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Boutique Shopping in Marin County

In addition to the regional and nationally-known retailers located in the shopping centers throughout the county, Marin hosts many local community shops. There are retail plazas strategically placed throughout the county with organic finds and eclectic shops scattered through the hills of West Marin and Point Reyes. The town of Larkspur has several signature boutiques. There are 50+ retail stores in the downtown area along Magnolia Avenue. Sidewalk cafes and eateries are the most prominent category. Downtown Mill Valley has many choices for the casual window shopper and expert shopper with a purpose. Mill Valley’s center is on Throckmorton and Miller Avenues. The shops here cover a full range of upscale establishments and casual, small boutique and artisan stores.

Downtown Novato along Grant Avenue boasts over 400 businesses, from boutiques to accountants, banks to contractors, automotive to building supplies, traditional services like shoe repair and a local Barbershop. Upscale boutiques, charming restaurants, ethnic food, bakeries, and cafes can all be found downtown.

There is always something happening in San Rafael. The downtown area is the center of city life and showcases its diverse and eclectic character. Fourth Street is packed with shops, businesses, art galleries, historical sites and restaurants.

The downtown area of San Anselmo is complete with galleries, creek-side cafes, restaurants and antique shops. You’ll find everything from 1930’s furniture to vintage wedding gowns, old maps and more along Sir Francis Drake Blvd.

You can lounge on a beach. Or you can launch yourself from a mountain and soar 2,000 feet to the ocean’s break. Or you can visit the ranches and farms that supply some of the finest restaurants in the world. There’s no such thing as a typical Marin County vacation. Because there’s nothing “typical” in Marin. Plan your next trip and it will be like no other!

Tours by advance reservation are offered at these locations as well as retail cheese sales marked with an (R).

Food and Farm Tours

Many farms and ranches can be visited on farm tours organized by these Marin-based organizations who support and sustain our agricultural productivity.

AppleGarden Farm Tours

www.applegardenfarm.com Cowgirl Creamery (R) www.cowgirlcreamery.com McEvoy Ranch (R) www.mcevoyranch.com Heidrun Meadery (R) www.heidrunmeadery.com

Marin Agricultural Land

Trust www.malt.org (R)

The Fork at Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese Company

www.pointreyescheese.com Straus Home Ranch (R) www.straushomeranch.com

Food & Farm Tours (R) www.foodandfarmtours.com

Golf

Peacock Gap Golf Club: Enjoy gorgeous views of Marin County while playing on one of Northern California’s best heritage courses. Practice with every club in your bag on the championship level 18-hole course. Feel the difference real grass makes on Marin County’s only all-grass driving range. Try a golf lesson - courses are available for ages 6 and up and include all skill levels.

333 Biscayne Drive, San Rafael (415) 453-4940 www.peacockgapgolfclub.com

FORE!

Family Tours

Marin County has miles of open space trails, including campsites at Mount Tamalpais State Park and Samuel P. Taylor State Park.

Take a guided Hike on Mt. Tam and surrounding Bay Area regions. Learn about local Native American history and geology while hiking quiet trails through redwood forests. Customize any number of hikes to fit your family’s interest and ability. Coastal Walkers: www.coastalwalkers.com (415) 250-9941

Point Bonita YMCA hosts eight to ten Adventure Guide programs each year where the magic of nature, and most of all, having fun is the primary focus.

www.ymcasf.org/locations/ point-bonita-ymca

Bay Model Visitor Center

is a three-dimensional representation of San Francisco Bay and the Delta capable of simulating tides, currents, and river inflows. Hours of operation: Monday through Friday 10:00 am to 5:00 pm Golden Gate National Recreation Area (GGNRA) 981 Fort Barry Sausalito, 94965 (415) 331-9622

Hours of operation: 9:00am to 4:00pm, Tuesday through Saturday. Call for seasonal hours of operation. www.spn.usace.army.mil Marinship Way, Sausalito (415) 332-3870

Aquarium of the Bay

Get get up close with more than 20,000 local marine animals. Interpretive naturalists are aways nearby to answer questions and guide you through handson animal encounters. Hours of operation: Monday through Sunday 11:00am to 6:00pm

www.aquariumofthebay.org Pier 39 The Embarcadero at Beach St, San Francisco (415) 623-5300

Explore Nature by Water

Marin bays and beaches provide hundreds of possibilities to kayak, paddleboard, surf, kiteboard and much more. Kayakers enjoy easy access to San Pablo Bay and can be found enjoying the coastal waters surrounding China Camp State Park with its views of Mt. Tamalpais. Take your pick from any of the adventure outfitters listed below for a Marin experience.

Tomales Point Exploration

This full day tour will take you to the waters where Tomales Bay opens up to the Pacific Ocean, an area with an abundance of wildlife, and an extremely low level of human infringement. Marine mammals such as seals and sea lions are commonly seen.

Blue Waters Kayaking

11401 Highway 1 Point Reyes Station, CA 94956 (415) 669-2600 www.bluewaterskayaking.com

Marine Education

Schooner Seaward provides Bay Area youth an opportunity to sail traditionally rigged vessels and to learn maritime history and the marine environment. They offer a variety of programs for all ages and corporate retreats.

