Wonder little history museum located downtown Novato. The museum was the home of the first Post…read moreMaster in Novato. The museum is clean and free of most dust particles. Many small historical museums are so dusty. I was pleasantly surprised to see the clean artifact, fingerprint fee cases and nice looking collection of items. The Director is a former school Principal and keeps artifacts open for people to touch. This is great for a tactile person like myself. They have an electronic screen with video shorts and plan an effort to recognize the Hispanic/Latino culture. I hear they are planning to expand in future years. This is a good quick a stop for a historic perspective on Novato.

This is the History Center that will give you an idea what this Valley was like about a hundred…read moreyears ago. It was settled for farming and its first mode of transport was by river to the SF Bay. Check it out! It is volunteer run by very kind locals.

I'm a huge advocate of Farmers Markets. I love that they bring together locals as well as local…read morevendors. I had a good time, and would definitely recommend coming here at least once, but I may wait awhile before coming again. Mainly because trying to find parking near this market is insane. That, and I wasn't necessarily blown away by any one particular vendor. I highly suggest coming early or parking a little ways down - since come 6:00pm - Downtown San Rafael is a madhouse. As far as clothing and jewelry vendors - I didn't see too much that stood out to me personally, but it was still fun to browse. The Food vendors were very friendly. I tried a mini vanilla Teeny Cake, which was probably the highlight of my stroll-through. The fruit looked delicious and I loved that so many of the fruit vendors had samples out. White nectarines, peaches, and plums - juicy and perfectly ripe were everywhere. I watched a number of mellow soulful musical performances, before turning the corner and heading to Sol Food for some Mango Iced Tea and plantains. I'm so glad that these early night Farmers Markets exist. It's an incredible way to bring together a diverse group of people in a warm and genuine way. Would definitely recommend- if you happen to be in the area on an upcoming Thursday.

Not my favorite farmer's market. Not by a longshot. It feels like a hybrid farmer's market/street…read morefair and not a wholly interesting one at that. The one thing I do like about this Thursday evening market is the deep discounts that go on close to the 8 p.m. closing time. Linger around, then pounce on those $1/pound nectarines, plums, and peaches. Grab 3 flower bouquets for $10. Get a mess of end of summer/end of night tomatoes. They have the usual fruits and vegetables, an assortment of okay food, live LOUD music on the little square beside Arizmendi Bakery, inflatable jumpy things at one end, and mostly forgettable jewelry/clothes/junque at the other end. No dogs allowed here, even on a leash. You will be stopped, so don't even bother trying.

Lines for rides too long. Our kids got 1 ride for the 30 entry fee…read more Horrible bathrooms! Only a total of about 30 toilets in the entire fair grounds for thousands of people. Overpriced games - $10 each. This used to be a great fair and sad to see it go downhill like this.

County fairs are always a joy for me, earmarking summer and quality time spent with friends and…read morefamily. This year, the Marin County fair has a set price at $25 (buy online only and scan ticket at entrance) including all rides except for 3 that is $5/ride. Parking is $20 card only. More vendors selling knick knacks this year and I noticed a Hawaiian shaved ice stand I didn't see before. My favs every year is the arts fair where you can purchase some local art and always the animal section (pig race, petting zoo, sheep shearing). This year there were a half a dozen spotted piglets knocked out from the heat you can pet. Adorbs. Note lines weren't bad for the rides until about 6pm when the night crowd started rolling in. And I think fireworks are daily at 9:30pm. Lots of people setup picnic spaces about an hour prior to that for optimal viewing.

110 years strong. Amazing that one can hike in-- each direction of this stone amphitheater has…read morespider veins of trails galore. And the annual event has hikes of 5.6 miles where our gear can be ferried to bank of Marin, and we all can just simply enjoy the exercise and beauty and hike back after our butts are numbed, but our hearts and souls are fed with fine arts musicals!! Sunscreen a must

Built in the 1930's by the Civilian Conservation Corp, this huge stone amphitheatre is a quiet…read moreplace of solitude most of the year. A few mountain bikers, hikers and picnicers pass through occasionally. The 95-year-old Mountain Play is performed here once a year for 5 consecutive weekends. The rest of the year, it is a place of peace and quiet and wildlife. Part of The Tamalpais State Park the 3,750 seat natural amphitheatre is a place to enjoy the natural beauty of this mountain. Sometimes . . . I come here to watch a single hawk glide and soar across the sky or to watch the fog rolling into the San Francisco Bay off the Pacific Ocean. Cushing Memorial Amphitheatre at Mount Tamalpais State Park is the perfect place to escape from the city for just a few delightful hours.

