Lines for rides too long. Our kids got 1 ride for the 30 entry fee…read more Horrible bathrooms! Only a total of about 30 toilets in the entire fair grounds for thousands of people. Overpriced games - $10 each. This used to be a great fair and sad to see it go downhill like this.

County fairs are always a joy for me, earmarking summer and quality time spent with friends and…read morefamily. This year, the Marin County fair has a set price at $25 (buy online only and scan ticket at entrance) including all rides except for 3 that is $5/ride. Parking is $20 card only. More vendors selling knick knacks this year and I noticed a Hawaiian shaved ice stand I didn't see before. My favs every year is the arts fair where you can purchase some local art and always the animal section (pig race, petting zoo, sheep shearing). This year there were a half a dozen spotted piglets knocked out from the heat you can pet. Adorbs. Note lines weren't bad for the rides until about 6pm when the night crowd started rolling in. And I think fireworks are daily at 9:30pm. Lots of people setup picnic spaces about an hour prior to that for optimal viewing.

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.

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.

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

What an incredible space featuring 80+ artist galleries, most spaces with incredible views, just an…read moreadded bonus. The space itself is an old WW2 administration building across from the Sausalito waterfront. I recently attended Marin Open Studios and ICB was open with so many artists letting the public into their studios, as well as selling art. The space is about 3 floors with artists space both large and big. The artists varied from abstract to photography to prints and more. Art is so subjective, of course. Some were more polished and "professional" than others, but regardless, it was an such an incredible way to spend the afternoon. The artists were on hand to share about their work. For this specific weekend, some artists had wine and other refreshments making it even more enjoyable! Overall, what a gem of a space. Seemingly they open up their studios en masse like this 2x/year, so sign up for their newsletter to follow along!

Three floors of 90 or more artists under one roof? Yes please!…read more Their open studios events are fantastic because you almost cannot see all the studios in one day.

It's fair to say that Marin is no hotbed of nightlife but lately, the rain and early sunsets have…read moreme nesting a bit more than in past years. It's in the midst of this nesting that I've discovered the joys of what the Throckmorton Theatre is laying down. The free, monthly noontime concerts are great as is the always popular weekly comedy night but more recently I've been enjoying the other events offered. In so doing I've come to see the Throckmorton as an essential community asset; they save me a drive to the City while providing right-sized entertainment close to home. When I attend events here I leave feeling thankful for their offerings. In recent months I've enjoyed a Jonathan Richman concert (fab... bring him back!), a concert by a local band, and A Chorus Line, teen edition. That last one left me sorry that I'd missed the previous one-time Broadway shows showcased here and with resolve not to miss another. For a little above the cost of your ticket you can pay to enjoy reserved seats but if you fail to do that you'll find equally satisfying seating on the main floor (they also have balcony seating) if you arrive early enough to snag it. I find myself checking the Throckmorton's calendar with a frequency, these days, that I'd not have anticipated even one year earlier. They've not disappointed yet.

I had not been to this charming theatre in many, many years. It is just as lovely as I remember…read more The art work in the lobby is so interesting. And the interior of the performance hall is exquisite with such detailed woodwork, gorgeous light fixtures and murals. We attended a free musical concert with an outstanding local violinist who featured art on the screen to accompany the music he played. I've honestly not heard a violin played with such versatility. What a treat this show and venue was!

We went to see Andre is an Idiot (which is a must see) here one Sunday afternoon, and I hadn't been…read morehere since high school when I saw Memento. It is BEAUTIFUL! The seats were decently comfy and the theater intimate. The snacks were great and a fantastic value. What a pleasant outing!

WHEN: Sun @4pm Came…read moreall the way over here for the east bay after a failed attempt at catching a screening of FLOW in Berkeley. Who knew this indie animated feature would be so popular (good on them!). So we got there when there was only 1 ticket left--and we weren't the only ones who tried to get tickets! So we made the trek over the Richmond Bridge, this time securing our tickets online first before arriving. Prices are as follows but there are service fees online: $14.00 General $10.50 Seniors & Youth $8.50 CAFILM members This theater is wonderfully located in downtown San Rafael and street parking was easy enough to find and free since it's Sunday. It's my first time and I really like it. I noticed they screen a lot of indie-like films, and would often have Q&A panels after. There's lots of food options in the area (or bars).

I came here for the Charlie Chaplin-Buster Keaton Film Fest with live music by the Grand Feature…read moreFilm Orchestra (GFFO). It's a simple theater with lovely art deco architecture. Nothing fancy about it, but the auditorium seats are comfortable and in good condition, and views are great from any seat in the house since it's such an intimate space. I was surprised that the orchestra wasn't hidden below, like at a lot of other theaters, but it was great to see them perform live during the show. Lots of wind instruments, including the flute, clarinet, and trumpet, along with sounds of the violin, organ, and percussion equipment. The show started about ten minutes after the listed ticket time. The three films shown were enjoyable, especially with the orchestra doing an impressive job. Sound and picture quality were ideal. Buster Keaton had me thoroughly entertained in two of the films shown, "The Scarecrow" and "One Week". And Charlie Chaplin was delightful to watch as usual, in "The Rink", with the iconic actor in hilarious scenes at the roller rink, which I found even more amusing cuz I had just come from the skating rink myself (and had witnessed a good amount of crashing and tumbling) prior to attending this film fest. There's a lot to love about this place. Not to mention, they serve yummy milkshakes at the concessions stand. Bonus points for that!

Lark is beautiful, local art deco theater, however, it lost its guiding light, Ellie, who passed…read moreaway last year. Now whomever is choosing the films has resorted to many strange, arcane and off the wall titles. However the Lark offers London's National Theatre Live and the Met Opera live and that's reason enough to become a member. Seats are comfy, snacks, especially rum raisin ice cream are expensive but yummy. Lark is seldom sold out. The town of Larkspur is just beautiful and a nice walk around town and dinner would make a lovely after show