Call of the Sea 3020 Bridgeway #278

Sausalito, CA (415) 331-3214 www.callofthesea.org

Explore Nature by Water

101 Surf Sports is a full service water sports shop specializing in Stand Up Paddleboarding (SUP), windsurfing, kiteboarding, surfing, and kayaking on Marin County waters as well as the San Francisco Bay. They also offer a full range of lessons, gear rentals, board repair, kayak storage, guided tours, and retail shop.

101 Surf Sports

115 Third St San Rafael, CA 94901 (415) 524-8492 www.101surfsports.com

Angel Island Tiburon Ferry, California’s only family owned and operated ferry service since 1959, offers seasonal and annual events to the discriminating adventurer: Fireworks and Sunset Bay Cruises, Whale Watching and Wildlife Tours, Fleet Week Cruises, and tours around Alcatraz Island to name just a few. Check their year ‘round schedule for departures from Tiburon to Angel Island as well. www.angelislandferry.com (415) 435-2131

Schooner Freda B

1001 Bridgeway Sausalito, CA 94965 (415) 331-0444 www.schoonerfredab.com Buy your ticket to sail the San Francisco Bay aboard an elegant tall-ship with a professional captain and crew. Enjoy the Bay’s iconic sights from the special vantage of the water!

Explore Nature by Land

Audubon Canyon Ranch

The preserve’s frontage along Bolinas Lagoon brings more than 60 species of waterbirds and shorebirds into view: from sandpipers to Osprey to pelicans, as well as some of the resident harbor seals. The preserve is open seasonally for visitors and school children to explore. During the spring, summer and fall, the preserve is open to all visitors, while in the fall and spring the preserve hosts its nature education programs.

Martin Griffin Preserve

4900 Shoreline Highway Stinson Beach, CA 94970 (415) 868 9244 www.egret.org

Explore Point Reyes on

horseback. Five Brooks Stable is a full-service riding stable for the whole family. There are activities for all ages and kinds of buckaroos and buckarettes who wish to enjoy the magnificent Point Reyes National Seashore in the company of their equine pals. The ranch offers private and guided trail rides for all ages.

Five Brooks Ranch

8001 State Route Highway 1 Olema, CA 94950 (415) 663-1570 www.fivebrooks.com

Point Reyes Safari Tours

Wild is Waiting as you join wildlife photographer Daniel Dietrich on an unforgettable experience seeing and photographing the amazing wildlife and scenic lands of Point Reyes National Seashore. The Park holds incredible wildlife viewing opportunities with bobcats, tule elk, coyotes, badgers, raptors, owls, and shorebirds, as well as many varied marine animals. Lunch is included with Daniel’s packages.

Point Reyes Safari Tours

(303) 929-8443 www.pointreyessafaris.com

Explore Marin’s Civic Center

“In Marin County you have one of the most beautiful landscapes I have seen, and I am proud to make the buildings of this county characteristic of the beauty of the county. Here is a crucial opportunity to open the eyes not of Marin County alone, but of the entire country, to what officials gathering together might themselves do to broaden and beautify human lives.” Frank Lloyd Wright

Docent-Led Tours

10 Avenue of the Flags San Rafael, CA 94903 (415) 473-3762 Every Wednesday at 10:00am Second Floor Cafe, Room 233 www.marincenter.org These tours will resume soon

The Marin Cultural Association advocates for and serves as a catalyst to increase participation, advance collaboration and optimize resources for culture in Marin County. Proceeds help us with our mission to support arts and culture in Marin County and are used to underwrite programming, education and tickets for underserved youth and to upgrade our facilities. Visit the art galleries within the Marin Center that showcase rotating exhibits throughout the year:

Bartolini Gallery

Marin Center Exhibit Hall. Open Monday through Friday, 9:00am to 5:00pm and select weekends.

Redwood Foyer Gallery

Located in the Marin Veterans Memorial Auditorium, the gallery is open during performances or by appointment.

Just the Two of Us - Romantic Places

Sunset Cruise for Two

Just the two of you and your private captain on the Bay. Pack some local Marin-made cheeses with wine then head to a secluded cove to watch the sun set behind Mount Tamalpais. Suggestion: Stay at Nick’s Cove and enjoy a Tomales Bay Sailing excursion. hello

Taste Fresh Oysters

Pack a picnic basket and grab a bag of the freshest oysters you will ever have at either Tomales Bay Oyster Co. or Hog Island Oysters. With that special person in tow, head out to the closest picnic area with a romantic view of Tomales Bay to consume with a bit of wine.

Steal a Kiss atop the Marin Headlands with a view of the Golden Gate Bridge and the San Francisco skyline - the perfect place to propose.

Surround Yourselves in Wildflowers

Spring in Marin is one of many romantic times to be here. Pack a picnic lunch and head to our seasonally green hills bursting with the wild colors of nature.

Full Moon, Sunset, or Bioluminescence Paddle

Tour Evening is a great time to paddle on the bay where you can experience the tranquility and magic of a sunset and moon-rise over the water. Snug in your kayak, you’ll watch the day change to dusk, watch the sun set and the moon rise across the calm waters.

Suggestions: Blue Waters Kayaking, and 101 Surf Sports for events on the water.