Jamie Ferrell, Author at Secret Los Angeles

Hi there! I grew up in Santa Cruz and graduated from UC Berkeley in 2018 with an English major and Spanish minor. After teaching ESL for a few years, I joined the Secret Media Network as a Staff Writer. I love to write about California history, hidden gems, museum exhibitions, and local wildlife.

California’s most endearing storybook village is only 3 miles from the ‘crown jewel’ of state parks — making for an epic day trip on the Central Coast

A quintessential California day trip doesn’t get much better than Carmel-by-the-Sea and Point Lobos State Natural Reserve. The two Monterey Peninsula destinations are only about three miles apart, pairing...

After 40 years, Amtrak is rolling out a new generation of faster, California-made trains on the West Coast starting next week — here’s exactly where

Amtrak’s long-awaited Airo fleet is officially entering passenger service next Wednesday, September 30, 2026, marking the first major rollout of the railroad’s next-generation trains. The Pacific North...

Things to do

Less than 40 minutes from L.A.: This eccentric 22,000-square-foot hand-built castle only opens to the public on 8 days a month

Tucked behind the walls of a former citrus property in Glendora, Rubel Castle is a towering, hand-built castle that's only open a few days a month. The wonderfully eccentric, 1.7-acre landmark is fille...

Things to do

Less than 1 hour from L.A.: Southern California’s largest indoor haunted house opens this weekend with 145 terrifying rooms across 35,000 square feet

Thousand Oaks’ Reign of Terror Haunted House has returned even bigger for the 2026 Halloween season. The long-running walk-through attraction, which has been terrifying Southern California since 1999, now...

Escapes Things to do

1 hour south of Los Angeles: California’s oldest neighborhood is just 5 miles away from the ‘dolphin and whale watching capital of the world’

Just south of Los Angeles, two of Southern California’s most remarkable destinations sit only about 5 miles apart: San Juan Capistrano’s Los Rios Historic District, widely known as California’s oldest ne...

Escapes

‘It could give the East Coast a run for its money:’ This small California mountain town is the state’s ultimate fall foliage escape

While the East Coast is hard to beat when it comes time for leaf-peeping season, California can offer some unbelievably colorful landscapes if you know where to look. And high up in the Eastern Sierra, th...

1 hour from L.A.: Standing 17 stories tall, this enormous WWII blimp hangar is one of the largest wooden structures ever built — now, the city is seeking proposals to turn it into a concert venue or museum

One of Southern California's most surreal and lesser-known landmarks is also one of its biggest. It's a giant World War II blimp hangar in Tustin, towering 17 stories tall and stretching about 1,000 f...

Things to do

Known as the ‘Gold Rush Trail,’ this 307-mile California highway makes for a great road trip through more than two dozen preserved 19th-century towns

California’s State Route 49—better known as the Gold Rush Trail or Golden Chain Highway—winds through the heart of Gold Country, linking more than two dozen historic towns that played important roles duri...

Things to do

Less than 1 hour from L.A., this small arts town is shutting down its Main Street for a giant Oktoberfest block party tonight

Old Town Newhall’s beloved SENSES Block Party is closing out its 2026 season with a lively Oktoberfest-themed celebration tonight, Thursday, September 17, from 7 to 10 p.m. The free community event tak...

A $293 penalty for driving in the wrong lane: How the upcoming LA28 Games network will enforce 369 miles of major roadways

Caltrans is developing a complex Games Route Network across Southern California during the 2028 Olympic & Paralympic Games. The network would designated Olympic-only lanes on 369 miles of roadway...

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