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Local Attractions

We like to hike, and the Bay Area is a world-class location for seeing the outdoors.

• Mill Valley is immediately adjacent to Muir Woods, an incredible ancient redwood forest. Note that visiting Muir Woods requires reservations ahead of time now to reduce crowding.
• For those who want to get right next to Muir Woods without the crowds and reservation hassles, Mt Tamalpais State Park is adjacent, has gorgeous hiking as well, and actually has a trail that connects into Muir Woods if you're up for a longer hike.
• Driving (or hiking, if very adventurous!) to the top of Mt Tamalpais offers great views of the whole North Bay region and SF itself. Mt Tam is the highest point in Marin County.
• The beaches of Marin County, and a bit further north in Sonoma County, are great as well: Stinson Beach, Pt Reyes and the lighthouse, Bodega Bay, and more. If you have 6 hours or so to spend, we recommend driving Hwy 1 from where it splits off 101 in Mill Valley all the way up past Bodega Bay to Sonoma Coast State Park, then inland on Hwy 116 along the Russian River, through Sebastopol into Santa Rosa, then down 101 back to Mill Valley.
• If you're in the area a bit longer and want tips on hiking on the SF peninsula or down in Santa Clara / Santa Cruz counties, these are our regular hiking areas and we can tell you where all the best redwoods and ocean views are -- please talk to us! Corte de Madera Open Space, Portola Redwoods State Park, and Castle Rock State Park are all worth a visit if you have 2-3 days.

There are an enormous number of food and drink options in the North Bay and in the Bay Area in general.

• In the North Bay, many of our guests may be interested in the beer: Russian River Brewing and Lagunitas Brewing are both nearby, in Santa Rosa and Petaluma, respectively.
• Those who prefer wine will note that both Napa County and Sonoma County are adjacent to Marin!
• The Bay Area has a world-class selection of food in general, and especially if you are visiting from another part of the country, we recommend sampling our many cuisines while you're here!

There are a lot of museums to see, if you'd like to learn more about the area.

• Up in Santa Rosa, the Charles Schulz museum chronicles the life of the creator of the Peanuts comics. Many signs of his impact can be seen around Santa Rosa, from the ice-skating rink to various Snoopy sculptures.
• In San Francisco, the Exploratorium, the Museum of Modern Arts (SFMOMA), and de Young Museum are all worth a visit.
• In San Francisco's Golden Gate Park, the SF Botanical Garden is surprisingly beautiful, and Golden Gate Park itself is worth exploring too. (It's larger than NYC's Central Park!)

There is a lot of culture in the area as well. We recommend looking at the shows at the SF Symphony and SF Opera during the time you are visiting. The symphony performs in Davies Symphony Hall which is a really cool modern space to visit -- with great views of the City at night -- and they sound fantistic.

San Francisco itself is a world-class city with a ton of visit-worthy things to do beyond all of the above. If you haven't seen the city you should go explore, ride a cable car up and down the hills, stroll through Golden Gate Park, walk or bike across the bridge, grab some ice cream at Ghiradelli's and visit the piers, and just do the tourist thing for a bit.