Hello Ojai

Since I’ve been living in California for a few months now, I made a bucket list of places I want to visit before my husband and I move back to the East Coast. I’ve ticked off most of the places on my list and one of them is this charming town called Ojai (pronounced O’hi), the Valley of the Moon.

About a 2 hours drive northwest of LA, Ojai is set in a valley in the Topatopa Mountains. It’s far enough away to feel separate from Los Angeles County, but not so far that the trip back and forth eats up a lot of your day. This adorable village is dotted with art galleries, parks, cute boutiques, and restaurants, and the great thing about it is that they’re very walkable.

One thing I noticed when I stepped foot on Ojai is that it is filled with plants! While walking, a floral smell caught my attention. I walked back only to find a huge shrub of jasmine flowers. It literally smelled like someone sprayed jasmine perfume. My home in the Philippines used to have vines of jasmine growing all over our front yard. Seeing these brought up childhood memories.

BART’S BOOKS

The initial reason why I wanted to visit Ojai was when I saw this bookstore on social media. Bart’s Books is a must when you’re in Ojai. It is the largest independently owned outdoor bookstore in the USA! And it has plants and vines growing all over the shelves, which is always a big plus on my book! It’s so peaceful here so take your time to browse and enjoy. There are plenty of books.

OJAI CAFE EMPORIUM

Next order of business was brunch! Since we came on a weekend, the crowd started to build in the village center during noon time. So most of the restaurants had a long wait, but luckily we came across Ojai Cafe Emporium which we waited about 30 mins to get seated. The food was good!

FIG

Can I just start off with how cute this store is?! I noticed almost everyone who passed by this store ends up peeking in or getting pulled in. Fig is a shop straight out of my dreams! Their garden entry alleyway is like walking into fairyland. They sell a curated selection of unique gifts for home and garden, with a focus on local, handmade, and fair trade goods. I fell in love with this place and I wish I could take it all with me, but I surely didn’t leave empty handed.

DHARMA & DOG

We then stumbled into another store that again, didn’t let me leave empty handed. Dharma & Dog is a combined metaphysical shop that sells sound bowls from the Himalayas, yoga supplies, aromatherapy, beauty products and an extensive collection of crystals and stones. I’ve walked into stores similar to this before but what I really like about this one is that they also sell dog products. So not only did I buy something for myself but we walked out of here with some treats for our dogs as well.

TIPPLE & RAMBLE

Tipple & Ramble is part picnic shop and part wine bar. Their shop sells goods that have a sense of whimsy and adventure from home decor, entertaining wares, small batch specialty food items, games, and vintage. The outdoor bar is beautifully decorated — it’s magical! The backyard served alcoholic drinks with more seatings and had a boho-chill ambiance while the front yard was good for children, where they don’t allow alcoholic drinks. If only we came in a less crowded time because the backyard was fully occupied. Luckily for us, there was a vacant table in the front yard, so we just ordered refreshing drinks and a cheese board.

THE OJAI VINEYARD

We still wanted to satisfy our wine craving so we stopped by The Ojai Vineyard to grab a bottle to go and sat in the park for a few sips. We bought their sweet wine and it tasted like I was drinking dessert, so good!

Here are some of my Ojai takeaways including the delicious wine and our dog’s treats.

Have you been to Ojai? What are your favorite things to do there? If you’re visiting Southern California and looking for towns to visit, I highly recommend Ojai.