Earlier this Spring we took a day trip to Ojai. I’d been wanting to visit for a while and one Saturday morning we decided to put the kids in the car and go. From our house to Ojai was just a 2 hour drive. That’s the beauty of living in Bakersfield, everything is just 2 hours away. 2 hours to the Sequoias, 2 hours to the ocean, 2 hours to LA and most importantly just 2 hours to Ojai. We wondered through shops and ate delicious fresh food and toured an olive grove and press. I left feeling inspired and relaxed, a perfect day trip.
If you are in the Southern California area or are planning a trip here soon, Ojai needs to be on your list. Unlike a lot of Southern California, everyone was extremely friendly, down to earth and just seriously nice (I say this because I’ve lived in California most of my adult life). The snotty LA edge was no where to be found. So, here’s my must see, do and eat list.
First stop was the gorgeous
In The Field clothing and interiors shop. This well curated shop is owned and run but the loveliest couple. After walking through this shop, I could have happily gone home and said, “Well that was a lovely day.” Textures, patterns, and natural fibers were displayed in a relaxed, well-traveled way.
We spend the day eating little meals all over town. Instead of fulling up all at one place, we nibbled and shared plates at a few really yummy spots.
Knead Baking Company was filled with gorgeous pastries. We opted for this locally sourced savory meat and cheese plate. For a late lunch, we ate at Hip Vegan Cafe. We are the farthest thing from being vegans, but this food was amazing. So full of flavor, I didn’t even miss the dairy and meat. Plus it was a great place to eat outside a watch the local folks come and go. I would highly recommend the Chai Tea and the burritos were so yummy. As we headed out of town, we stopped at Boccali’s for a delicious pizza with gorgeous views of the country side.
We toured the
Ojai Olive Oil Company. The owner showed us all about growing and making olive oil in California. The kids found this really interesting. After visiting the tasting room, we ended up
buying quite a few bottles of their delicious infused oils and balsamic vinegars. Yummy flavors like Lemon Olive Oil and Blackberry Balsamic.
And this shop might be the reason I wanted to make the trip to Ojai in the first place, Summer Camp. I’ve been following them on IG for a while now, and just knew I needed to visit. It’s everything I could ever want for Riley, my vintage trailer.
And last but definitely not least, Bart’s Bookstore is a must! This is an amazing outdoor bookstore. Yes, all the shelves are outside. My hubby, the book worm/nerd, was is heaven.
Wow I could stare at those pictures about 5 times…I would have taken tons of pictures too 🙂
Looks like a great place to wander…..Linda