Lovely Lavender - Ojai Valley Day Trip

If I was planning the perfect day trip for this weekend, it would include packing a  picnic and driving north on the 101 to enjoy the a lazy day in the luscious lavender fields of the Ojai Valley ... sadly I'll be up to my ears in moving boxes. sigh.

Ojai is like my secret LA love affair. Tucked away just an hour north of the 101, but only 20 miles from the pacific coast. The town is a mixture of Spanish colonial glamor and artistic bohemian chic. Not to mention it is home to one of my favorite hotels in whole entire world. This weekend, June 25th, is the 9th annual Ojai Valley Lavender Festival in Libbey Park. From 10am - 5pm, for only $1 per person, you can support the local farmers, purchase local art, and celebrate the annual harvest. 

Rather harvest your own? The New Oak Ranch, which is nestled in the scenic Upper Ojai Valley, is welcoming visitors on weekends through the end of July. You can wander its endless, picturesque rows of curving lavender while clippng your own aromatic bundle, or just have a picnic lunch under a sprawling walnut tree.  Admission to the ranch is free; there is a $5 fee per lavender bunch harvested.

Lavender housewarming gifts are welcome...wink!
xo,
Whit