I just finished my deep dive into Malibu, and it got me thinking about traveling forty miles north to a little mountain town called Ojai. If you want to check out Ojai for a day or a weekend, I suggest you use this Ojai Guide.
Ojai pronounced Oh Hi!, is only an hour and a half away from Los Angeles. It takes less time to get to Ojai from L.A. than from Santa Monica to Echo Park during rush hour. It is a small town nestled in the Topatopa Mountains and on the edge of the Los Padres National Forest. You can easily do Ojai as a day trip, but you may want to stay for a night after visiting a few wine-tasting rooms.
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What Ojai is like
Ojai is tucked into the forest-covered Topatopas between Malibu and Santa Barbara. If you take the 101 to the 150, you will get a view of Lake Casitas that is truly breathtaking. This town features great hikes with spectacular views.
This is part of Wine Country. If you thought you had to go all the way to Napa for wine tasting, you’d be wrong. Several tasting rooms at local wineries have unique varietals that benefit from the mountain air and coastal breezes.
Although not as far away from Los Angeles as it would seem, Ojai has a small-town feel with a centralized main street where you will find shops, restaurants, hotels, and entertainment.
Ojai is more of a place to recharge than it is to rage wildly into the night–mainly because everything closes around 9:00 p.m.
Best time to visit Ojai
I don’t think that there is a bad time to visit Ojai.
There are monthly events listed on their tourism website that might draw an influx of visitors, like the Mountains to the Beach marathon in May. This may help to schedule your trip around bustling or less crowded times.
Weather
The majority of your days in Ojai are sunny, with little rain in the forecast. It isn’t as warm as the desert or the coast, but you will still experience the temperatures that Southern California is known for.
Rainier months are marked with *
| Month | High | Low |
| January * | 66F/19C | 38F/3C |
| February* | 64F/18C | 39F/4C |
| March* | 67F/20C | 42F/6C |
| April | 68F/20C | 44/7C |
| May | 74F/23C | 49F/9C |
| June | 77F/25C | 53F/12C |
| July | 84C/29C | 57F/14C |
| August | 86F/30C | 57F/14C |
| September | 84F/29C | 55F/13C |
| October | 76F/25C | 49F/10C |
| November | 71F/22C | 42F/6C |
| December | 64F/18C | 38F/3C |
Where to stay
Ojai and not Ojai
Like my Palm Spring guide, be sure to check maps before booking hotel rooms and rentals. Many hotel websites and Airbnb postings are actually in Ventura or Oxnard. It would be a bummer to be in wine country and have to negotiate a twenty-mile drive back to your bed. Uber and Lyft rides are harder to come by here.
Hotels
There are plenty of places to stay in Ojai proper, from resort estates, Bed & Breakfasts to boutique hotels. Hotels in Ojai can lean toward the resort estate and can be pretty expensive, like the gorgeous Ojai Valley Inn at $500+ a night.
My recommendations are the less expensive options, like the Blue Iguana or The Capri Hotel.
The Capri Hotel
The reason why I stayed at this hotel is that I heard that Daniel Ash owned it. Being a big Bauhaus and Love & Rockets fan, I had to check it out, whether it was true or not.
It is a cute hotel on the far end of town. This former Midcentury motor lodge is currently being renovated in this moon-modern boho aesthetic. I remember the room we stayed in being randomly gothic, but it looks like that has all changed.
This hotel is a bit of a walk to the bustling center, but this was fine for us.
Hours, cost, and other information
- Website: https://www.caprihotelojai.com/
- Average cost: $192 per night
My other visits to Ojai involved VRBO rentals. (I am not an affiliate)
What to do
Ojai is pretty chill. You should come here to get away from the city, the noise, and the traffic. You will leave well-known and big box establishments behind in the Los Angeles area. Ojai’s main street is filled with mom-and-pop stores where you can find more one-of-a-kind items.
Shop
Bart’s Books
Only in California could there be an outdoor bookstore. The weather is just that 100 percent chance of beautiful. Except for a couple of sections, like the old kitchen filled with cookbooks, the bookstore is completely open-air. Hundreds of linear feet of used books in every subject area imaginable line the shelves that wind around the space. Bart’s has tons of nooks and crannies and hidden art, don’t be afraid to get lost. There are plenty of places to sit and camp out with a book in the sun.
For all of you insomniac bibliovores, there is also a section of books wrapped around the outside of the building that you can access twenty-four hours a day. These books can be purchased by dropping money in an antique box by the entrance.
Check out their Instagram account.
Hours, cost, and other information
- Website: https://bartsbooksojai.com/
- Location: 302 W Matilija St.
- Hours: Open 7 days a week 9:30 a.m. until sunset–which varies.
Fig Curated Living
This shop is great for finding gifts, or maybe something for yourself. Everything in the store is handmade, local, and fair-trade. There are a lot of textiles, home goods, and letterpress cards. They also have a good selection of kid’s gifts and clothing.
