Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Puglia Italy - Matera
Italy • 8 days, 7 nights
Southern Italy: Castles, Caves & Coastal Treasures in Puglia
from
Turkmenistan Gates of Hell Darvaza crater
Turkmenistan • 10 days, 9 nights
Turkmenistan & the Gates of Hell
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
Pinal Airpark
Note the chrysanthemum crests.
Hachiman Bridge
Clarendon War Memorial.
Clarendon War Memorial
This fried chicken is one of Bangkok’s most famous.
Gai Tord Jae Kee
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
This fried chicken is one of Bangkok’s most famous.
Gai Tord Jae Kee
Chefs Aruss Lerlerstkull and Atcharaporn Kiatthanawat lean into regional traditions.
Charmgang
The khao soi at Gedhawa comes with a rich, coconutty broth.
Gedhawa
At Nai Mong Hoi Thod, the oyster omelet is worth waiting for.
Nai Mong Hoi Thod
In this deceptively simple dish, top-quality ingredients are paramount.
Kor Panich
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
Haleakalā National Park’s summit region, shrouded in the pre-dawn fog.
Beware the Legends Behind These National Park Souvenirs
4 days ago
For Aguilar-Carrasco, nature is a powerful reminder of the interconnectedness of all life.
How Can National Parks Be Made Accessible to All? AO Wants to Know.
5 days ago
Podcast: Finding ‘The Great Gatsby’ in Louisville
6 days ago
Here’s which treats you can safely lug home without risking a fine.
Dear Atlas: What International Food Can I Legally Bring Into the U.S.?
7 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United States California Camarillo Scary Dairy

Scary Dairy

Graffiti-covered ruins that were once part of a farm owned by a mental hospital.

Camarillo, California

Added By
Jeff
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
Scary Dairy Barn   Conejo Valley Guide at conejovalleyguide.com
Scary Dairy Barn   Conejo Valley Guide at conejovalleyguide.com
Inside the barn   Mike McAllister on Flickr
Graffiti inside barn   Avoiding Regret
Scary Dairy…uh, Dairy   Avoiding Regret
One end of L-shaped dairy building   Conejo Valley Guide at conejovalleyguide.com
Entrance to dairy building   Avoiding Regret
Some pretty beautiful stuff inside   Avoiding Regret
Right of Wu   Avoiding Regret
The setting isn’t bad, either   Avoiding Regret
Overgrown   Avoiding Regret
Old stall area   Avoiding Regret
Not doing your job very well, sign   Conejo Valley Guide at conejovalleyguide.com
  jondi letnap / Atlas Obscura User
  jondi letnap / Atlas Obscura User
Hubby at the scary dairy   sicklesjessica8 / Atlas Obscura User
Reclaimed space   Cautz / Atlas Obscura User
-°-   Cautz / Atlas Obscura User
  Ani Djaferian / Atlas Obscura User
  Ani Djaferian / Atlas Obscura User
  Ani Djaferian / Atlas Obscura User
  Ani Djaferian / Atlas Obscura User
  jondi letnap / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

There is something inherently spooky about abandoned farm buildings. Remote, hulking, and isolated, their weathered remains have the feeling of a drifting ghost ship or a deserted space station, making one wonder, "What happened here?" And if those buildings were on a farm that was worked by patients of an early-20th-century mental hospital? That might sound like a deleted subplot from the second season of American Horror Story, but it's actually the real backstory of what's come to be known as the "Scary Dairy."

The land surrounding the Scary Dairy was originally part of the Camarillo State Mental Hospital, established in Ventura County, California in 1932. The hospital was at the forefront of treating conditions previously considered untreatable, and developed novel therapeutic practices (behavioral as well as pharmaceutical) to help foster greater freedom and independence in patients previously confined to institutions.

As part of this approach, a dairy was built near the hospital where patients could grow vegetables and work with animals as part of their therapy (it is unclear whether any of the animals were raised for meat or if it was strictly a dairy farm, but one imagines that slaughtering the animals probably would have undermined the therapeutic purpose of the facility). The fruits of their labors went to feed the hospital community and provide the hospital with an additional source of income (although, again, it is unclear whether these agricultural activities were really taking place on a commercial scale).

