Topanga

Topanga is an unincorporated community of Los Angeles County, surrounded by the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area. Topanga has long been a getaway for artists and musicians, and it retains a distinct bohemian flavor, which is complemented by the outdoor enthusiasts who have escaped the urban tangle to be closer to nature. In 2020, it was home to about 8,600 people.

Get in

Topanga can be reached most directly by taking Topanga Canyon Boulevard north from Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu, or south Route 101 from the San Fernando Valley. Old Topanga Canyon Road and La Tuna Canyon Road are also available, but are older and more indirect routes.

See

• 1 Topanga Days, 11440 N. Topanga Canyon Blvd, events@topangacommunityclub.com. 10AM-7PM, Parade 9AM Monday. An annual music festival held over Memorial Day weekend. Not genre-specific, but tending toward classic rock and folk rock. Capped off by a parade, celebrating the community's counter-cultural roots, along Topanga Canyon Blvd. Parking and tickets are first-come-first-serve, so arrive punctually. $20. Child and senior discount available.. 

Do

• 1 Theatricum Botanicum, 1419 N. Topanga Canyon Blvd, ☏ +1 310 455-3723. June through October only. An eclectic outdoor theater in Topanga Canyon, featuring folk plays, Shakespeare, educational workshops, and concerts. Founded by actor Will Geer, who was blacklisted in the 1950s for refusing to testify before the House Committee on Un-American Activities and moved his family to a small plot in the canyon where his friend Woody Guthrie also had a small shack. They unintentionally founded what became an artists' colony that eventually became the Theatricum Botanicum.  

Buy

• 1 Jalan Jalan Imports, 525 S Topanga Canyon Blvd, ☏ +1 310 455-2254. 11AM-5PM. Not every visitor will be in the market for home decor, but jewelry other small pieces are available. Most importantly, this store is perhaps the exemplar of Topanga's local flavor. Asian objets d'art are displayed in an outdoor showroom, complete with natural waterfall. 

Eat

• 1 Inn of the Seventh Ray, 128 Old Topanga Canyon Rd, ☏ +1 310-455-1311. M-F 11AM-10PM, Sa 10:30AM-10PM, Su 9:30AM-10PM. An idyllic (if pricey) outdoor dining experience beside Topanga Creek. All-organic menu featuring locally produced ingredients perfectly complement the adjunct new-age bookstore and shop that echoes Topanga's bohemian history. Main courses $25-45. 
• 2 Canyon Bistro, 120 North Topanga Canyon Blvd, ☏ +1 310-455-7800. M-F 11AM-9PM, Sa 11AM-10PM, Su 10AM-3PM, 5-9PM. French and American Bistro near where the old road joins Topanga Canyon Boulevard. On the pricey side, but the intimate setting and food quality one expects from Topanga mean you get what you pay for. Main courses $15-25. 
• 3 Cafe Mimosa, 395 S Topanga Canyon Blvd, ☏ +1 310-455-4341. M-Sa 6:30AM-5PM, Su 7:30AM-5PM. Small coffee shop south of "downtown" Topanga. Offers baked goods and a modest breakfast and lunch menu, and a small patio as well. 

Sleep

• 1 Topanga Canyon Inn, 20310 Callon Dr, ☏ +1 310-570-3791, Bed@TopangaCanyonInn.com. A secluded Bed and Breakfast off Topanga Canyon Boulevard. $190-315/night. 

Go next

• 1 Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area
• 2 Calabasas - A suburban community at the southwest edge of the San Fernando Valley.
• 3 Pacific Palisades - An upscale, mostly residential community overlooking the ocean. The J. Paul Getty Villa museum is here.
• 4 Santa Monica - A popular tourist destination with a famous pier and the 3rd Street Promenade shopping center.
• 5 Malibu - An exclusive coastal community and home to the rich and famous, and features miles of beautiful public beaches.

Routes through Topanga

Chatsworth ← Calabasas ←

N  S

→ Santa Monica Mountains N.R.A. → Malibu