Ojai is a small incorporated city in Ventura County located east of Santa Barbara, west of Fillmore and Piru, north of Ventura, and northwest of Downtown Los Angeles. Pine Mountain and the Los Padres National Forest are directly to the north and Thomas Aquinas College is to the northeast. The population is just under 8,000. Ojai is a beautiful town located in a beautiful valley surrounded by hills and agricultural land making it a popular destination for tourists. The Chumash People inhabited the Ojai Valley for thousands of years before the area was claimed by Spain and later by Mexico. Ojai is a Chumash word meaning moon. Camp Ramah in California, a well-known Jewish summer camp, is located in the hills of Ojai.

Ojai is a popular tourist destination known for its boutique hotels, art exhibits, recreational opportunities, hiking trails, clean air, and several farmers markets offering local organic fruits and vegetables.

Upper Ojai

Upper Ojai is a highly affluent, rural, unincorporated community located just east of Ojai on State 150, approximately 800 feet higher than Ojai in elevation. Most of the homes and ranches in Upper Ojai are zoned for horses and are on 5 to 25 acre parcels of land.

 

Ojai Valley Museum

The Ojai Valley Museum has an extensive collection of art, Native American artifacts, pioneer tools, and photographs of the early days in Ojal The museum is open most weekends docents are available to answer questions. Visiting the Ojai Valley Museum is a great way to enhance your knowledge of local Ventura County history.

 

Ojai Valley Inn

The Ojai Valley Inn, completed in 1923, is a historic, 303 room hotel located on 220 tree-lined acres surrounded by the Los Padres National Forest and Topatopa Mountains. It is considered by most in the industry to be one of the finest hotels in the world. The majestic facility offers golf, golf lessons, tennis, group and private tennis lessons, fine dining, several pools and spas, and much more.

 

Sespe Condor Sanctuary

The Sespe Condor Sanctuary, established in 1947, is a 53,000 acre wildlife refuge within the Sespe Wilderness in the southern Los Padres National Forest in Ventura County. The sanctuary was established because the California condor, the largest bird in North America, was becoming extinct. The population of condors is now slowly increasing.

 

Sespe Wilderness

The Sespe Wilderness is a 219,700 acre wilderness area in the southern Sierra Pelona Mountains and eastern Topatopa Mountains of Southern California. The wilderness area is totally within the Los Padres National Forest in Ventura County.

 

Matilija Wilderness

The Matilija Wilderness, established in 1992, is a 29,207 acre wilderness area in Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties located within the Los Padres National Forest. The Dick Smith Wilderness is to the northwest while the Sespe Wilderness is to the northeast. The wilderness is located about twelve miles northwest of Ojai in the Santa Ynez Mountains and serves to protect the California Condor habitat. The 17.3 mile Matilija Creek runs through the wilderness.

 

Topatopa Mountains

The Topatopa Mountains are a mountain range in the Los Padres National Forest in Ventura County. They run east and west and are located north of Ojai, Santa Paula, and Filmore. Several major tributaries of the Santa Clara River, including Sespe Creek and Piru Creek, originate in the Topatopa Mountains. Lake Piru is the only major reservoir located within the mountain range which borders the Sierra Madre Mountains and the Sierra Pelona Mountains.

 

Casa Barranca

Casa Barranca, commonly referred to as the Charles M. Pratt House, a historic Arts and Crafts style house built in 1909, is located on 14 acres near Ojai in Ventura County. The unique house was built as a winter house for a family with unlimited resources, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

 

Ojai Valley Chamber of Commerce

The Ojai Valley Chamber of Commerce has been the voice of business in the Ojai Valley since 1956. The Chamber's mission is to support the interests and promote the economic vitality of its members who are based in the Ojai Valley, Ventura, and Santa Paula.

 

Ojai Music Festival

The Ojai Music Festival is an annual music festival started in 1947. It takes place on the first weekend after Memorial Day and features some of the best performances available.

 

Ojai Shakespeare Festival

The Ojai Shakespeare Festival, founded in 2012, is a non-profit community theater organization dedicated to providing accessible, entertaining, and well produced productions from the works of William Shakespeare and other celebrated playwrights. The organization offers a youth intern program for students ages 13 to 18.

 

Senga Classic Stage Company - Ojai

Senga Classic State Company, founded in 2009, is a non-profit community theater company in Ojai that focuses on European and American classics. The theater is located at 381 Cruzero Street in Ojai Acting classes are offered. Ticket prices are low, but the quality of performances is high.

 

Sespe Wilderness

The Sespe Wilderness is a 219,700 acre wilderness area in the southern Sierra Pelona Mountains and eastern Topatopa Mountains of Southern California. The wilderness area is totally within the Los Padres National Forest in Ventura County.

 

Sespe Condor Sanctuary

The Sespe Condor Sanctuary, established in 1947, is a 53,000-acre wildlife refuge within the Sespe Wilderness in the southern Los Padres National Forest in Ventura County. The sanctuary was established because the California condor, the largest bird in North America, was becoming extinct. The population of condors is now slowly increasing.

 

Topatopa Mountains

The Topatopa Mountains are a mountain range in the Los Padres National Forest in Ventura County. They run east and west and are located north of Ojai, Santa Paula, and Fillmore. Several major tributaries of the Santa Clara River, including Sespe Creek and Piru Creek, originate in the Topatopa Mountains. Lake Piru is the only major reservoir located within the mountain range which borders the Sierra Madre Mountains and the Sierra Pelona Mountains.

 

Soule Park Golf Course

Soule Park Golf Course is a beautiful 18-hole municipal golf course located in the Ojai Valley beneath the Topatopa Mountains in Ventura County. The golf course was originally designed by William F. Bell in 1962 and upgraded in 2021 by architect, Gil Hanse who was selected to design the Olympic Golf Course for the 2016 Olympic Games. A driving range, putting green, chipping area, golf lessons and a clubhouse with dining facilities are all available.

 

Ojai Valley News

The Ojai Valley News is a local newspaper, published weekly in print and daily online. The Ojai Valley news has been in continuous publication since 1891.

 

Rancho Ojai

Rancho Ojai was a 17,716 acre Mexican land grant made in 1837 that included both the lower and upper Ojai Valleys. The land was operated as a cattle ranch until oil was discovered in 1867. Large amounts of oil was produced in the area until 1998.