This was an interesting find in Tiburon, it looked like a small castle…read more A short walk up a small hill from the downtown area, Lyford's Stone Tower sits right on the coast with a direct view of Angel Island. Inside the Tower, there is a plaque explaining it's history, which is actually quite interesting. In front of the Tower, there are some benches if you want to enjoy the scenery for a bit , which is what we did while we were here.

Well worth a visit! A 10 minute walk from Main Street and the plaque shares its fascinating…read morehistory. Check it out when you are in the area!

Have to agree with Corey C. here, the view here is RIDICULOUS. I stood there with my mouth agape…read morefor a good five minutes. There were several other people doing the same. The golden hour was upon us, and the city was bathed in beautiful light, while a big tanker was cruised by next to several beautiful sailboats. Pretty much everything was closed by the time we were wandering around, and there seem to be far fewer shops here than what Corey mentions - mostly real estate offices now. That's okay, because it saves my pocketbook and still gives me a cute area to stroll through.

Ark Row is a block of quaint shops located in downtown Tiburon. My favorite thing to do here is to…read morecome at night, when everything is closed, with a hot drink and check out the window displays. If you keep walking past the shops and turn left along the water, you will be rewarded with an AMAZING view of the bay which, on a clear night, has the moon reflected in the water, framed by the city lights of San Francisco and the Bay Bridge.

Visited for the first time yesterday and it's well worth the drive from the East Bay! It is very…read moreimportant to understand it is essentially a working hospital, and you are visiting to learn about and support its critical conservation work, not to view cute lil' critters. Of course you might get to see some in their tank enclosures! But, you might not. (So maybe not a good trip with little kids who would really be disappointed.) We learned all about the pup season, how to respond as laypeople if we see a potentially injured marine mammal on shore, how to make a fish smoothie (didn't necessarily need that image but the animals do!), and did in fact get to see and hear some teenage elephant seals flopping around and vocalizing. Nice little gift shop too. We took the guided tour with a docent but saw plenty of people doing the self-guided tour (which is much cheaper or maybe even free?). It was quiet on the weekend but I bet much busier in the labs during the open weekdays. I was so happy we visited and you should too!

It was volunteer appreciation day. Parents, friends and family all showed up to show support for…read moretheir kids. They came in and volunteered their time to assist the professionals that manage the Marine Mammal Center. What a joy and a pleasure it is to see a collection of fine young kids growing up and embracing something so amazing. The cruise, the teams of management, the love and compassion by all the people that are employed their is capable. It's easy to see that there's a connection that's very personal between everyone that comes there to learn and everyone that's there that teaches. Truly, a shining star of an organization.

Another gorgeous day strolling thus beauty path. With the view of Mt. Tam and Richardson Bay, you…read morejust can't go wrong. Stay on the right side of path and there are quite a bit of cyclists sometimes. I appreciate when they say "on your left' right before they pass you. Sunsets are a bonus here!

Well, it's flat. I'll give you that. And it's just 7-1/2 miles out and back, which isn't usually a…read moretaxing distance for Jamie W. and me. However, it was one of the most heavily trafficked walkways we had been on in quite a while. Granted it was a warmish Saturday afternoon, but it was so overrun with cyclists, joggers, and dog walkers that it almost felt like we were queuing up for a concert. The stretch from Sausalito is just a sidewalk next to Bridgeway complete with busy intersections and traffic signals. Once you get past the Hwy 101 exit, there are houseboats and marshlands to enjoy, but then it becomes fully exposed with no shade after you pass under the freeway. The traffic is always within sight and certainly earshot. I wouldn't consider it a particularly bucolic setting despite the birds flying above the marshes. The bottom line is that two prototypical Matin hamlets are connected conveniently by a paved path no matter what chaos surrounds it, and that's what matters in the end. RELATED - Up for a hike? Here's a collection of trails I've walked and reviewed: https://bit.ly/2OrC8nU

Quaint little town in the north bay - well worth a day trip, especially if you add in a visit to…read moreAngel Island State Park. We parked at the privately run city lot at the far end of Main Street ($10 for three hours, $2 per hour afterward) and walked around. There are a few cute cafés and eateries and plenty of postcard-worthy photo ops everywhere you look. We ate at Caffe Acri (separate review) before and after our ferry to Angel Island State Park (separate review). On the drive out, we stopped by Blackie's Pasture (our horse-crazy little one insisted!). We will certainly be back.

Lovely town to visit....even better to live here if you can afford…read more Views of the city are spectacular. Blacks Pasture is great for your four legged friend as well

A PALM TREE! Yes,…read moreit's JUST A PALM, but it signifies so much more. This PALM represents the history, culture and liveliness of this little town. It is located where the main buildings and passenger depots were located for the NORTHWEST PACIFIC RAILROAD Tiburon termination. The NWPRR was noted for its beautiful gardens and giant palm trees surrounding its buildings. Although those buildings, and the NWP Railroad in Tiburon, are long gone now or have been turned into other businesses, this one Palm Tree remains as evidence of this rich railroad past. In 1988 the Town of Tiburon's Heritage & Arts Commission placed a plack here as a reminder of the rich railroading history that helped form this little community. There's hardly a photograph of Tiburon that doesn't include this GLORIOUS PALM at the end of Tiburon Boulevard! The BIRTH YEAR of the planting of this tree was 1923. Will you be here to help celebrate it's 100th birthday? Come see it TODAY - Have your picture taken with history!

I think Rachel has had control of this for the past 3 years. But seriously... YAY RANDOM PALM TREE…read moreWITH HISTORY! I stare at it a lot. It's spikey.

