The Loose Caboose

Very friendly service and they have the coolest things there! They have a whole bunch of different animals here! I loved going to look at all their koi ponds. They also had turtles, goats, peacocks, etc. If you go into the shop they have this cool case with a whole bunch of bees in there too! It’s really quite awesome!

I love this place, during the summer I go here just to go feed the fish. The place is adorable, with it’s funky little gifts and animals. I like the fresh fruit stand too. When I go I end up spending at least a hour there loving everything in there. The benches made of wood outside are beautiful. The bridge overlooking the big beautiful koi fish is relaxing. The birds singing and sometimes seeing little eggs just hatched is great! Love this place, I will always go there. The staff is always nice too.

This little place is a nice stop if you are out meandering about aimlessly on a Sunday afternoon. There are turtles, fish, goats, birds, antiques, hot sauces, special honey, fountains and other yard deco for sale.

What a fun place!

The Loose Caboose looks like an ordinary fruit stand along the endless highway, but inside are treasures to delight the young at heart! It is a museum, zoo, and emporium with antiques, garden pottery, local jellies, train calenders and much more. It is also an historical landmark.

It includes pools of koi and turtles, an aviary with various birds and shaded areas for potted plants. If you look around, you’ll find an old caboose. There are also free restrooms.

I look forward to my next visit.

Mehhhhh. This was the first fruit stand on the highway. Turned in to see what kind of goodies there are. There was a nice selection of fruit and veggies, but nothing that I HAD to have. Lots of other random things – honey, hot sauce.
There are lots of other fruit stands on the highway after passing this one. I didn’t stop at the others since I assume they’re all pretty much the same.

We stopped here because I’ve been wanting to stop here for years as it looked like a pretty extensive fruit stand when it was Yamaguchi’s. Now, it’s more Emporium than fruit stand, and holds quite an eclectic collection of items. They carry landscape items including some plants & trees. Koi and Koi pond items. There are goats — 3, to be exact — and there’s a machine you can buy feed from to feed the goats, and you’d better believe the goats know the sound of that quarter plunking! You can feed the koi too. Same setup. There’s a handful of red cabooses — the reason for the name of the place I’m gathering and some very cool shade trees with seating underneath. THAT was cool.
Inside they have birds… doves, parakeets, chickens, Russian pheasants… Wait. What? A room with ‘antiques’, which some of them may be, but most of it looks like people have left their yard sale items with hopes they’ll sell as kitsch. Lots of toys. And there’s a room with local culinary delights like salsas, jellies, loose nuts and the like.
All in all an unexpected compilation of odd things — fun to look through — some local items of interest — but not a place I’ll return to.

I first stopped here because I saw that they sold produce. Its produce is okay, but wait if you walk just a little you will see some very interesting things: such as the biggest Koi fish I have ever seen, beautiful water turtles, cute little birds and baby chicks. My kids love it here, and its a very nice and relaxing stop.

My wife and I were driving down Highway 125 from Ventura when The Loose Caboose caught out eye, so we pulled over to have a look.
It is definitely an unusual roadside stop. Lots of produce, as you’d expect, including 40-​pound boxes of oranges. Inside, they have lots of curios and a variety of food oddities that you see at places like this.
The woman working there was super nice, and that’s always a big plus at places like this.
Even if your aren’t interested in the other things they are selling on the property, it’s worth a stop – koi ponds, goats, an aviary, fruit trees, The Upside Down Tree Forest – lots of stuff to see and it’s all free to look. If you want to buy a goat or two, you’re set!

Interesting place. Great strawberries.

I enjoyed this place as one of those odd off the beaten path roadside shops. Yes, it does have a very odd mix of things to see, but that’s what makes it fun.
I have to say the coolest part of the store for me were the koi fish. They actually have a lot of them. Everything from really big ones to little babies they are nursing, which was cool. You can feed them, too.
They have birds, not a lot, but the prices for them seem very reasonable. I don’t know anything about birds, but they looked cool.
They have an upside-​down forest, which is kind of neat. They are like trees standing on their branches with their roots growing up in the air.
They have other stuff for your garden like sculptures, local honey, produce, lots of other stuff, too.
The place does seem to be run by a friendly family.

I’d have to agree with the two previous reviews. The Loose Caboose is indeed interesting for the variety of products they have for sale, depending on what you’re looking for. But in the context of a much-​anticipated stop while riding the Fillmore & Western steam train, The Loose Caboose is a little awkward.
Nonetheless, as a family-​run business, their intent as merchants is sincere, friendly and down to earth, which is something I can appreciate, regardless of what they’re selling.

Here’s an interesting place for a pit stop…
Part general store, part museum, the Loose Caboose is appealing to all ages.
They have an aviary!
They have koi ponds!
They have an upside-​down forest!
They have seasonal produce.
A very nice, family-​run business. If you’re in the area stop by and take a look!

What the fuck is this place? And why is the train stopping here? Has there ever in the history of the universe been someone who clambered off the train here, bought a two foot koi, then carried it around in a giant water filled baggie for the remaining 4 hours of the train’s itinerary? Hmm, they sell birds too… alrighty then.
Actually, I would’ve been happy to give this place 3 stars if only they sold something for my headache. Dramamine, check. Antacids, check. 400 pound marble fixtures for your garden, check. Disappointing fruit (this being in the middle of the richest agricultural area in southern California, mind you), check. Honey with flakes of red pepper in it, check. Pain reliever, eeh not so much… that’s not something people need too often.
It’s like someone with only the vaguest notion of what a tourist trap is decided to build a tourist trap. Scary.