Santa Monica Mountains: Best Wine-Tasting, Restaurants, and More!

Our own backyard national parkland — the Santa Monica Mountains — stretches from the Hollywood Hills of Los Angeles and westwards to Ventura County’s Point Mugu. You may think of hiking and camping, but the Santa Monica’s are also home to numerous restaurants, hotels, entertainment venues, and more. The Malibu Cafe and other venues here are beloved destinations for those booking our Malibu limo service. 

In recent years wine tours have become increasingly popular in the Malibu Canyons and Santa Monica Mountains. The region has experienced a wine renaissance with a growing number of wineries and tasting venues. As of 2016, the Santa Monica’s are in fact home to over fifty wineries and some of our most popular wine tours include those to the Malibu Canyons and elsewhere in the Santa Monica’s. Getting limos for rent and heading out in wine country makes for a guaranteed memorable adventure. 

No matter if it’s for picnicking, wine-tasting tours, dining, or any other activity, one thing is guaranteed, this is a place of peace and solitude secluded from the city’s hustle and bustle. This is why even tourists use LAX airport transfers straight from LAX airport and to the Malibu Canyons for their time in LA. Tourists and locals alike will love a trip with a Malibu limo service to the beautiful Santa Monica Mountains. 

So let us present some of the most popular limo destinations here, including restaurants, wine-tasting venues, hiking trails, and more!

Wine Country

Evening at Malibu Family Wines

Separating the Conejo Valley from the Pacific Ocean, ordering Newbury Park limousine rides crossing the mountains are tremendously popular. Roads crossing the Santa Monica’s are also the shortest way for those living in the Greater Thousand Oaks Area in order to head to the beach or to Malibu. However, what many don’t realize is a large number of eateries and wineries tucked away in various canyons here. Whether by an LA- or Newbury Park party bus, these places are worth the travel! Wine tours to the Santa Monica’s and Malibu Canyons are more popular than ever before, and our favorite tasting venues are Malibu Family Wines, Cornell Winery & Tasting Room as well as SIP Malibu Grapes. 

Being our most popular Malibu limo service destinations, these tasting rooms all offer something unique. Maybe the most popular, Malibu Family Wines, is nestled in its own canyon with gorgeous views and a stunning atmosphere. Here people come to enjoy wines, and, on weekends, there is most often live entertainment such as standup comedy, outdoor movie screenings, and concerts. During events such as these, there are also often food trucks on the spot offering tacos, burritos, etc. Maybe best of all, this winery also offers its own exclusive safari tours with animals such as zebras, camels, alpacas, water buffalos, American bison, giraffes, yaks, and more! Tucked away in the tiny unincorporated mountain community of Cornell, about halfway between Agoura Hills and Malibu, is where we find the Cornell Winery & Tasting Room. Offering a more rustic feel, Cornell also brags one of the area’s largest wine collections. It is located right next door to the Old Place Restaurant, one of the region’s best eateries. Traveling to Malibu restaurants or wineries with limos for rent is the utmost luxury and makes for an unforgettable memory!

Restaurants

The Canyon Club is just 3.5 miles
from wine-tasting venues in the Santa Monica's!

Besides the Old Place Restaurant, there are numerous other restaurants in the Santa Monica’s. As recently as yesterday we had an LAX airport transfer stop by the Rock Store in order to grab a bite on the way to the airport. But the most popular restaurants by far are the Malibu Café, Saddle Peak Lodge, and the Old Place Restaurant. Possibly the most popular eatery in the Santa Monica Mountains, the Malibu Café, is a hidden gem nestled in its own canyon by a creek and forest. A more beautiful setting or atmosphere for dinner is hard to come by. Situated on a ranch on the border of the cities of Agoura Hills and Malibu, the Malibu Cafe is also known to locals as the M Café. Being a top destination for our Malibu limo service, the peaceful setting and beauty of the M Café will not let you down. 

Lastly, the Saddle Peak Lodge is a great option for dining high up in the Malibu Hills. The hunting-themed lodge restaurant specializes in American cuisine, offers a full bar, and is known for its crab cakes as well as outstanding wild game specialties such as buffalo tartare and elk tenderloin. Fireplaces and gorgeous mountain views make Saddle Peak Lodge a romantic retreat. It is elegant, perfect for larger parties, and is known for its wild-west setting and rustic atmosphere. It’s become an increasingly popular destination on wine tours for Newbury Park limousine and party bus clients.