Hours, costs, and other information
- Website: https://www.figojai.com/
- Location: 327 E. Ojai Avenue
Sunday Farmers Market
Due to the climate, I feel like I get a preview of what is coming to the Los Angeles farmers’ markets here in Ojai.
This farmers’ market is one of my favorites in Southern California. It is deceptively large, and its maze of stalls sits in a public parking lot on Montgomery & Matalijia behind the Arcade building. I tasted the season’s first spring asparagus and grabbed a bouquet of my favorite flowers that are rare sights at my neighborhood market. There are tons of vendors, and you can find ice cream, cheeses, flowers and plants, honey, art, nuts, and live music. The highlight for me is that they have one of my favorite tamale vendors. The masa is so moist it melts in your mouth, it cuts like moist cake, and the spice of the green salsa gives you that right balance of heat and flavor.
Watch for spring when the Ojai Pixie tangerines are in season. Ojai is very proud of this very regional fruit and you will see it at the market and on many menus in the area. Firestone Walker Brewing Company in Los Angeles did a great Pixie Wild Ale.
Hours, cost, and other information
- Website: http://ojaicertifiedfarmersmarket.com/
- Location: 300 E Matilija St.
- Hours: Sunday 9:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m.
Entertainment
Ojai Arts Center
This is the oldest multi-disciplinary art center in California. Since the 1930s, this center has been curating events in theater, art, dance, and literary arts for Ojai’s residents. As a visitor, you can look at the art center’s galleries or catch a performance.
Hours, costs, and other information
- Website: https://www.ojaiartcenter.org/
- Location: 113 S. Montgomery St.
Wine tasting
Ojai Vineyards
Ojai Vineyards is a nice, low-key, and pressure-free place to try new wines. Tasting rooms in Ojai are less crowded than their Santa Barbara counterparts, which is a good thing. Ojai Vineyards is one of my favorites in town. They have quite a repertoire of wines, from sweet ices to earthy reds. At $18 a flight with liberal pours, it is a nice place to learn about the region and get a buzz on.
They have over three hundred wines to choose from. My husband is a big fan of their Rieslings, while I love their Pinot Noirs. This is a great region for tasting pinot noir.
There is no food here, but you can bring your own, including from neighboring restaurants.
Hours, cost, and other information
- Website: https://www.ojaivineyard.com/tasting-room/
- Location: 109 S. Montgomery St.
- Cost: Tastings are $18 per person
Ojai Beverage Company
Part restaurant/bar/liquor store, Ojai Beverage Company is a great place to try new local wines and beers. Offered by the glass, bottle, or flight, it is easy to try different breweries and vineyards. This is where I discovered Noble Oaks Winery and fell in love with their Tannat.
This option serves bar food with local ingredients.
Hours, cost, and other information
- Website: https://ojaibevco.com/
- Location: 655 E. Ojai Ave.
- Cost: Four wines for $12. If you like the wine, you can buy it at the attached liquor store.
If you want to make a weekend of it, here are other wineries/tasting rooms in the area.
- Casa Barranca–The tasting room is open; you will need to contact them for a reservation. If you want to venture into natural wines, check out this place. Note that the house on the property is a Greene & Greene house, like the Gamble House in Pasadena.
- Majestic Oak–The tasting room is open for indoor and outdoor tastings. Flights are $18.
- Topa Mountain Winery–-Tasting and events are at the winery instead of a storefront. Like Malibu Cafe and Malibu Wines, there is an outdoor space to hang out and play games. Cheeseboards are available via pre-purchase.
Hike & Explore nature
I must be honest and say that I haven’t hiked in Ojai. I believe that hiking and wine tasting do not mix. I want to draw your attention to this website that describes various hikes around the area.
If you have something to say about hiking in Ojai, I would love a guest writer for this section. Please contact me in any of the ways that you prefer here.
Where to eat
If there is a chain restaurant in Ojai, I don’t remember one. Here you will find restaurants run by locals. See the Ojai Beverage Company and the Sunday Farmers’ Market for additional options.
Sadly a favorite of mine, Azu has closed. I will be working on finding a replacement.
Westridge Market
This is a grocery store, but hear me out. On the weekends, they barbeque chicken, tri-tip, sausages, and all manner of meats and serve them at their deli counter. It is a cheap lunch and really good. It is an area secret, and you wouldn’t know about this if you weren’t in Ojai. The website is completely unhelpful.
Hours, cost, and other information
- Location: 802 East Ojai Ave. (No barbeque at the Midtown location).
- Hours: Weekend afternoons. The closer to noon, the better.
Now that I have reminisced over my recommendations for the Ojai Guide, I really want to go. I think I sold this place to myself; I hope this guide has inspired you. Want more day and weekend guides? Check here.
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