Malibu, Ojai & Santa Ynez Valley

J. Paul Getty's recreation of a Roman villa from the 1st century AD, housing one of the finest collections of Greek, Etruscan, and Roman antiquities in the world — 44,000 objects spanning 6,500 years, including the Villa of the Papyri bronzes, the Victorious Youth (Athlete), and major Greek vase paintings. Reservations required; the garden courtyard and the peristyle are as important as the collection.

The Adamson House is a 1929 Moorish Spanish Colonial mansion directly on the Malibu Lagoon, decorated throughout with Malibu Potteries ceramic tile that is among the finest California Arts & Crafts work in existence. The adjacent Malibu Lagoon is a birding site; the Surfrider Beach in front of the house is the birthplace of California surfing culture.

The Malibu outpost of Nobu Matsuhisa's restaurant — the Japanese-Peruvian fusion menu in a beachfront setting overlooking the Pacific. The black cod with miso and the yellowtail with jalapeño are the restaurant's most replicated dishes worldwide; at the Malibu original they remain definitive.

The volcanic headland at Point Dume marks the northern curve of Santa Monica Bay — trails from the beach parking lot climb the bluff to a whale-watching overlook and a full view of the Malibu coast from Zuma to the Palos Verdes Peninsula. The Chumash village that occupied Point Dume for centuries before Spanish settlement is documented at the trailhead.

A farm-to-table restaurant in the Camarillo agricultural community, midway between Malibu and Ojai — the Ventura County produce and the locally raised meats are the basis for a seasonal menu that changes weekly. A grounding dinner before the Ojai morning.

A well-curated museum documenting the Chumash occupation of the Ojai Valley, the 19th-century citrus ranching era, and the early 20th-century art colony that attracted Theosophists, painters, and spiritual seekers. The collection of paintings by early Ojai artist colony members — particularly Clarence Hinkle and Colin Campbell Cooper — shows why the valley's light has drawn painters for over a century.

Ojai's extraordinary outdoor bookshop — shelves of used books organized in a garden setting in the center of town, with the original system of leaving books on the outside walls after hours (take what you want, leave what you think it's worth). One of the most beloved independent bookshops in California.

A meditation center and garden on the ridge above Ojai with the best view of the 'Pink Moment' — the phenomenon Ojai is famous for where the Topa Topa mountains turn from ochre to deep rose in the minutes after sunset, a light effect created by the valley's east-west orientation. The garden is open during daylight; the late-afternoon timing is essential for the phenomenon.

An Ojai bistro that has built its menu around the valley's exceptional year-round produce — the lamb from the surrounding hills, the citrus from the Ojai valley orchards, and the wines from the Santa Ynez wine country 40 minutes north. A genuine neighborhood restaurant that happens to be in a tourist town.

A working olive press and tasting room in the Ojai Valley — the estate-grown olive oil is cold-pressed within 24 hours of harvest, a quality level that most California olive oils don't reach. The tasting flights compare varieties and explain the difference between fresh-pressed and shelf-stable oil.

The Casitas reservoir in the hills above Ojai was the venue for the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics rowing and canoeing events — a calm, warm-climate lake with boat rentals and the kind of afternoon that Ojai's reputation for contemplative retreat is built on.

A tucked-away American bistro on Ojai Avenue known for seasonal California cooking — roasted chicken, duck confit, and market-fresh salads in a cozy low-lit room. The kind of neighborhood restaurant Ojai's arts community claims as its own. Reserve ahead on weekends.

Los Olivos is the commercial center of the Santa Ynez Valley wine country — a single main street of galleries, wine tasting rooms, and restaurants that manages to feel like a real place rather than a constructed wine destination. The galleries show both established and emerging California painters; the tasting rooms represent some of the valley's most distinctive producers.

A Rhône-varietal specialist in the Santa Ynez Valley — the estate grows Syrah, Grenache, and Roussanne on a biodynamically farmed estate that produces wines markedly different from the coastal Chardonnay and Pinot Noir dominant in the Santa Barbara wine region. The tasting room faces the vineyards; the reserve wines are exceptional.

A 1911 Danish immigrant community in the Santa Ynez Valley that has maintained its Scandinavian architectural character — the windmills, the half-timbered buildings, and the Hans Christian Andersen Museum are all genuine rather than themed. The Danish pastry culture is real; the æbleskiver pancake balls at the windmill bakeries are the correct breakfast stop.

The most beloved institution in Solvang — Danish pancakes (aebleskiver), paper-thin crepes, and a breakfast-all-day menu in a compact dining room on Copenhagen Drive that has been drawing lines since 1986. The aebleskiver with house-made lingonberry jam is the dish that defines the Solvang experience.

A tribal museum documenting the Chumash people's 13,000-year history in the Santa Ynez Valley — the collection covers rock art, basket weaving, and the traditional tomol (plank canoe) technology that allowed the Chumash to establish the most sophisticated maritime culture in North America north of Mexico.