Native-American History

Having been settled for over 10,000 years, the mountains were home to the Chumash- and nearby Tongva Native American peoples for thousands of years. Thousands of artifacts from prehistoric times have been discovered in the mountains. Many artifacts have for instance been found in the Big Sycamore Canyon, a canyon connecting the Conejo Valley to the coast, which was a popular trading route for the Native Americans. Today, Satwiwa is the name of a former Chumash village in southern Newbury Park at the foothills of Boney Mountain, a holy mountain for the Chumash people. The Satwiwa Native-American Indian Culture Center is still visited by the Chumash for events such as summer solstice and community dancing. 

With nearly a thousand acres of the Santa Monica’s located within the limits of Newbury Park, Newbury Park limousine customers often ride to Satwiwa for hiking or horseback riding at the nearby Rocking K Horse Rentals. What’s better than riding into the sunset in the beautiful rolling hills of the Santa Monica Mountains? The Backbone Trail leaves from the Satwiwa area and crosses the mountains before reaching the ocean in Point Mugu. But fear not, you don’t have to hike all 70 miles from the Conejo Valley to the Mugu Lagoon. There are numerous trailheads throughout the mountains where you can join in for a mile or two. We even often have the Malibu limo service called to for people traveling to the many trailheads of the Santa Monica’s. There are also Chumash pictographs and cave paintings at Malibu Family Wines, a popular destination on Malibu wine tours. Many Newbury Park limousine clients also book rides to the nearby Thousand Oaks Chumash Indian Museum to see discovered artifacts on display and to attend tours of local cave paintings.

See Also: 6 Things Newbury Park Is Famous For!

Movie Tours

Santa Monica Mountains as seen from Newbury Park

Hundreds of movies have been filmed throughout the Santa Monica’s, which makes for great cinematic tours with limos for rent. At Cornell and Malibu Family Wines, two popular venues for wine tours, an array of movies have been filmed. From The X-Files to Barnaby Jones and Falcon Crest, there are many movie locales to experience by going on cinematic tours by limousine or party bus to the vineyards. Many more movies were filmed by the Santa Monica Mountains in the Conejo Valley: Thousand Oaks, Newbury Park, and Westlake Village. 

We Bought a Zoo (2011) is just one example of the many movies filmed by the Santa Monica Mountains in Newbury Park. Ordering a Newbury Park limousine to check out the famous film locales has never been easier, more accessible, or more popular. American Horror Story, Teen Wolf, and American Pie are just a few more films made in this area. Whether by party bus or a local Newbury Park limousine, come with us on movie tours of Hidden Valley!

Whether you are looking for limos for rent in Calabasas, Pacific Palisades, Thousand Oaks, or any Southern California city, we will be able to accommodate your needs for transportation. We offer a lowest-price guarantee and besides limousines, we also offer LAX airport transfer, party bus services, LA to Las Vegas rides, and more! Our Malibu limo service of ours offers the lowest-price-guaranteed on all travels.

Best Kid-Friendly Activities in Santa Barbara

There are so many activities to bring your children on, and to make it even better, adding a luxurious Santa Barbara limo will leave an unforgettable birthday or other special event for kids. Here are some of our best ideas for the best kid-friendly activities in the S.B. area!

Walk with the butterflies

The Goleta butterfly preserve is a gorgeous and memorable experience that gotta be tried out. Some early risers using our Blackhawk Ventura limousine services headed up here recently for a birthday party. As they explained, when the sun rises, the butterflies wake up, and one by one they leave the trees and fly down to the eucalyptus forest. There are numerous trails transversing the area, which easily makes for a full day of activities under the sun.

Outdoor Stearns Wharf film night

Kid-friendly movies are screened in numerous places in the county, most notably outside at the Carpinteria Linden Field as well as at the end of the Stearns Wharf. Movies here usually run from July to September and make for a great semi-outdoor activity for the family.

Botanical Garden walk

Many Santa Barbara limo clients love the 5-acre botanical garden with gorgeous flowers and trees of all kinds. From a redwood forest to meadows of lupine and poppies, there are great opportunities for activities here, including picnicking for clients who decide to bring their own lunch baskets.