Welcome to Belvedere, California, a beautiful, quiet town located on the south side of the Tiburon…read morePeninsula between Richardson Bay and the town of Tiburon. It is less than one square mile in size, surrounded on three sides by the waters of the San Francisco Bay and composed of Belvedere Island, the Belvedere Lagoon and Corinthian Island. From Belvedere Island you can enjoy magnificent views of San Francisco, Mt. Tamalpais, Angel Island, Sausalito and the Golden Gate Bridge. The Stairways are called Belvedere Lanes consisting of a network of stairs and paths that connect the roadways on the island. In a bygone era, residents arrived at the island from San Francisco by boat and used the stairways to get to their summer houses. These days the lanes provide access to areas that may otherwise be difficult to reach by car as well as providing a means of escape in emergencies such as earthquakes or fire. Many local residents enjoy hiking the island through the passageways of the lanes. A different hand painted wooden sign marks each end of the lanes. The charming signs were the brainchild of artist and long-time Belvedere resident, Diana Bradley, who came up with the idea of using wood for the signs and presented the idea to the Belvedere City Council. She then contacted local artists and the first "painting party" was born. Ms. Bradley spearheaded the first two painting parties and Belvedere resident and artist, Virginia Doyle continued to recruit local artist for existing painted signs for the lanes. While enjoying Belvedere Island you may encounter raccoons, squirrels, skunks, birds and other wild animals. Enjoy climbing the stairs to your good health and happiness.

Scout Hall started out as a SALOON. In the early 1900's the building was outside the quarter-mile…read more"dry zone." It was in a local area known as "Jagtown." (Jagged = Intoxicated) At that time Mill Valley was a VERY DRY town. East Blithedale, outside the dry zone, was lined with bars called "blind piggeries." McGunnis Tavern (?), now known as Scout Hall, was just one of these very unsavory places of business. After the Saloon closed, the building saw duty as a house, a stable and finally a laundry. Around 1920 it was purchased, set-up as a non-profit corporation and became Scout Hall, Inc. Although not affiliated with the "Scouts," the non-profit organization designated the building for the benefit of local youth programs. In 1929 this grand old building saw double duty as a shelter for Mill Valley residents who were displaced by the great fire that nearly destroyed the entire little village of Mill Valley. Today the Grand Old Lady has served her community in many ways and is now in dire need of renovation - once again she needs a face lift. There is a capital campaign afoot in Mill Valley to raise the $$ needed to bring this lovely lady back to her former beauty. If you remember the saloon (if you do you are dang old) If you lived in it when it was a house (still dang old) If you stabled you horse here (probably dead by now) If your clothes were laundered here (probably have new ones by now) If you found shelter here with your family during the fire (lucky you) Then dig down in those jeans and help this lady spruce up. And, if you, your kids or grandkids have been lucky enough to have this building for Scout or other youth events, then you need to dig even deeper down in those pockets and come up with some cold hard cash. Full circle Mill Valley folks. She's always been there for You. Be there for Her now. www.scouthall.org

The Lovell Loop is well known among Mill Valley residents for walking your dog, going on a run or…read morejust just going on a really relaxing walk. I live nearby and I have two dogs so "doing the loop" is a multi-weekly routine that I get never tired of. (Note: you'll be walking on a one-lane asphalted road for most of this loop.) As it is a loop, there's no definite start or end point but if you're in downtown Mill Valley, I suggest you start at the fire station...because right across from it is wether Lovell Avenue begins. You then stay on Lovell Avenue for a very long time. There's gonna be a pretty steep ascend after a while and you're gonna be climbing for some time. But trust me, it's all worth it, as you're soon gonna be rewarded with views over the canyon. When you get to house numbers 300-400 you will notice that the road starts to level out and basically from here on you'll be gently meandering through the canyon. (It's so peaceful...especially in the early weekend mornings or evenings.) When you have reached 800 Lovell Loop you have the choice to go for a shortcut: down the Cascade Canyon along the waterfall. But I suggest you continue on Lovell until it intersects with Cascade Drive at 1002 Lovell Ave. (Here is where the infamous Zig Zag trail starts, which will bring you up to the Mountain Home Inn on a super-steep climb.) But in order to complete the Lovell Loop, you walk down Cascade Drive... Soon you will come to the intersection of the Tenderfoot Trail, which is well-known amongst mountain bikers as one of the first-ever established technical trails. This also will bring you up to the Mountain Home Inn...on a much more gently pace than the Zig Zag trail though. But again, the Lovell Loop continues slightly downhill along the Miller Creek. Especially in the spring after all the rain, this is a pretty intense little river! Soon you will come to the parking lot for the Cascade Falls. And this is where you would've come out, if you'd taken the shortcut earlier. (It's actually only a couple minutes walk to the waterfall, so you might as well check it out now.) Now you have several options to continue your walk. If you have somewhat good shoes, I suggest to take the "Three Wells Trail", which starts kitty corner from the parking lot at Cascade Falls (you'll see a little foot bridge crossing the creek). Walk along this trail and you'll eventually join up with Cascade Drive again. If you're on high-heels, I suggest you continue on Cascade Drive. Note: after a short while you will come to an intersection with Throckmorton Avenue - I suggest taking the right pathetic and continuing on Cascade Drive. At the bottom of the hill, when you're crossing a small bridge, is where the "Three Wells Trail" merges again. Now you continue on Cascade Drive all the way to Old Mill Park. The road winds along the creek and you will see some pretty spectacular houses here. (Local gossip says that Tyler Florence used to live in the bungalow-style house where Marion & Cascade intersect.) Once you've reached Old Mill Park, join the main road, which is Throckmorton, and you will soon be in downtown Mill Valley again. I suggest a pit-stop at Beerworks, where they not only serve delicious home-brewed beers, but their food is also amongst the best in Marin. Cheers!