Best Things to Do in Ojai

If you want to get up close to the wine country wilderness, hiking trails with stunning views are prolific here. The Ojai Valley Land Conservancy has protected around 2,300 acres of open space filled with trails open to the public. At the Ventura River Confluence Preserve, you can traverse a teeming forest filled with sycamore, willow and cottonwood trees, one of the few remaining Ventura River forests. The Ojai Meadows Preserve is a restored wetland that almost became a parking lot, but is home to wildlife, trees and flowers. There’s also Cluff Vista Park, which was once an abandoned gas station and is now a beautifully renovated park filled with native plant species. It’s a great spot to post up to witness the pink moment. Visit their website for more information on what trail is best suited for you.

Lake Casitas is where Ojai residents and businesses get their water, and it’s also a scenic location for picnicking, camping, boating, fishing, hiking and bird-watching. (Although swimming is prohibited.) There’s a water park, disc golf course and outdoor summer movie nights. Visit their website for more information and pricing for camping and day passes.

You want to ride a horse but didn’t bring your own? Ojai Valley Trail Riding Co. has you covered with all-level horseback rides — including a sunset ride — and lessons. It’s run by “award-winning horse woman” Susan Gruber at Oso Ranch, which sits next to the Ojai Land Conservancy. You’re in good hands with Susan and her ranch of former championship-winning horses, who will take you on beautiful trail rides along the Ventura River.

It’s safe to say most of us could use more hot springs in our lives. Ecotopia is the natural hot springs located in Matilija Canyon and is believed to have healing abilities. The hot springs are clothing optional, but never-nudes are free to keep their denim shorts on. Advance reservations are required and, at the time of writing, Ecotopia is closed due to extreme weather. If you do get a chance to go, check out the sustainable gardens on the property. 

At Chief’s Peak, the charming bar at the Ojai Rancho Inn, you can enjoy a craft cocktail or glass of natural wine posted up at their chic reclaimed-wood bar, by the fireplace or by the pool on sunny days. The chill, intimate space is filled with crystals inside and cacti outside, and well-suited for a leisurely afternoon or evening. Chief’s Peak hosts events, including a weekly “drink and draw” night every Tuesday evening.

The Ojai Vineyard Tasting Room has over 300 wines harvested from their vineyards located in Ojai, Santa Barbara and surrounding areas. They specialize in natural wines popular to California, including pinot noir, grenache, syrah, chardonnay and rosé, made with native yeast fermentation. The tasting room has an inviting outdoor patio, as well as indoor seating, and takes reservations for tastings and glasses.

Ojai Valley Brewery has a heated outdoor patio, live music on Friday and Saturday nights, games including corn hole and a pool table and barbecue on Wednesday and Sunday afternoons. The brewery has 15 beers brewed in-house on tap, as well as kombucha, lemonade and soft drinks for the kids and other booze-free brethren. Not only is it a welcoming place to hang out, their beer is something special: flavorful and unique, inspired by their local environment, using pure Ojai water and native herbs, flowers and fruit. The taps rotate regularly with their creative, seasonal offerings, ranging from the likes of the Pixie, a white wheat ale with tangerine zest, coriander and chamomile, to the Sacred Belgan, a Belgian blonde ale infused with wild local sage.

The Deer Lodge is the oldest tavern and restaurant in Ojai, and has a rustic bar, a large dog-friendly patio with a firepit and a game room with a pool table. The bar has 20 taps with local beers, hard kombuchas, hard seltzers and ciders, and their full food and drink menu is full of craft cocktails and “fine Californian cuisine served roadhouse style,” including truffle fries, Buffalo wings and roasted cauliflower tacos. They also have happy hour from 4 to 6 p.m. Wednesdays through Fridays, and live music and barbecue on the weekends.

Dutchess opened in January 2022 in a historic building, home to one of the city’s first bakeries, by LA restaurant veterans  Zoe Nathan and Josh Loeb and local standout baker Kate Pepper. During the day,  it’s a bakery and café that serves seasonal pastries, cakes and pies, along with breakfast and lunch dishes like Burmese fried chicken sandwiches and oven-baked eggs. At night the restaurant leans further into Burmese favorites made with local produce, like the tea leaf or crispy rice salad. On Thursdays they host live music from local musicians and $3 grilled skewers. 

