A visit to Ojai is worth 5 stars in itself. It's beautiful and peaceful. We just happened upon the…read moreLavender Festival that we'd planned to attend. I agree with a previous reviewer who expected to see more lavender at a lavender festival. Where were lavender eye pillows? Many of the booths had little to do with lavender. Maybe the very small craft festival needs another name. Underwhelming.

Mm mmm mmmmm...love me some Lavender. But such a darn pity…read moreshame there wasn't much of it here. Seems like most themed festivals do that nowadays. You know...bring everybody to the party but the honored guest. Hellooooooo?? Where the lavender at, people? We need to see an explosion of it. Note to the organizers: slap us in the face with lavender next time, please? There is a reason that people come to this festival, and it ain't for peanuts. Take a guess. -Shout out to the Lavender lemonade vendor. Offering those refills made you #1 in my eyes. -I'm rocking the HELL out of my bag created from recycled blue jeans, made by Blue River. The compliments won't stop. -And I was able to snag a nice bundle of lavender at $3 for the road. Great idea. Car smelled lovely. Let me coordinate this festival next year. I will show you how to make this shit magical. Think about it over coffee.

Family-friendly festival celebrates its 17th year at Boccali's in honor of delicious summery…read moretomatoes. We're enjoying tomato salad, pizza, pasta, eggplant parmigiana, garlic bread, and their amazing strawberry shortcake. Mmmm! To be continued. . . Got to go dance now! Well, that's unfortunate. I finished the review when I got home last night, adding all sorts of detail, but something went wrong with the collection to Yelp's site, and it wouldn't let me post it. All my brilliance is gone. Essentially, the Boccali family hosts a big party for the community to enjoy the harvest of their own tomatoes, ripe, sweet, and juicy, especially the heirloom variety. Along with the tomatoes, several kinds of homemade salad dressings were offered to add tangy flavor. Moving down the line, friendly team members were dishing out portions of eggplant parmigiana, lasagne, mixed veggies, garlic bread, and more. About 8 options of pizza were also ready for dining pleasure. The event takes place in the large grassy area adjacent to the main restaurant. Ringed by stately mature oak trees, this large outdoor room is perfect for this kind of gathering. As the sun descended, I caught a glimpse to the east of the famed "Pink Moment", and mentioned it to our friends, who weren't familiar with it. Soon, we were ducking behind the band's stage to go out by the cornfield to try to get photos of the beautiful sunset effect. We made sure to buy Boccali's fabulous strawberry shortcake; a fitting finish to all the great eats we'd had so far. The dessert and wine tasting were the only things that were extra - everything else was included in the $30 admission charge, including tax and tip. Well worth it! We also enjoyed getting serenaded by the 11-piece Blue Latitude band. They played most of the evening, offering popular dance tunes, highlighting their great brass section. So much fun on a warm summer afternoon slowly changing to night. Thank you, Boccali Family for letting the community join your party!

This is my second year coming to the festival, great friends, wine, dance music…read more Shopping, only Complaint is too short of a time 12:00-4:00 pm music needs to go longer. more dancing, On a more positive note !! I lost my Work cell Phone and long story short David from the Rotary helped me find it and recover it, it contained 3 credit cards and my DRivers license!! blessings to him and his wife !! We will be back next year !! More dancing ??? Please

We go every year and it's fantastic!!! Right next to Lake Casitas with plenty of shade and PLENTY…read moreof great wine. No need to worry about pour tickets anymore! Unlimited pours, so you get to enjoy every wine booth you can walk to. I recommend having a designated driver or taking the free shuttle from downtown Ojai. There are several food vendors from the local restaurants and a whole area for shopping-- yay-- drinking AND shopping!!!