Whale-watching cruise

The Condor Express and the Island Packers are two services offering whale-watching cruises in the channel. Also departing from Ventura, this is a tremendously popular Ventura limousine destination. From a recent group of friends hiring an Oxnard party bus, we heard how they witnessed “tons of dolphins, as well as migrating grey- and humpback whales”. Remember to bring a jacket or two!

Feed the ostriches!

Most visited on our exclusive Santa Ynez wine tour options, the town of Buellton is also home to OstrichLand U.S.A., a beloved kid-friendly farm where you can hand feed the ostriches! From a recent group flying in using our LAX sedan service, we also discovered the great Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory! As a kid-friendly version of a Santa Ynez wine tour, here you can taste all kinds of locally produced chocolates, including for instance caramel-covered apples and more. For the tourists that recently arrived and booked our LAX sedan service, they also added a visit to the Solvang Festival Theater just down the street for live outdoor entertainment...

Here at Blackhawk, we have serviced all of Southern California for more than fifteen years, offering everything from sedans, town cars, limousines, and party buses. Whether you are searching for a wine-tasting tour or maybe an Oxnard party bus experience or other memorable events, we will prove to be the best choice you have in luxury transportation. We are not only the largest provider of limos in the area, but we are the top-rated services, now also offered with an exclusive price-match-guarantee! Contact us to book your SoCal event today.

Exploring the Gorgeous Coastline

Traveling and exploring the Southern California Coast can be a lot of fun. Even more so in one of our exclusive limousines, sedans, or party bus vehicles. We serve all of Southern California: the American Rivera and the historic San Buenaventura are two coastal counties we love visiting. Located just sixty miles northwest of Los Angeles, California, and thirty miles from Santa Barbara, the 18th-century city of Ventura is a must-visit for people exploring the SoCal coast. 

Southern California's Coast

We would argue a highlight of this city would be the stroll through San Buenaventura Mission on Main Street, which is a popular choice for many Ventura limo clients of ours. Another local treasure is the County Museum of Art, which also features Chumash Indian artifacts as well as agricultural tools from historic times. Absolutely well worth checking out! The City of San Buenaventura has arguably the nicest and mildest climate on the southern coast but contains a lively downtown, gorgeous seafront, great parks, gardens, laid-back beaches, and so much more. 

Many tourists arriving in LA using our LAX car service tell us when they reach the city: “The downtown area is so small and compact and nice. I love how you can park at one spot, and then walk to the shops and beaches of downtown”. Other popular destinations here include the fishing pier, Olivas Adobe, Albinger Archeological Museum, and so much more. A good start out point is the Visitor and Convention Bureau at South California Street, which can provide you with local information and maps of the area.

A hugely popular destination for LA and Santa Barbara limousine clients has been our vineyard trips throughout the region, for instance to the Malibu Canyons and the Santa Maria Valley. A trending alternative is our exclusive Santa Ynez wine tour, now offered with a price match guarantee, which will take you through the stunningly gorgeous wine country found in the region. Many of our clients fall in love with the “Danish” village of Solvang, which also offers some great tastings. Other areas include Los Olivos, Lompoc, Las Alamos, Buellton, and so many more. These wineries and tasting venues are unlike anywhere in the world: less visited than most other wine countries, available for seclusive picnicking for example, and also nested in gorgeous canyons and valleys, surrounded by oak trees and really beautiful nature.

Amongst clientele going on our Santa Ynez wine tour, many bring their lunch for picnicking at the valley's largest winery, the Firestone Vineyard, which is a stone-trimmed architecturally elegant building featuring a courtyard with fountains and beautiful views of the valleys and surrounding areas. For dinner in the surrounding area, many Santa Barbara limousine customers decide on the Cold Spring Tavern, Mattei’s Tavern, or the Valley Hunter Restaurant & Buffalo Saloon in Buellton. These are all great restaurants worth checking out.

Contact us today for any of your transportation needs. Whether it’s a tasting trip, LAX car service, bachelor- or bachelorette parties, wedding services, corporate transportation, concerts, or a party bus night with friends, - No matter the occasion, our services are available 24/7 and we are proud to not only be the largest, but also top rated provider of LA, SB, and Ventura limo services. Call us today to experience the Southern California coast in an unforgettable and luxurious way!