Rory’s Place is a hip restaurant run by sisters Rory and Meave McAuliffe, with a fun, always-changing menu that celebrates the bounty of local farms. They always offer raw seafood, including delicacies like oysters, crudo of the day, Santa Barbra sea urchin and caviar. You can also choose from an extensive wine list of wineries from California, Italy, Spain and beyond, along with herbaceous cocktails. The dinner menu has included things like hand-cut tagliatelle with chanterelle mushrooms and halibut with braised fennel and butter-poached fingerling potatoes. 

The Nest prepares tasty, fresh food and drinks in an inviting indoor/outdoor space. The menu mostly revolves around bowls, tacos, pizza and sandwiches, and also includes cocktails, draft beer, wine and alcohol-free thirst quenchers like Earl Grey lemonade. The restaurant also serves up Sunday brunch and hosts events like DJ nights.

Tres Hermanas serves New Mexican-inspired cuisine using slow-roasted chiles from a farm near the Rio Grande. They’re the sister restaurant to Deer Lodge and serve lunch and dinner. The menu includes the likes of green chile queso dip, Frito pie, green chile pozole, enchiladas and sopaipillas, New Mexico’s beloved puffy fried dough that can be enjoyed savory or sweet.

Marché Gourmet is a European-style deli serving breakfast and lunch every day but Monday and dinner from 5 to 7 p.m. on Friday and Sundays. It’s the perfect place to pick up food for a scenic picnic, enjoy a warm panini fresh off the grill or raise your pinkies up for a British-style high tea.

For over 80 years, the Ojai Art Center has served as a hub for the arts for locals and visitors alike, with a 120-seat theater, an art gallery/dance studio and meeting spaces for its expansive roster of classes, plays, literary readings and more. They host Ojai’s annual Art in the Park and Blues Festival, artist receptions, concerts and more.

Since 1966, the Ojai Valley Museum has celebrated and preserved local art, history and culture through its collection and exhibition of art, photographs, artifacts and beyond. Learn more about the history of the valley and the Chumash people who originally cared for the land, and admire murals and landscape paintings from celebrated local artists. Since 1996, the museum has been located in the former St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church, and is recognized as a historic place. The museum offers rotating exhibits as well as walking tours of historic Ojai on Saturday mornings at 10:30 a.m. (except from July to early October, due to heat).

Who doesn’t love reading outside on a sunny day? The beloved Bart’s Books claims to be the world’s largest outdoor bookstore, with much of its collection of over 130,000 mostly used and some new books shelved on their inviting outdoor patio. The indoor area was built from the home of the late original owner, Richard “Bart” Bartinsdale; the original Bart’s consisted of a few bookshelves outside of his home, inspired by Parisian book carts. The store is an Ojai mainstay, having served the community since 1964.

Treasures of Ojai is a family-run, 7,000-square-foot vintage superstore hawking a large yet thoughtfully curated selection of estate jewelry, antiques, clothing, furniture and more. Adorn yourself in a range of jewelry, including many Native American and Mexican styles, as you search for your new favorite vase, print, chair or Victorian blouse.

At Oso, you can find flowy dresses, cozy sweaters, vintage Levi’s, chic hats and other pieces to perfect your “maybe I’m a wellness influencer” aesthetic. The sunny, inviting store offers a well-curated selection of vintage, modern, handmade and local clothing and accessories in downtown Ojai.

While the Ojai Valley Inn is a luxury hotel and spa beloved by celebrities and influencers,  the Ojai Rancho Inn is the real gem of the town. Ojai Rancho Inn is a charming, 17-room hotel built with ’50s ranch-style architecture and run by the design-forward Social Shelter Club group. The rooms come with natural wood beds, wood-paneled walls and, if you want to live your best life, a Jacuzzi tub. The hotel’s outdoor space has a pool surrounded by vinyl lounge chairs and red umbrellas, a grassy area, a porch to lounge on and firepit to warm up by. It’s also home to the aforementioned Chief’s Peak Bar.

The Capri Hotel is a renovated 1963 midcentury roadside motel and the newest offering from Social Shelter Club. The rooms are minimalist and comfortable; beautiful, inviting spaces filled with natural light and earth tones that compliment the natural environment. There’s a pool and Jacuzzi, firepit and lawn area, as well as a cozy lobby with a fireplace. They also offer free bikes for guests to use to venture into town.

The Lavender Inn is an eight-room historic bed and breakfast built in 1874 as Ojai’s first school. Befitting its name, fresh coffee and continental breakfast are served to guests every morning. There’s a garden perfect for hanging out on nice days, the aforementioned Ojai Garden Spa and two resident cats. It’s also home to the Ojai Culinary School, where you can take cooking classes in their large kitchen, although classes have been paused since the COVID pandemic began.