I agree with the Santa Barbara recommendation. Only 1.5 north of LA. Great place for your needs. You can stop at Camarillo outlets if you want, although I would not recommend anyone to go out of their way to go outlet shopping around here. The deals are not usually any better than what you would find on the sale racks at the malls in the cities.

I recommend Santa Barbara as well. I was in LA on business for one month earlier this year and flew my wife in for a weekend. We decided to see Santa Barbara and were glad we did. We enjoyed the scenery, the restaurants, the eclectic atmosphere of State Street, as well as a side trip to Solvang which is a replica of a Danish village.

Well I had recommended Santa Barbara back on 10/8 so I guess that the OP wasn't interested in going there although I think it fits that she's looking for.

vabarone-Don't sure what you are looking for. We gave recommendations of Santa Barbara, Laguna Beach and the Palm Springs area. You said you wanted to get out of the LA area. Well Santa Barbara and Palm Springs are definitely out of the area and staying in Laguna Beach is certainly not like being in LA. Since you only have a long weekend, you don't want to go much further or you will spend your whole time driving. You might also consider San Diego. So I don't know exactly how we can help you unless you give us a little more feedback on your objections for the places already mentioned.