In the 1960s, the hospital disbanded the dairy and left the buildings to deteriorate. In 1997, the hospital itself closed its door and stood abandoned until 2002, when it was converted into a university, of all things. The newly-established California State University, Channel Islands renovated and occupied the hospital facilities and, in 2009, purchased the nearby 367-acre parcel of land which contained the decrepit dairy.

Now known as CSU Channel Islands University Park, the land is open to the public daily from sunrise to sunset. The Scary Dairy still stands, although behind fences and "No Trespassing" signs for safety as well as preservation reasons. However, that obviously hasn't stopped the many graffiti artists who have richly decorated the ruined agricultural buildings (and perhaps more nefarious activities, as suggested by Wikipedia's cryptic warnings about frequent police patrols on the lookout for "large groups of youth"). And the fences are close enough for a casual visitor to get a good look and speculate about what it would have been like to work on a farm in a mental hospital.

Related Tags

Farms Abandoned Hospitals Graffiti

Know Before You Go

From CA101 South, get off on S Lewis Rd, follow to Camarillo St and turn left; take Camarillo St till you cross a bridge, then turn left onto Old Dairy Rd and immediately bear right onto Federal Youth Division; Federal Youth Division will take you right to Scary Dairy

Community Contributors

Added By

pushstart143

Edited By

RHyzer, Ani Djaferian, jondi letnap, sicklesjessica8...

  • RHyzer
  • Ani Djaferian
  • jondi letnap
  • sicklesjessica8
  • Cautz

Published

February 3, 2016

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • https://adventurecollector.wordpress.com/2012/01/18/urban-exploration-camarillo-state-hospital-and-the-scary-dairy/
  • http://www.conejovalleyguide.com/welcome/the-scary-dairy-at-csu-channel-islands-university-park-in-ca.html
  • http://www.avoidingregret.com/2015/05/photo-essay-scary-dairy.html
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scary_dairy
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camarillo_State_Mental_Hospital
Scary Dairy
Camarillo, California, 93012
United States
34.176989, -119.029428

Nearby Places

Western Foundation of Vertebrate Zoology

Camarillo, California

miles away

Point Mugu Missile Park

Port Hueneme, California

miles away

Stagecoach Inn Museum

Newbury Park, California

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Camarillo

Camarillo

California

Places 2

Nearby Places

Western Foundation of Vertebrate Zoology

Camarillo, California

miles away

Point Mugu Missile Park

Port Hueneme, California

miles away

Stagecoach Inn Museum

Newbury Park, California

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Camarillo

Camarillo

California

Places 2

Related Places

  • Cow Barn At Northern State Hospital Farm.

    Sedro-Woolley, Washington

    Northern State Hospital Farm

    Former farm staffed by mental patients is now a public park.

  • Sarah Roland takes care of a herd of water buffalo.

    Saint Francisville, Louisiana

    Bayou Sarah Farms

    Louisiana's first and only water buffalo farm makes exceptional cheeses.

  • Tower seen from the Central Square

    Kaliningrad, Russia

    House of Soviets

    Dominating the skyline of Kaliningrad, the iconic House of Soviets has always been abandoned.

  • Bradenton, Florida

    Valentine House at Robinson Preserve

    This late 1800s historic home was moved by land and sea to serve its current role as a welcome center.

    Sponsored by Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau
  • Harry’s Wall

    Holmes Chapel, England

    Harry's Wall

    A Victorian-era viaduct has become a pilgrimage site for Harry Styles fans.

  • Stickers adorning Tuas Lamp Post 1.

    Singapore

    Tuas Lamp Post 1

    How did a sticker-covered lamp post become a beloved landmark for cyclists in Singapore?

  • Trompettersteeg in 2024.

    Amsterdam, Netherlands

    Trompettersteeg

    Widely advertised as Amsterdam’s narrowest street, this passage was once a highlight of the Red Light District before its windows closed.

  • Inzai, Japan

    Futago Park

    This park was once home to now-extinct Naumann's elephants, and what might have been a real Banksy.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.