We were so fortunate to visit the Gardens during their wonderful hummer exhibition. Hummingbirds…read moreand informative displays are located throughout the Garden. There are new paths to explore, interesting displays to enjoy and of course, the amazing views when you get to the top. Benches are strategically placed throughout the Garden for rest if needed, shade if desired and simply to enjoy the moment. Bring water as you'll be glad you did on these warm days. Remember to wear your sunscreen and enjoy. Ample free parking in the lot out front.

Heads up to local seniors who may want to build up their aerobic fitness in the foothills above…read moreVentura Harbor with a perfectly maintained path, gentle rise, and fabulous scenery. For a $45/year membership you can train all year on a 2.5 mile loop through the plants native to Chili, South Africa, Mediterranean, Australia and CA with blooms that change through the seasons. There's no gym that can provide the meditative immersion in nature that the botanical garden gives you. The path's surface is amenable to walkers. There's only an outhouse -so that may be a problem. Coming from out of town? Got children? Perfect place to take them for breathtaking views of the harbor, fun exhibits (like the one on hummingbirds going on now) and a place to eat your bagged lunch. Kids under 18 free. Adults $7 without a membership.

I joined this club in hopes to help preserve Camarillo History. What a mistake I made. The people…read moreare rude members and they have meeting at 4:00 p.m. many cannot attend. The President wanted to change a zoning law to allow a Pet Cementary in Camarillo at the new owners of Ivy Lawn Morturary off Daily. Without researching the project the President spoke at a Public Camarillo City Council Meeting and said the group was for this! Well many members might not want this. I have a close friend who's business in next door. She would be totally impacted by the change of zoning. My advice before you go to a City Council meeting read and research what you plan on speaking about. I am glad the City of Camarillo Planning and City Council did not allow this stupid plan of a Pet Cementary by Ivy Lawn.

This is an overdue review. On our ongoing quest to fill up the Passport 2 History book, we stopped…read morein at the Pleasant Valley Historical Society's site some months ago. A couple of docents were happy to show us around the indoor space, telling tales all the while. They have an amazing collection of vintage telephones, including some very early ones, rare samples, plus some whimsical collectible ones like Mickey Mouse and Snoopy. They were donated by a gentleman with a connection to the organization. He may have been on the board at one time. I've forgotten that detail, but not the sight of those phones. For today's kids that only know cell phones, these would be a revelation. The indoor space of the museum section is on the small side. They were recently extended a long lease for the property and are launching a building campaign to expand their facility, allowing for more historical items to be displayed for visitors. Following the inside part of our time on the property, we proceeded out to their botanical gardens. Anchored by a large gazebo, the grounds were a riot of seasonal color. This is a bit of a wild child of a garden design. I think they're trying to move from a more formal, water-intensive style to a drought tolerant landscape. It's evolving. Seems like they rely on volunteers to tend the gardens, or to make improvements. The end result felt a bit disjointed, but with great intentions. The father back in, the wilder it gets. Overall, this is a community gem and worth a visit. You could linger for an hour or so, especially if you find a seat in the garden to soak up the colors and textures of the plantings. In this 90th anniversary year of the St. Francis Dam disaster, various materials on the event were featured, also.

Amazing experience. First off the cabin is soooo clean! Beautiful fridge, all amenities, air…read moreconditioning , coffee, all the things. Owners are the nicest people. Showing you around and explaining the stories of all the animals. You wake up with Albert and the goats, you go fishing to a pristine lake. We are in the middle of summer and at night it is cool and cold comfortable. Both kids loved it. Highly recommend this if you like us need a break from the noise and anxiety.

We just stayed here over the weekend. This was a great experience overall for our family, our…read morefriends and specially our children. We came with a large group of friends so we booked the Rancho Grande Howard Creek, Rancho Grande Historic and the Rancho Grande Fish Camp. Essentially, we had the entire ranch for ourselves. I believe only the Rancho Grande Historic has a bathroom inside - the Fish Camp and Howard Creek share bathroom which is walking distance from Fish Camp or via a Gator Utility Vehicle if you are staying on Howard Creek. Anyway, there was no issue for any of us getting around the Ranch. Plenty of Gator Utility Vehicles were provided (I think 4 total and we used all 4). But if you prefer driving your vehicle around, you can do so too. There is a communal area with a fridge and kitchen so thats were we had our meals. Its by the lake so its a nice view. We were able to paddle boat, kayak and go fishing. Kids specially loved petting and feeding the goats, dogs, camel (YES, a camel) and the alpaca. Owners were really friendly every time we bumped into them. Great stay and I would recommend this to everyone. Our only hiccup was that it was really cold at night and one of the heaters went out and my child has had a runny nose since. But other than that - amazing experience.

Wonderful exhibit of local scenes by local painters, each contributing two of their favorite local…read morescenes in their style of painting. This is only here for another week and then they will have another special exhibit in addition to their collection that is here every day, which is the history of the Ojai Valley from the Chumash native Indians to today. It's a wonderful well done exhibit and you should come here when you are first visiting Ojai so that you know the history of this special valley.

If you have a little time to spare, check out this small museum in downtown Ojai. The kids love…read moremuseums, so thought this was perfect for them to explore. It is free to enter, but a donation is suggested to maintain the museum. Very charming surroundings with history of Ojai, gorgeous paintings, a tiny gift shop, and nature exhibit. My daughter was so fascinated by the old school typewriter. She had questions on how to utilize one. They allowed her to try it out with blank paper, but ink was completely faded. We spent about 30 mins tops taking pictures and exploring the museum. Good spot to check out while visiting Ojai.

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.

Such a cool place and really underrated. The gift shop was really cool but it has been removed…read more Would be cool to see more resources going to a place like this.

Adventuring around town and came across this museum! What a fun place for children to explore and…read morelearn. They have interactive environments with a mock shopping area, bumble bee nest, outdoor garden, tractors and so much more. The guy at the front working was also so nice and informative when I asked alt of questions. Great place to go and learn a little about the history of agriculture! Has some great little items in the shop as well. Highly recommend for a family outing! Overall, 5/5 stars!

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.

We don't make it up to Ojai often but when we do we always stop by and get great in season…read moreproducts!!

This totally felt like a hidden gem. I've been to Ojai a handful of times now and have really just…read morestuck around the main part of town, but Topa Vista Farm is definitely worth the 15ish minute jaunt to the outskirts of town. We decided to check it out as our last thing in Ojai before heading back to LA and actually got a little lost looking for the farm since the sign wasn't out yet. The entrance is actually on Sulphur Mountain Road and there's a sign on the fence that can be a little misleading (it says something like "local traffic only"). We found the farm right at 2 pm and Richard asked for us to come back since he was still setting up. It was a super hot week in the area, so we were happy they were even open! We took a little drive up the windy road and came back about 10 minutes later. The farm stand is small but packs a serious punch. We were there in August so there were lots of tomatoes and summer squash available. He's also got dried sage bundles (totally gift-worthy), other herbs, garlic, and onions. We didn't have cash on us, but he does take Venmo which is nice. We left with a big bounty of heirloom tomatoes and squash for $14. A bit off the beaten path, but a super worthy stop on your next trip to Ojai!