Ojai Valley Museum

Tuesday - Saturday 10am-4pm | Sunday 12n-4pm.

The Ojai Valley Museum, in downtown Ojai, highlights the history, art and culture of the Ojai Valley. The museum also operates the Ojai Visitor Center. Get a map, pick up brochures and magazines, and have your questions answered so you can explore the valley and all it has to offer. Start your trip to Ojai at the museum to learn about the valley and what makes it a special place. The museum is open 6 days a week.

The museum’s history exhibits including information about the valley’s earliest inhabitants, the Chumash. The rancho period, agriculture, tourism, community benefactor Edward Libbey, and local art are also highlighted. Birds and animals fill the beautiful Sespe Wilderness diorama. Children love to try to find them all.

The museum also showcases local artists in collaboration with the City of Ojai. Joint presentations, with some artwork at the museum, and additional work at City Hall, change regularly.

Large exhibitions on a wide range of history and art subjects change quarterly in the museum’s rotating gallery. Past history exhibitions have highlighted residents such as Ethyl Percy Andrus who founded AARP and MAD Magazine cartoonist Sergio Aragones.

Other topics are local architecture and events such as the 1984 Olympics at Lake Casitas and the centennial of The Ojai Tennis Tournament. Two major art exhibitions fill the gallery every year.

Housed in the former St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church, the building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The museum’s front courtyard features a small sculpture garden. Examine local native plants and their uses as you explore the Chumash Interpretive Garden around the patio and parking lot behind the museum.

The museum offers a wide range of programs and events, including:

• Historic Walking Tours of downtown Ojai most Saturdays at 10:30am (dark July-September). The 90 minute docent-led walks discuss the people, places and events that shaped Ojai.
• Town Talks about once a month on Sundays at 4:30pm. Typically a panel of presenters discuss a topic of current or historic interest. Talks always end with a Q & A session.
• Artist Talks are offered during the annual Ojai Studio Artists exhibit at the museum. Featured artists discuss about their current work, influences and methods.
• Third Friday in Ojai is a monthly event from 5:30-7:30pm. Drinks, snacks and an activity is included in the free event.