Welcome to Conejo Valley, a beautiful region in southern California that flies under the radar. Although the Conejo Valley is less than an hour from downtown Los Angeles and Santa Monica, it feels worlds away!
Where to stay in Conejo Valley: There are plenty of hotels to choose from in the Conejo Valley! The Sheraton in Agoura Hills and Hyatt Regency in Westlake Village are the best hotels with reasonable rates, but if you want to treat yourself to somewhere extravagant, stay at the Four Seasons Hotel in Westlake Village, and if you’d like to be closer to the ocean book a room at Hotel June in Malibu.
If you want to experience a different side of L.A., plan a visit to Conejo Valley, or as I like to call it — “The Bubble”. It’s a picture perfect destination with stunning mountain views every which way you look.
Unlike other parts of Los Angeles, the Conejo Valley has lots of wide open spaces, beautiful homes and shopping plazas, clean streets, and a laidback vibe. Which is why it’s such a fantastic destination for a relaxing escape!
But don’t worry if you’re the more active type because there are miles and miles of hiking and biking trails nearby in the Santa Monica Mountains!
While the Conejo Valley is an easy day trip from Los Angeles, you should consider staying overnight or even come for a weekend getaway. There are plenty of hotel options and great restaurants, plus lots of fun things to do!
Fun Things To Do in the Conejo Valley
Visit Stagecoach Inn Museum in Newbury Park
In the late 1800s, the Conejo Valley was a frontier with wide open spaces that beckoned pioneers. At Stagecoach Inn Museum you can travel back in time to this era when Conejo Valley was still the wild west!
Rooms at the Stagecoach Inn are decorated with antique furnishings from the Victorian era just as they would have been in 1876. On your visit you’ll be led through various rooms starting in the parlour by costumed docents who will tell you historic stories and entertaining tales.
Afterwards you can wander around the Stagecoach Inn’s grounds to visit the Timber School, a replica of the one-room schoolhouse that served the Conejo Valley from 1888. Visitors are allowed to go inside and get some “book larnin” and ring the Timber School bell.
Also onsite is a carriage house with several old stagecoaches, a blacksmith shop, and a few other historical attractions.
The Stagecoach Inn Museum is only open Wednesdays and Saturdays from 1pm to 4pm. Admission is $10 for adults and $5 for children.
Book a salt session at Halo Salt Spa
If you’re looking for something unique to do in Conejo Valley book a session in the salt room at Halo Salt Spa in Westlake Village.
What is a salt room? It’s a room decked out in Himalayan salt from top to bottom. The walls are made up of Himalayan salt, the ceiling is enclosed by giant blocks of Himalayan salt, and the “sand” is made up of coarsely ground Himalayan sea salt.
Salt sessions involve sitting inside a salt room while a salt vaporizer fills the air with fine beathable salt. During your session you are welcome to bathe in the salt and use it as an exfoliant on your body. The experience lasts for 45 minutes and at the end you’ll walk away in a full state of relaxation.
You might be wondering what are the benefits? Well apparently Himalayan salt has amazing properties and when inhaled can be anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, as well as anti-fungal. The salty air will not only detoxify your respiratory system but will also help to purify skin too.
Explore Ronald Reagan Presidential Library
The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library is a museum that traces president Reagan’s journey from a young actor to becoming California’s governor and eventually president of the United States of America.
This museum is massive with over 18 different galleries spread across 125,000 feet of space. During your visit you’ll learn about Reagan’s vision for America; smaller government, lower taxes, and a strong national defense. The exhibits perfectly capture Reagan’s patriotic spirit and his respect for individual liberty.
One of the highlights is the full-sized reproduction of the Oval Office exactly as it was during Reagan’s presidency. Other highlights include the “Victory and Inauguration Gallery” where you can deliver President Reagan’s inaugural address on the steps of the U.S. Capitol.
Of all the exhibits here, the crowd favorite is the Air Force One Pavillion. In this 90,000 square foot space, visitors can climb aboard Air Force One, the “Flying White House” for President Reagan and six other U.S. presidents from 1973-2001. The plane is so large that it had to be delivered in pieces and the pavilion built around it.
Outside on the property grounds you can see and touch a nine-foot tall section of the Berlin Wall and stroll through replicas of the White House Rose Garden and South Lawn.
If you enjoy learning about American history, you will love this museum! And fans of Presiden Reagan will likely find the museum quite moving.
There really is a lot to see here. Allow at least an hour for a quick visit, but for a truly immersive experience plan to stay for three hours to see all of the exhibits and to watch all of the films.
Hike to Sycamore Canyon Falls
One of my favorite places to hike in Conejo Valley is Rancho Sierra Vista Park. Actually it’s my favorite place to hike in all of Los Angeles!
Rancho Sierra Vista Park is situated at the far northern end of the Santa Monica Mountains and is part of Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area.
In my opinion it is the most impressive section of the Santa Monica Mountains. I give it bonus points because it’s not as well-known or as highly trafficked as Malibu Creek State Park and other hiking areas in Malibu.
The most popular hike here is the hike to Sycamore Canyon Falls. It’s a beginner-friendly hike with a nice payoff at the end.
This three-mile return trip trail will lead you to a beautiful waterfall that cascades down several tiers into multiple pools at its base. Allow about one to two hours to complete the hike.
Read: 5 Awesome Hikes in the Conejo Valley!
Go line dancing at Pedals & Pints Brewing Co.
One of my favorite things about living in the Conejo Valley is the huge line dancing scene here. Who would’ve thought line dancing would be more popular in Los Angeles than most other cities and country towns across America?!
I might go as far as to say we have more places to line dance than in Nashville! Just in the Conejo Valley alone I can think of six different venues where you can dance throughout the week.
If you’ve never been line dancing before I highly recommend giving it a try! Whether you’re a Conejo Valley resident looking for something new to do or visiting us for a few days, I promise you will have fun. And don’t worry, you dont need any prior experience at all.
One place I recommend is Pedals & Pints Brewing Co. in Thousand Oaks. Every second Friday night they host a line dancing night inside their brewery. There are two lessons at 8pm and 9pm. The dance instructor is really helpful and will go over the steps multiple times to make sure everyone is up to speed. See the calendar of events here.
Tarantula Hill Brewing
Tarantula Hill Brewing in Thousand Oaks is the most popular brewery in Conejo Valley. They have a long list of IPAs and a few other style of beer too. You can order a flight of beer to sample their offerings or just ask the bar tender for a taste before you commit to drinking a pint.
Tarantula Hill is not only popular for its brewery though. Locals love coming here for lunch and dinner too, so if you don’t drink, don’t rule this place out!
They are most popular for their woodfired pizzas, but you really can’t go wrong with anything on the menu here. Their burritos and tacos are fantastic and on top of that, they have an ice cream bar inside too! Just a heads up, this place is PACKED every Friday and Saturday night!
Conejo Valley Travel Guide
Plan your trip to Conejo Valley!