Love, love, love Frog Creek Farm. Can't believe that they have been in business for over a decade…read moreand I just heard about them recently. We had been to another lavender farm in the upper Ojai Valley some years ago and I was looking for that info to return. That one has closed, but thankfully, Frog Creek Farm is a wonderful "find" for us. The lavender full blossom season is short, so you need to check on them via social media to find out when they are open. Instagram has current info. It's a delight to pull off the Ojai/Santa Paula Road and mosey on to their property. They have so much to see, including their cutting garden of seasonal flowers, some places to sit at picnic tables in the shade and even swing (i.e., hammock), the gift shop, and the lavender rows - the main event. Larry provides a great introduction at the small stand adjacent to the flowering beds. He describes the location and how to identify the five kinds of lavender they offer for cutting. For 2025 pricing - $16 earns you a generous bunch of fragrant blooms. After orientation, you are off with a basket to collect the stems, and scissors to do your own cutting / harvesting. As promised, the plentiful bees scattered away as we leaned in to cut the stems close to the main host bushes. We wandered among the rows and filled up our gathering basket. Back at the stand, Larry tied our haul into a beautiful bunch. We proceeded to the gift shop to pay for our pickings, and I also found a few other items to purchase, including lavender-infused spray which has many purposes. Christel greeted us as we were wrapping up our visit. She filled us in as we asked questions about how long they'd been there, as well as about some of their products. She's as sweet and charming as the farm is. What a lovely place to visit. We'll be putting it on the to-do list next summer, for sure!

It's always such a wonderful experience at Frog Creek Farm…read more Arriving at the farm, you just feel like you are transported somewhere else. From the personal lavender lesson, to the hands on cutting, shopping the lavender shed to sipping amazing lavender lemonade under the trees, it's such a wonderful way to spend an afternoon. Christel and Larry are just the nicest people. They make you feel so welcome to be visiting their little slice of heaven. We love this annual tradition.

We attended this year's Holiday Homes Tour yesterday, arriving in the Ojai Valley earlier than we…read morenormally do for one of the events. We had to be back in the Conejo by 3:00, so couldn't linger. The lighting in the morning had a soft look, making everything look like it was ready for artistic painting in the beautiful valley. After picking up our tickets at Will Call (only 1 person there to give them out and answer questions - not ideal), we were off on our adventure. We picked up a shuttle van at Matillija Junior High School to visit the first two homes. This year, they were running the vans like clockwork, very efficiently. The first home was originally built for a silent film star in a style reminiscent of her Polish homeland. With a charming fairy tale castle feel, it was outstanding architecturally. Boasting a stunning view of the Topa Topas, it was a great to visit. The seasonal floral decor was too faded for my preference, although the designer's coffee table book for sale there was stunning. The next house had a Mediterranean style focused on easy access to the outdoor living spaces from every bedroom. The central courtyard, a fabulous entertaining space, gave way to a lily pond with trickling waterfall. So lovely! The entire home supported tranquility, and was Dear Hubby's favorite. I enjoyed the bedrooms' layout and charming tilework in the bathrooms, plus the dining loggia, but longed for much more holiday decor. Moving on, we got back to our car to tour the final two places. In Matillija Estates, I found my dream kitchen. Owned by a husband and wife team who live life to the fullest, including racing cars in competition against one another (!), they've created a warm, welcoming home taking advantage of indoor-outdoor Ojai Valley living. The floral designer brought out a lush harvest-time expression, starting with a sprig of berries over the front door. She burst her theme into full glory in the great room, encompassing dining room / family room / kitchen. Loved It! The two acre property encompassed a cozy guest house where many of us would be happy to live. Other side buildings were sprinkled around the meandering gardens, complete with a pond. Could have stayed there a lot longer, soaking up the gracious environment if we hadn't been on a tight time schedule. The last home sat at the end of a long driveway on a flag lot. It had been gutted / extensively remodeled, with great results. The owner is also a designer, and she chose to showcase Christmas decor. Bright red accents in the great room set a cheerful tone for the season soon to come. The guesthouse / man cave in the backyard also added to the appeal of the property. DH discovered a chicken coop I missed. There was a lot to see and appreciate there. Overall, we enjoyed the eclectic collection of homes selected this year. Great variety! Two of the houses really showcased seasonal decorations, which is my main focus on attending this event yearly. As it is hosted by the Music Festival, I've got to say that I was underwhelmed by the musical performances this time. Largely introspective, introverted stylings were offered during the hours we attended. In years past, we've enjoyed the spirited, cheerful renditions of a variety of songs from choral groups, including madrigals in costume. Will we attend again? Yes. Will we be hopeful for more evolution in the decor and musical areas? Yes. I do commend the organizers and the scores of volunteers for presenting this special community event each Autumn. Thank you for inviting all of us to your lovely home town!

Nothing like a relaxing evening in beautiful Libby Park under the trees. All contemporary…read morecomposers. Some pieces were exceptionally interesting, others were pretty out there--even according to my ethnomusicologist companion.

