Street, and turn right on Summit Drive
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From Poli Street near City Hall, turn right on Brakey Road
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From Cedar Street turn up Ferro Drive