Not what you expect and that is a good thing. I thought I was lost when I drove up to the…read moreunassuming building sitting practically underneath the Golden Gate Bridge. Once inside I could tell this was going to be a fun event. The setting was funky, the people funkier, and the entertainment was all that and more. Somehow they were able to manage to fit a decent size group of people and still have space for my set up. All in all a wonderful experience and I hope to have an opportunity to return. Ralph Sciutti 637 Lindaro Street, Ste 201 San Rafael, CA 94901 415.250.0931

Talk about "off the beaten path." But totally worth the trek…read more Came here recently for a friend's birthday. I've long heard of this place from my older/hippier Marin friends. They all swear by this joint. From what I had heard, I was expecting more of a dive bar. But this place (once you find it) is a legit music/bar/party venue. Plus, it boasts some pretty spectacular Golden Gate Bridge views (you're almost stone's throwing distance from the bridge). On the night we came, they happened to have a fireworks show around Pier 39. So we went on to the Presidio Yacht Club's deck and watched the whole thing. We pretty much had the best seats in the Bay Area. Around 7:30pm, an old-school rock band started cranking out the tunes. I saw a few folks hit the dance floor. It was def a lively scene. While I had a fun time time, there were a few things that I wasn't crazy about... 1) The drinks were WAY over-priced. I order two Makers Marks on the rocks and it cost me $28. That's even expensive by San Francisco standards. 2) While they do accept credit cards, they only accept cash gratuity (so make sure you visit the ATM before you get there). 3) Their food offerings are fairly limited and unimpressive. I saw a few pizzas come out of the kitchen that were clearly microwaved frozen pizzas. 4) Not all Uber drivers like making the trek out here (given its off-the-beaten-path location). I had two drivers in a row cancel on me. But if you're looking for a fun, funky venue for a Friday/Saturday night (and maybe get your groove on), I would highly recommend paying the Presidio Yacht Club a visit.

Gallery Route One is a small art gallery with a nook of a gift shop that could definitely stand to…read moregrow a bit. We stopped in but I didn't love that they had some candles or scent being piped in, so we browsed quickly, checking out the items and admiring the bitty handheld chimes that they honey was quite taken with and then headed out. At the end of the day it's a small space but if you have the time, definitely worth a look into.

Small friendly wall art gallery featuring local artists at a reasonable price point. Some jewelry…read moreand other gifts. Very nice staff and good energy.

Good clean festival fun in a sleepy suburb north of the Golden Gate Bridge. Tickets can be…read morepurchased online, in advance. Our first visit to the Mill Valley Music Festival took place on Mother's Day 2025, and I was almost dreading it. I've come to associate music festivals with great music, insane crowds and an epic layer of filth that can make festival attendance daunting. This is a far gentler, more wholesome and community focused music festival than you may have attended in the past. There is no playa dust here, no skimpy festival ware, no endless bathroom lines or overly intoxicated party people passing out. The Mill Valley Music Festival is a fun, easygoing multigenerational gathering with kids, parents, grandparents (and yes, mothers on Mother's Day!) and also singles, face painting, sunshine and good local wine (Scribe & Marine Layer), local beer and craft cider makers (Oakland United, Brooks Dry Cider, Fairfax Brewing) a good selection of delicious NA beverages and a curated selection of local food stalls (Mamahuhu, Hopmonk, Bini's Kitchen, etc.) & local retailers, and some good music. A mellow, fun live music experience. Hope it stays that way.

The Sequoia Theater has been a Mill Valley landmark since 1929, with its iconic Art Deco facade…read more They even showed some of the first "talkies" here, on their opening night. Now almost a hundred years later, it is owned by the California Film Institute, and continues to show the latest new releases on its two main screens, and to host the annual Mill Valley Film Festival. Last festival, I caught Ralph Fiennes giving a before-film chat in the front row of this small theater, along with with the director Edward Berger. The Sequoia was recently upgraded and there are bigger plans ahead for more extensive renovations. It's nice to see this historic theater preserved, and fitting that it will have a second life as part of the California Film Institute.

Nice people, historic building, movie I wanted to see, but the 1970s remodeled interior was a huge…read moredisappointment. I was hoping at least some portion of the original theater would be intact. Happy this cute small town has this amenity.