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.

Thousands of volunteers to gather for California’s Coastal Cleanup Day on Sept 19, 2026

California's 42nd annual Coastal Cleanup Day is coming up this month on Sunday, September 19, 2026. Since 1985, more than 1.6 million volunteers have shown up on their local coastlines to remove over...

Escapes Wellness & nature

1.5 hours from L.A.: Celebrating 100 years, America’s ‘first native plant garden’ offers free Sundays in October and a redwood silent disco

About 90 miles up the coast, the historic Santa Barbara Botanic Garden marks its 100th anniversary this October with a month-long public celebration. As the first garden in the country dedicated exclusi...

After 30 years of planning, this 8-mile bike path project is the missing link in an ambitious 51-mile public park plan tracing the Los Angeles River

Metro's proposed 8-mile LA River Path is one of the most visible pieces of the larger LA River Master Plan, a 25-year proposal to reimagine the river as a 51-mile "public spine" lined with parks, habitat,...

Escapes Things to do

1 hour from Los Angeles: A 3-day maritime festival is taking over Dana Point Harbor next week with historic ships, booming cannon battles, and mermaid shows

Since 1984, on just one special weekend a year, Dana Point Harbor trades its usual calm for an over-the-top maritime extravaganza. The Ocean Institute's 42nd annual Maritime Festival is back next we...

Escapes Things to do

Exactly halfway between L.A. and S.F.: One of the Pacific Coast’s best small towns is shutting down its Main Street to host its 76th annual Labor Day celebration — complete with vintage cars, flyovers, and local wine

Cambria, California is one of the state's most charming coastal towns, recently earning a nod as one of the best small-town weekend escapes on the Central Coast. This Labor Day weekend, Cambria is gear...

The L.A. Zoo just became the first institution to successfully breed the rarest rattlesnake in the U.S., welcoming six live young

The Los Angeles Zoo has become the first institution to successfully breed the New Mexico ridge-nosed rattlesnake (Crotalus willardi obscurus) as part of Project Obscurus, a landmark international conse...

Things to do Visit Los Angeles

For the first time ever, Universal Studios Hollywood is opening haunted houses for daytime lights-on walkthroughs as Halloween Horror Nights returns this Thursday

Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios Hollywood kicks off this Thursday, September 3, running select nights through November 1, and this year's lineup is the most packed the event has ever been....

Universal Studios unveils September 16 opening date for ‘Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift,’ the park’s first outdoor, high‑speed roller coaster

Universal Studios Hollywood's first outdoor, high-speed roller coaster finally opens on Wednesday, September 16. The highly anticipated new ride, "Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift," tops out at 7...

Escapes

Southern California’s longest multi-use trail project is more than halfway done — it will cover 110 miles from Huntington Beach to the San Bernardino National Forest

Did you know that Southern California is steadily building a 110-mile mixed-use trail from Huntington Beach to the San Bernardino National Forest? The Santa Ana River Trail is envisioned as a corridor...

Culture Escapes

‘Be here when it happens’: Inside the ‘Earthquake Capital of the World,’ a tiny 1-block town halfway between S.F. and L.A. where scientists wait for the next big one

Unless you're planning a road trip between San Francisco and Los Angeles, you might never find yourself going down the rabbit hole of lore surrounding the tiny community of Parkfield, California. Only...

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