Ojai is a beautiful resort town in the mountains near Santa Barbara. The population is over 7,000. Ojai has a small town community feel (everyone seemed to know everyone), home to several vineyards/wineries, 15 miles or so from Ventura beaches, adjacent to thousands of acres of state and federal protected land (Los Padres Nat'l Forest), and miles of flat, paved bicycle paths around the town and county. Beautiful downtown area with old spanish style architecture - the shops and restaurants seemed geared toward the retired crowd but there were still some young families and tourists. The climate was significantly warmer in Ojai than Ventura, especially this time of year (85 degrees vs 60 degrees, midday) even though they are only a short car ride apart. We found Ojai to be similar but larger than Santa Ynez. Notes and photos courtesy of Jeff Russell. |