Everyone assumes a trip built around things to do in Ventura means beach chairs, surfboards, and calling it a day. The ocean views are real, the Pacific Ocean is right there, and the Channel Islands National Park sits close enough offshore to photograph from the sand. But the county of Ventura has a second act most visitors never see. It happens a few miles inland, where family farms, wood-fired kitchens, wine tasting rooms, and a hundred-year-old olive press are all doing their own version of showing off. If you’re the type who plans a trip around what you’ll eat and drink, this list of things to do in Ventura is your itinerary.
Eat Wood-Fired at Pinyon
Start in either Ventura or Ojai, since Pinyon runs a wood-fired pizzeria and bakery in both cities and changes the menu based on whatever’s actually in season nearby. The kitchen pulls ingredients like Coleman Family Farms lettuces straight into its pies and salads, and dessert takes a hard turn toward local citrus with an Ojai Pixie Tangerine Caramel, made from the same tangerines grown just up the road. It’s the kind of menu that makes you realize downtown Ventura and Ojai aren’t just cute backdrops. They’re actual food towns with a supply chain you can taste, and easily one of the tastier things to do in Ventura.
Sip Your Way Through Ojai Wine Tasting
Ojai isn’t just citrus country. It’s also a legitimate wine tasting stop. Majestic Oak Vineyard pours from an estate vineyard planted in 2008, and the tasting room itself has been open since 2016, tucked below street level with a subterranean patio plus an upper deck for anyone who wants their Syrah or Cabernet Sauvignon with a view. The name comes from an ancient oak tree that’s stood over the property through generations of the family that runs it. It’s a nice bit of context to sip on between pours of Sauvignon Blanc and Grenache Blanc. It’s an easy walk from just about everywhere else in downtown Ojai, so pencil it in as a midday reset before dinner.
Taste Award-Winning Olive Oil at Ojai Olive Oil
A few minutes from the tasting rooms and pizza ovens sits one of the county’s most unexpected finds, and one of the more underrated things to do in Ventura’s backcountry. Ojai Olive Oil is a third-generation family farm that started almost by accident, after Ronald Asquith found a grove of centuries-old olive trees on family land that had gone untended for nearly a hundred years and was somehow still fruiting. He and his wife Alice bought the property and started milling oil the very next year. The oldest section of the grove dates to the mid-1800s, planted during the Spanish Mission era. Back then, the valley still ran on a single communal olive press.
Those original trees are Lechin de Sevilla, a peppery Spanish varietal, and the family has since planted Columella from southern France, a Tuscan quartet of Italian varieties, and Nocellara del Belice from Sicily, much of it grown from cuttings taken directly from centuries-old European groves. Everything gets hand-picked each fall and pressed at a Tuscan-style mill right on the property, cold-pressed and unfiltered. The tasting room is open daily from 10am to 4pm at 1811 Ladera Road, and the trophy case backs up the hype: more than 50 gold medals and Best in Show wins, including over a dozen from the New York International Olive Oil Competition. Current owner Philip Asquith holds a Master Miller title from the California Olive Oil Council, which is essentially the olive oil version of a black belt.
Shop Downtown Ventura at Paradise Pantry
Back on the coast, downtown Ventura has its own farm-to-fork anchor in Paradise Pantry. The shop leans hard into Central Coast producers for its cheese counter, and the wine list runs 400 bottles deep. It’s the kind of spot built for grazing, where you can build a picnic out of local cheese and a bottle of something regional, then take it wherever your ocean views are best that afternoon. Consider it proof that things to do in Ventura don’t require leaving the city limits at all.
Pick Your Own at Prancer’s Farm
Out in Santa Paula, along Highway 126, Prancer’s Farm turns the whole idea of grocery shopping upside down. Mario and Vanessa Robledo run the farm and let visitors pick their own Monterey strawberries straight from the field, along with heirloom tomatoes and watermelon once summer hits, including seeded, seedless, yellow, and occasionally orange varieties that Mario says still catch people off guard. Fall shifts the farm over to a pumpkin patch with corn, sunflowers, and marigolds, and spring turns the fields over to tulips. Mario put it simply: “Our produce, our vegetables, everything is right from the fields to here. It doesn’t go into a refrigerator.” That’s about as literal a farm-to-table promise as you’ll find.
Get Your Citrus Fix at Friend’s Ranches
If you’re visiting during citrus season, do not skip Friend’s Ranches. The family has been growing citrus in the Ojai Valley for over 100 years and is largely responsible for turning the Ojai Pixie tangerine into the valley’s signature crop. Their packing house at 15150 Maricopa Highway is open to visitors Tuesday and Friday mornings from 7am to noon, and you can also catch them at the Ojai farmers market on Sundays. Depending on the season, you’ll find Ojai Pixies, Valencia oranges, W. Murcott and Tahoe Gold tangerines, Eureka lemons, avocados and even the ranch’s own honey. One thing to know before you go: Friend’s Ranches doesn’t offer u-pick, so plan to buy your citrus straight from the packing house instead of wandering the orchard yourself.
Slice Into Strawberry Shortcake at Boccali’s
Up in Ojai, Boccali’s has been serving its famous strawberry shortcake since 1986, built on the same California-grown berries the region is known for. The restaurant grows its own tomatoes, basil, eggplant, peppers, onions, and garlic for use in the kitchen, and on summer weekends sells the extra harvest, plus seasonal citrus, at its own Farm Fresh Produce Stand. Fall brings an annual pumpkin patch, and Boccali’s even pours from its own boutique vineyard, with the wine available right there at the restaurant.
Wander a Working Farm at Underwood Family Farms
If you want to see the full range of what this county grows in one stop, Underwood Family Farms is it. The family has farmed in Ventura County since 1867, and Craig Underwood officially launched the current operation on five acres in Moorpark back in 1980. Today, the farm spans 200 acres across its Moorpark and Somis locations. Marketing Director Susanna Underwood describes the lineup best: “We grow a wide variety of crops from avocados to lemons, all different kinds of citrus, blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, salad vegetables, and flowers,” with peas in spring, pumpkins in fall, and tomatoes and peppers through summer rounding things out. It’s less a quick stop and more a full afternoon, and one of the few things to do in Ventura County that doubles as a produce run.
Mark Your Calendar for Ventura County Farm Day
If you can time your trip around it, Ventura County Farm Day is the single best way to see this whole scene in one shot. Organized by the nonprofit SEEAG, the free, family-friendly event opens the doors of more than 20 local farms, ranches and agricultural organizations for one day, with tours, tastings and giveaways at every stop. Past participants have included Ojai Olive Oil and Prancer’s Farm, as well as a rotating cast of berries, citrus, and produce growers across the county. Organizers recommend picking three or four stops and working from the Farm Day Trail Map rather than trying to hit everything, since most tours run about two hours each. It’s proof that this county’s quality of life isn’t just about the coastline.
The Bottom Line
Ventura County coast views will always be the headline photo, but the real trip is inland, where wood-fired pizza ovens, century-old olive presses, u-pick strawberry fields, and family wineries are all doing the quiet work of making this one of California’s best food destinations. If you’re still making a list of things to do in Ventura, start with a few of these stops, leave room for citrus season if you can time it right, and you’ll leave with a very different idea of what this county is actually about.