South Valley - South Valley

South Valley is an area of the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles. It is made up of the neighborhoods of the southwestern portion of the valley: Canoga Park, Encino, Reseda, Tarzana, West Hills, Winnetka and Woodland Hills.

Understand

Reseda grew into a prominent town after World War II when many of the existing ranches and orange groves were converted to housing for the returning soldiers. Today the population hovers around 80,000. The town has been featured in several movies and songs, most notably 1984's Karate Kid as the home of the title character. Tom Petty's hit Free Fallin also features the town in the lyric "It's a long day livin' in Reseda. There's a freeway runnin' through the yard".

Mulholland Park Gate, Tarzana

Tarzana was named after the Tarzana Ranch, which was owned in the early 1900s by Edgar Rice Burroughs, author of the Tarzan stories. The land was later subdivided and sold, and in the late 1920s the residents named the town Tarzana.

Woodland Hills is an average middle class Los Angeles neighborhood, remarkable for the numerous Persian restaurants along Ventura Blvd in the south as well as the medium-density new city development known as Warner Center. Topanga Canyon Blvd provides the most scenic road from Los Angeles to the beach, with a small hippie community called Topanga along the way. However, Woodland Hills is not generally acknowledged as a tourist destination.

Get in

34°9′33″N 118°30′4″W
Map of South Valley

Encino is located along US-101 and I-405.

Tarzana is located along US-101 a few miles west of its intersection with I-405.

West Hills is accessible by car from either the 101 Freeway or the 118 Freeway.

Reseda is located a few miles northwest of the intersection of US-101 and I-405.

Woodland Hills is accessible by car from the 101 Freeway.

Get around

An automobile is essential for getting around the South Valley. Metro buses are also an option, and the Orange Line has a stop at Warner Center.

See

Ventura Blvd in Encino
  • Movies at the Encino Town Center.
  • 1 Shadow Ranch, 22633 Vanowen St (just east of Fallbrook), ☏ 1 818 883-3637. Historical site. Shadow Ranch (Q7460584) on Wikidata Shadow Ranch on Wikipedia 
  • Candy Cane Lane (Lubao Avenue and Oxnard Street). A charmingly decorated street at Christmastime. 

Do

Lake Balboa
  • Mountain Biking - There are plenty of trails in the Santa Monica Mountains, Verdugo Hills and the various canyons. A great ride starts at the south end of Reseda, or stop part way up and begin at Caberello Canyon. Ride up to dirt Mulholland and go either north or south. If you go south you will see the Nike Site (missiles were stored there during the cold war) or north and ride over to Trippet Ranch, Will Rogers park, Eagle Rock or to the lookout point. Great riding - single track and fire roads.
  • Woodland Hills Country Club, 21150 Dumetz Rd (south of the 101 freeway), ☏ 1 818 818-347-1511. M-F 7AM–sunset, Sa Su holidays 6:30AM–sunset. 18-hole golf course with restaurant. 

Buy

  • Fallbrook Center, 6633 Fallbrook Ave (Fallbrook and Vanowen), ☏ 1 818 885-9700, fax: 1 818 885-0029. Anchored by Mervyn's, Kohl's, Michael's and Target. 
  • Promenade Mall, 6100 Topanga Canyon Blvd (Topanga Cyn and Erwin), ☏ 1 818 594-8732. M-F 10AM - 9PM, Sa 10AM - 8PM, Su 11AM - 7PM. Upscale shopping. Casual dining and a movie theatrer. 
  • Topanga Plaza, 6600 Topanga Canyon Blvd (Topanga Cyn and Vanowen), ☏ 1 818 594-8732. M-F 10AM-9PM, Sa 10AM-8PM, Su 11AM-7PM. Chain store shopping. 

Eat

  • [dead link]Bahar Cuisine Restaurant. 
  • 1 Red Square Restaurant, 17209 Ventura Blvd. Encino, ☏ 1 818 783-6300. Tu-Su from noon. Great food, Banquets and Parties, Free parking 
  • Stonefire Grill, 6405 Fallbrook Ave (Fallbrook Mall parking lot), ☏ 1 818 887-4145, fax: 1 818 887-4146. Pizza, pasta and BBQ. $15-25. 
  • [dead link]Big Mo's Sub Shop, 22720 Roscoe Blvd (stripmall, corner of Roscoe and Fallbrook), ☏ 1 818 884-5131. M - Sa 9AM - 8PM, Su 9AM - 5PM. Best sub shop in the valley. $5-10. 
  • Brandywine, 22757 Ventura Blvd (just east of Fallbrook), ☏ 1 818 225-9114. M-F 11:30AM - 2:30PM, 5:30PM - 10:30PM; Sa 5:30PM - 10:30PM. One of the best restaurants in the valley. Reservations required as restaurant is small and books up early. Very expensive. 
  • La Frite, 22616 Ventura Blvd (Ventura and Sale Ave), ☏ 1 818 225-1331. Su-Th 11AM - 10PM; F Sa 11AM - 11PM. Charming French restaurant, very reliable food quality. $15-30. 
  • Pizza Cookery, 6209 Topanga Canyon Blvd (strip mall on northwest corner of Topanga Cyn and Erwin), ☏ 1 818 887-4770. Casual pizzeria with sawdust on the floor. The garlic rolls have a cult following. $15-30. 
  • 2 Salsa & Beer, 6740 White Oak Ave, ☏ 1 818 609-8877. Mexican. 
  • Shalimar Cuisine of India, 23011 Ventura Blvd (west of Fallbrook, tight parking lot, more parking on side street), ☏ 1 818 225-7794. The perfect Indian restaurant for British ex-pats. $10 - $20. 

Drink

  • Paladino's Valley Music and Sports Lounge, 6101 Reseda Blvd, ☏ 1-818-342-1563, ✉. Paladino's has a well-deserved reputation as a venue for LA's greatest tribute bands - you probably won't ever see your favorite band in a small venue, so Paladino's may be the next best thing. They're also an occasional stop for major acts and local talent. Those not into music will find drinks a-plenty, pool, respectable bar food, free wireless internet, and more than a little bit of rock 'n roll attitude. 
  • Pickwick Pub, 21010 Ventura Blvd, ☏ 1 818 340-9673. Quintessential British pub. 
  • The Rack, 6100 Topanga Canyon Blvd, ☏ 1 818 716-0123. Pool lounge 

Sleep

Connect

Go next

Routes through South Valley
Santa Barbara ← Calabasas ← N US 101.svg S → Sherman Oaks → Downtown L.A.
Ends at California 118.svg ← Chatsworth ← N California 27.svg S → Calabasas → Malibu
END ← Chatsworth ← W LAMetroLogo.svgLACMTA Square Orange Line.svg E → Van Nuys → North Hollywood
This city travel guide to South Valley is a usable article. It has information on how to get there and on restaurants and hotels. An adventurous person could use this article, but please feel free to improve it by editing the page .