If you prefer to stay in Mill Valley, there's all kinds of great things to do... Head to the "town square" and enjoy coffee and breakfast at Equator Coffees or the Depot. Ladies, there's also great shopping in the town square - "The Shop" and "The Local" are two of Laura's Favorites. If you're looking for lunch, Fish Hook is a great place for fish tacos and seafood. Also, "the Junction" Beer Garden is great for local beers & pizza. Also, check out the "Mill Valley Lumber Yard" off of Miller Ave... there's great places there for breakfast and lunch, as well as some cute shops, like Aviator Nation and Maker's Market. If you'd like a more local hike or to see the beach (vs driving over Mt Tam to Muir or Stinson beaches) head to Tennessee Valley and do the beach / coastal hike.
The Marin Headlands is a hilly peninsula at the southernmost end of Marin County, located just north of San Francisco across the Golden Gate Bridge, which connects the two counties and peninsulas. The entire area is part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. Rodeo Beach offers great hiking trails and views of the Pacific Ocean coastline. For an amazing view of the Golden Gate bridge and city, drive up to "Hawk Hill."
Larkspur Landing is not far from Mill Valley and offers unique shops and some great restaurants... Hog Island Oysters and Farm House Local are two of our favorites! This is also one of the best places to catch a ferry to/from the city. Use the "ParkMobile" application for parking at the ferry parking lot. Larkspur ferry tickets can be purchased at the terminal. For a ferry schedule, go to sfferryriders.com/ggf/larkspur-ferry.
Sausalito is just north of the Golden Gate bridge and south of Mill Valley. It’s known for its Richardson Bay houseboat enclaves, built by artist squatters after WWII. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Bay Model Visitor Center has a functioning 3D hydraulic model of the Bay Area, plus exhibits about the area's waterways. If you like to kayak or go stand-up-paddle boarding, be sure to check out Sea Trek, which rents both. From their dock, you can paddle out to the house boats and see some of the sea lions lounging around. Our favorite restaurants in Sausilto include Le Garage (french), Fish (seafood) and Sushi Ran (sushi).
Located in Mount Tamalpais in Mill Valley, Muir Woods National Monument is part of California’s Golden Gate National Recreation Area. It’s known for its towering old-growth redwood trees. Trails wind among the trees to Cathedral Grove and Bohemian Grove, and along Redwood Creek. The Ben Johnson and Dipsea trails climb a hillside for views of the treetops, the Pacific Ocean and Mount Tamalpais in adjacent Mount Tamalpais State Park
Muir Beach is one of our favorite beaches, closest to Mill Valley. There's a great hiking trail off the beach with amazing views of the Pacific Ocean coastline. Be sure to check out the Pelican Inn, which is an English tavern. They've got great fish and chips in the pub!
San Francisco is just a 15-minute drive (depending on where you're going) or a 30-minute ferry ride away! The ferry ride is a fantastic experience with ferries leaving very regularly from Sausalito and arriving into the Ferry Building in the Embarcadero area of San Francisco. The Ferry Building offers great shops for souvenirs & great restaurants. From the Ferry Building, you can easily walk to Fisherman's Wharf or catch a tour of Alcatraz. Note, tours of Alcatraz book weeks in advance so you'll want to get tickets months in advance. In addition, you can rent bikes from Blazing Saddles Rentals and ride them from Fisherman's Wharf along the bay to Fort Mason, onto Chrissy Field and to Presidio, before crossing over the Golden Gate bridge into Sausalito. If you go deeper into the city, you can visit other key neighborhoods like Chinatown, the Financial District (the TransUnion Building), Nob Hill (Grace Cathedral & the Fairmont), Pacific Heights, Haight Ashbury and many more!
If you'd like to explore the California Coast further north in Marin, be sure to take the scenic drive from Mill Valley up Mt Tamalpais (or Mt Tam as us locals call it) to Stinson Beach, onto Point Reyes. There are great little nooks to stop off at along the way, including Bolinas Bay (a cute hippy beach town), Olema (a great stop is the Due West restaurant), the town of Point Reyes (home of one of the best creameries, Cowgirl Creamery), and Tomales Bay (home of both Hog Island Oyster Co & Tomales Bay Oyster Co). Once you reach Point Reyes National Seashore, you'll find all kinds of hiking trails and beaches. Sea Lion Outlook is a great stop to check out the Sea Lions.
Some of the best wineries in California are just 30 minutes away from Mill Valley! Some of our favorites include Jacuzzi Winery, Gloria Ferrer Winery (for bubbles), Obsidian and Domaine Carneros.
If you're okay with traveling further north than Sonoma wineries, check out some of the wineries along beautiful Russian River. Some of favorite wineries here include Mauritson Wines, Cast Wines, Selby and Bella Wine Caves.