Ojai

History

In late 2017, the outskirts of the city were burned by the Thomas Fire.

Climate

By car

California State Routes 33 and 150 both go to the western side of the city, and Route 150 also enters it from the eastern side.

The downtown area is fairly small and quite easy to get around on foot, but for further exploration you will of course need a car.

• Ojai Valley Museum

  phone: +1 805-640-1390
  address: 130 W Ojai Ave

• Lake CasitasThis is quite a large reservoir that has an island in the middle of it during wet years.

• Los Padres National ForestThe region north of Ojai is protected national forest land, although a lot of the forest was burned by the Thomas Fire in 2017, which was one of the largest wildfires in history and was partially the reason for the terrible mudslides in the area a few months later.

• Boccali's

  phone: +1 805 646-6116
  address: 3277 Ojai Ave
  Cash only Italian dining with lots of outdoor patio space. Local landmark.

• Bonnie Lu's Country Cafe

  phone: +1 805-646-0207
  address: 328 E Ojai Ave
  This small American diner offers extraordinarily friendly and attention service and serves well-prepared meals. There is nothing to complain about with the food - everything is tasty - although it lacks a standout "must-have" dish. There are a limited number of seats so be prepared to wait when things are busy.

• Farmer and the Cook

  address: 339 W El Roblar Dr
  Locally owned vegetarian restaurant and produce shop. Highlights include organic salad bar that is picked fresh from the owners own farm! On Thursday mornings you can even help harvest greens on this lovely farm, and that entitles you to a free salad for lunch!

• Ojai Cafe Emporium

  phone: +1 805 646-2723
  address: 108 S Montgomery St
  Bakery and cafe with outdoor patio.

• Tipple and Ramble

  phone: +1 805-319-9496
  address: 315 N. Montgomery St.
  Tipple & Ramble is part picnic shop, part wine bar in Ojai, California. A shop that specializes in indoor/ outdoor decor, entertaining wares, small batch speciality food items, games, and vintage and new barware. Goods that have a sense of whimsy and adventure, to go on a picnic, make s'mores with the family, or host a cocktail party.

• Casa Ojai Inn

  phone: +1 805 646-8175
  address: 1302 E Ojai Ave

• The Capri Hotel

  phone: +1 805-646-4305
  address: 1180 E Ojai Ave
  This 30-room hotel aims for a retro-70s vibe and hits the mark pretty well. The outside looks a bit rundown, but the rooms have been redone recently and contain modern amenities like flat-screen TVs and nice touches like locally-made snacks in the minibar. Continental breakfast daily from 8AM-11AM, free wi-fi, pets allowed for an extra fee, and the lobby has a decent library of DVDs and VHS (yes, VHS) movies that can be borrowed and played on the in-room DVD/VCR (yes, VCR). The pool is a selling point and worth a visit.

• Ojai Valley Inn, Resort & Spa

  phone: +1 805 646-1111
  address: 905 Country Club Rd
  This AAA Five Diamond Award winning Southern California resort offers a luxury spa, championship golf school, and access to local activities such as wine tasting, tennis, and horseback riding.

• Ventura - Located on the coast 22 miles east of Ojai, Ventura is home to many interesting shops, the historic Mission San Buenaventura, and is the gateway for excursions to the Channel Islands National Park.
• Santa Paula - 17 miles to the east, Santa Paula advertises itself as the "Citrus Capital of the World" and was an early center of California's petroleum industry. It is home to the California Oil Museum, housed in the historic Union Oil Buliding.
• Carpinteria - This small oceanside town is located 22 miles west of Ojai and offers a salt marsh preserve, tide pools, and a seal and sea lion rookery that is active from December through May. During the first weekend in October Carpinteria plays host to nearly 100,000 visitors at its annual avocado festival, which features the world's largest vat of guacamole.
• Carrizo Plain National Monument - Slightly more than an hour north via Highway 33, this remote national monument is home to the largest remaining native grassland in California. During wet years it boasts spectacular wildflowers in the spring, and Soda Lake is an important wintering area for waterfowl when precipitation is sufficient to flood the seasonal lakebed. The park is also home to Painted Rock, a Native American site that has been adorned with pictographs over thousands of years. Services are extremely limited, with just a small visitor center, two primitive campgrounds, and a handful of marked trails available.