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.

Only in Marin will you find a WW II Museum at the dump. Yes, the WW II Military Vehicle Museum…read more(Joe Gabarino) is located just past the main area of the dump on the right near some equally old storage sheds. There is an old rocket on a platform as you approach the two bunkers,which are full of old vehicles and tanks. There is usually a guy working on one of the tanks, but you can go into the bunkers and climb on the vehicles and roam around. When you are tired of playing General Patton, you can go to the front of the dump, where there is a little collection of animals and watch (and listen to ) the peacocks screech at each other. Fun for kids.

For quite a long while I noticed the grounds being turned into something. Then I noticed the…read moreinstallation of sculpture. I saw that they'd opened, but the hours (Saturday and Sunday only) kept me from stopping in for a while. Finally, while riding my bike on errands I dropped into The Ranch when it was open and, well, this place is a find. Exactly what is "this place"? Being the first to review I am left to choose up to three categories in which to list The Ranch. This is where creative thinking comes in. First and foremost, it seems to be a place for art. There's artists works filling at least two buildings on site in addition to a sculpture garden filled with beautiful pieces. Secondly, I chose "Interior Design" as, aside from the art, the largest single tenant here seems to be The Still Collective. Housed in a large, airy space, The Still Collective does interior design and staging but what you might pop in here for is to purchase their unique furnishings and, yes, more art. A handful of small studios connect the grounds between the art space and the interiors space: art studios, ceramics, women's fashion, surf photography, and Hawaiian-inspired retail. All in all, The Ranch is a really cool place to pop in for a look-see, possibly as you make your way out to West Marin. The grounds are so serene and lovely that I hope they add live music and maybe even a coffee bar at some future point but that, of course, isn't up to me. Until then, I will no doubt make time to stop in occasionally, to see beautiful art in a beautiful space and enjoy the historic property on which it all sits. I'm pretty sure you'll enjoy it too. I mean: who wouldn't?

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.

Someone else described it as pompous, and that felt pretty accurate…read more The art itself was weird in a bad way, very dark, heavy vibes that just didn't feel enjoyable or inspiring. The whole place felt small and honestly not worth making a trip for. What really made it worse was the staff behavior. One worker or volunteer took a photo of us and then awkwardly hid behind a wall, which was unsettling. Another staff member kept staring at us the entire time, then eventually approached to say we couldn't have a water bottle inside and had to check it at the front desk. That would have been fine if the front desk had mentioned it in the first place. The inconsistency just added to the uncomfortable atmosphere. Overall, not worth the visit at all. If you are deciding between museums, Oakland Museum of California is much better and a far more enjoyable experience.

Came here recently to check out theresa hak kyung cha: multiple offerings exhibit. A…read moremulti-hyphenate artist, I loved seeing her pottery and fiber art along side her writing and performance art. A smaller gallery space, but would love to come back to check out a screening

Wow, this place is so amazingly cool ~ what a really fun East Bay hidden gem. I never knew this…read morespot existed, yet alone that Point Richmond had anything like this. It looks like currently The Golden State Model Railroad Museum is on winter break and will reopen on April 5th, but def worth the trip if this is something you may be into. This is a 10,000 square foot museum of operating model trains replicating areas of Central and Northern California. Pricing is $10 for families, $5 for Adults and children over 12, $3 for seniors (63+), $3 for children under 11, and free for kiddos under 4. There is a small parking lot and street parking in front/across the street where Miller-Knox trails/park/picnic areas are located. There's a small merch area and just the kindest staff members who are happy to share knowledge of railroad history. The East Bay Model Engineers Society is one of the oldest model railroad clubs in the US! Looking forward to returning with the fam and learning more about the model trains ~ there's just so much to see, so many intricate details! You have to see it to believe it :)

This is a great place to see model trains of three different popular scales (O, HO and N scales) in…read moreoperation rolling through tunnels, across large bridges and into tiny towns and big little cities. It's a wonderful and safe place for kids of all ages as the trains operate right behind the glass just inches from your nose! :). Historians will appreciate the exacting scale reproductions of Santa Fe's Muir Trestle and the ginormous Oakland Mole Train Shed/Station that once stood next to the Bay Bridge until 1960. Lots of other cool things to see too! Not into trains? There's a beautiful park right across the street where you can enjoy a nice trail and picnic area facing San Pablo Bay and watch the tanker ships in port. Pro Tip: VERIFY hours for public visits before coming out. This is a volunteer operation! Pro Tip #2: Lots of cute little restaurants on the other side of the tunnel in Point Richmond for grub before or after your visit!

Two things bring me to the Marin Showcase Theatre. First, being the Italian Film Festival, which…read moreI've been coming to for years. If you're a fan of Italian movies, which I am, you'll enjoy a great variety of Italian films, ranging from dramas to laughter filled comedies. Secondly, I've come sporadically through the theatre throughout the years, during the Marin County fair, since the Marin Showcase is where they hold some of the fair activities. Parking is plentiful and easy, although depending on the performances, it can fill up quickly. The building is a bit dated, but functional. There's really not a bad seat inside the theatre, though the aisles in between the seats can be a little tight. A nice little venue in Marin County.

Great place to see live shows. Nice people and environment and the entertainment is top notch.read more

My BFF and I stopped here to see the gallery. It's part of the event center, and the art gallery…read moreis open daily, but if our visit was any indication, very few people come here just to see it. The exhibit we saw was modern Native American artists and the pieces were all really beautiful. Mostly paintings some poetry and written word, a few textiles, baskets and other three-dimensional pieces. Many of the pieces were also for sale. I loved the art and also reading some about the artists too. Free admission, parking is super easy if there isn't some other event going on. We stopped in on a hazy weekday afternoon.