Amazing Tour of one of Johnny Cash's first homes with first wife Vivian and four daughters . Our…read morehostess and tour guide Lisa was amazing!!! Knowledgeable warm interesting and inviting .. loved the whole experience. Highly recommended.

Perfect!! Amazing!!!! Coolest place ever!!! It's just the way interior is so cool. How about the…read morepink room??! Wow!

We visited Libbey Bowl for the first time to see one of our favorite bands, the legendary…read more THIEVERY CORPORATION. The venue was interestingly intimate. The layout reminded me of Santa Barbara County bowl, only smaller. The people were Uber chill & the sound system was top tier! especially during the acoustic guitar performances! They had $5.00 mini tacos (chicken & beef) w fabulous deep fried potato tacos . We tried them all . The beer & mixed drinks also flowed throughout the nights fun, a bit pricey, but that's expected at live venues. The staff was great, as was the experience. Wouldn't mind coming back. Thanks!!

I was pleasantly surprised to see ole Billy Blue Eyes (Bill Burr) was going to be so close to my…read morehometown performing in little Ojai and immediately grabbed tickets. The venue was so beautiful! It's small and quaint and not a bad seat in the house. The small outdoor amphitheater definitely became one of my favorites. They had a great little food truck with a good variety of reasonably priced food, I had good interactions with the venue staff and the show was so good! Bill's opener, Dean Delray was hilarious and Bill was hilarious Bill. I hope to see more shows like this in the future.

I have to agree with all the 5 star reviews! It's the owner that made this already great gallery…read moreeven better. She took the time to explain the art, the history of the conversation of this historic home into the gallery, the legacy of Beatrice Wood and the inspiration behind the items in the gift shop. I bought some of the chocolates that are made locally in Ojai but I love the art on the packaging that I'm not ready to open them yet :) She also gave great recommendations for food and activities in Ojai. Thank you! Update: Ate a chocolate bar. I just need to tell you all how delicious it was!

Was there yesterday and didn't have time to view the gallery but was following the street signs to…read moretheir chocolate sign. They make and sell a line of chocolates that is simply amazing. The owner provided great information about the artist who inspired their chocolate. Can't wait to go back and buy more chocolate and walk the gallery.

I absolutely adored their outdoor seating area! We were the first people when they opened & they…read morequickly accommodated our table of 7 + a baby. The staff was very kind (and patient) with our rowdy group. We brought pizza in from Ojai Pizza Co, which is allowed, but you just have to make sure to clean up after yourself! Wines were pretty good, I liked the Syrah and the rest of my party enjoyed the Red Blend.

We love visiting the Majestic oak Vineyard wine shop in Ojai! Not only do they serve fantastic…read morewines but they also have a great staff that works tirelessly to make your experience fun and enjoyable. Whether you sit indoors or outside it's a great time Sto sit back enjoy some wine and relax!

Highly recommend stopping in for a tasting if you're in the area. My husband and I are no wine…read moreexperts... But we enjoy our fair share of wine and really enjoyed the wines here. So much so, that we signed up for a membership! Pricing is more than reasonable, in my opinion. Especially for natural and organic wine... That is so hard to find here in the states! Aaron (who I believe is the manager?) led us thru a great tasting and shared a few nice stories about the wine and the winemaker and the history of The Naturalist. Lastly- you're always going to win my heart over when you invite our dogs in!

Most importantly, this is a pure winery, which is beyond organic, which is an added plus. It is…read moreabsolute perfection! Josh was very knowledgeable. He's an Ojai local with a kind calming demeanor. He spun some vinyl, gave us some tips about Ojai, and poured our wine. I loved how he gave us alone time to sit with each other and really taste the wine instead of talking over every sip and trying to sell us what to think. I like white wine, but I cannot drink it because it always makes me slightly nauseous, but Josh assured me that this white wine would not do that. I could tell the minute I smelled it that I was going to be fine. Instead of that stainless steel I smell in white wines, I could smell fruits and florals. I've had organic wines in the past, but this winery goes way beyond that. The Naturalist is a pure winery, and that is quite rare in California. I had a hard time choosing my favorites, so I joined the club and I figured they could pick which four they'd like to send me every season. Josh said It is a very flexible club, so we were quick to join. Joining is free, deferring shipments is an option, and changing the wine choice to also, however you wish. Can't wait for our first shipment!