Only in Marin will you find a WW II Museum at the dump. Yes, the WW II Military Vehicle Museum…read more(Joe Gabarino) is located just past the main area of the dump on the right near some equally old storage sheds. There is an old rocket on a platform as you approach the two bunkers,which are full of old vehicles and tanks. There is usually a guy working on one of the tanks, but you can go into the bunkers and climb on the vehicles and roam around. When you are tired of playing General Patton, you can go to the front of the dump, where there is a little collection of animals and watch (and listen to ) the peacocks screech at each other. Fun for kids.

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.

I'm a huge advocate of Farmers Markets. I love that they bring together locals as well as local…read morevendors. I had a good time, and would definitely recommend coming here at least once, but I may wait awhile before coming again. Mainly because trying to find parking near this market is insane. That, and I wasn't necessarily blown away by any one particular vendor. I highly suggest coming early or parking a little ways down - since come 6:00pm - Downtown San Rafael is a madhouse. As far as clothing and jewelry vendors - I didn't see too much that stood out to me personally, but it was still fun to browse. The Food vendors were very friendly. I tried a mini vanilla Teeny Cake, which was probably the highlight of my stroll-through. The fruit looked delicious and I loved that so many of the fruit vendors had samples out. White nectarines, peaches, and plums - juicy and perfectly ripe were everywhere. I watched a number of mellow soulful musical performances, before turning the corner and heading to Sol Food for some Mango Iced Tea and plantains. I'm so glad that these early night Farmers Markets exist. It's an incredible way to bring together a diverse group of people in a warm and genuine way. Would definitely recommend- if you happen to be in the area on an upcoming Thursday.

Not my favorite farmer's market. Not by a longshot. It feels like a hybrid farmer's market/street…read morefair and not a wholly interesting one at that. The one thing I do like about this Thursday evening market is the deep discounts that go on close to the 8 p.m. closing time. Linger around, then pounce on those $1/pound nectarines, plums, and peaches. Grab 3 flower bouquets for $10. Get a mess of end of summer/end of night tomatoes. They have the usual fruits and vegetables, an assortment of okay food, live LOUD music on the little square beside Arizmendi Bakery, inflatable jumpy things at one end, and mostly forgettable jewelry/clothes/junque at the other end. No dogs allowed here, even on a leash. You will be stopped, so don't even bother trying.

Legion of Honor is a beautiful museum inside and out. The grand entrance is a precedent to all the…read morewonderful artwork you'll see inside. I went on a Saturday where it is free for residents of Bay Area counties. I'm not sure if you can get the ticket the day of in person, but I got mine online a few days prior since these tickets are limited. I might even recommend to get them a week ahead. The pieces inside range from 2D art to houseware to statues and settings. Everything was so impressive. We also made sure we grabbed seats 20 min prior to the organ show as the seats fill up very quickly. Though there is a ton of standing room if you aren't able to grab a seat.

We visited the Legion of Honor to see the exhibit called "The Etruscans: From the Heart of Ancient…read moreItaly." The Legion of Honor is located in Lincoln Park and is a component of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, which also administers the de Young Museum. The Legion of honor is not as big as the de Young Museum, but has a beautiful and exquisite collection of art. We enjoyed seeing the special exhibit of Ancient Italy. The lower level of the museum was the perfect fit for this amazing collection of the Etruscans civilization. There were around 200 examples of bronze and terracotta sculpture, gold jewelry, ceramics, and architectural features, as well as the longest-surviving piece of Etruscan writing. We really enjoyed this exhibit as well as other featured paintings and sculptures, on the main level. There is even a porcelain gallery with pieces from England and Europe, which we enjoyed seeing. They have a really nice gift shop and a cafe. We browsed the gift shop and had lunch at their cafe, which was very good. We would definitely come back to visit again for their next exhibit.

Good clean festival fun in a sleepy suburb north of the Golden Gate Bridge. Tickets can be…read morepurchased online, in advance. Our first visit to the Mill Valley Music Festival took place on Mother's Day 2025, and I was almost dreading it. I've come to associate music festivals with great music, insane crowds and an epic layer of filth that can make festival attendance daunting. This is a far gentler, more wholesome and community focused music festival than you may have attended in the past. There is no playa dust here, no skimpy festival ware, no endless bathroom lines or overly intoxicated party people passing out. The Mill Valley Music Festival is a fun, easygoing multigenerational gathering with kids, parents, grandparents (and yes, mothers on Mother's Day!) and also singles, face painting, sunshine and good local wine (Scribe & Marine Layer), local beer and craft cider makers (Oakland United, Brooks Dry Cider, Fairfax Brewing) a good selection of delicious NA beverages and a curated selection of local food stalls (Mamahuhu, Hopmonk, Bini's Kitchen, etc.) & local retailers, and some good music. A mellow, fun live music experience. Hope it stays that way.

Free small museum with sweeping views looking over the Bay to Marine and the GG Bridge. Artifacts…read moreof partial ships they found in the bay and other historical items.

Small museum, but full of interesting displays and art. I got emotional reading about Kenichie…read moreHorie! And the rumors are true--the public restrooms behind the museum are the cleanest in the city. There's a cool color wheel room there too (a mini museum?). It's free and was totally empty when we went.

This festival is held at the Lagoon fairgrounds by the Marin Civic Center (THE Frank Lloyd Wright…read morebuilding). It runs annually for 2 days 6/21-6/22/09 from 10 AM to 6 PM. Admission is $10/person. The fair has a lot of large art pieces - wood carvers, furniture makers, glass blowers, potters, sculptors and metal works, the way I remember streets fairs use to be in SF. Little by little, clothing, jewelry, food and 'junk' exhibitors replaced many of the artists at the SF street fairs. I really liked the inlaid wooden mirrors with hummingbirds, tropical fishes, all the way from New York! Many of the pieces here are pricey, as expected for quality art work. The wooden rocking chairs (several thousand dollars a piece) were beautiful. One embroidery artist's large panorama of California golden poppies took her 6 weeks to make. Even a few musicians performing by their booths, selling their CDs. There are plenty of painters - watercolor, oil, acrylic and lots of photographers. Plenty of jewelry, one bath item exhibitor, basalmic vinegar and oils, some unusual jackets and clothing, one shoe exhibitor, and a wood artist who creates purses out of wood. Not a lot of food booths - Ben & Jerry ice cream, sausage/hot dog, gyro sandwiches, an organic booth - salads were expensive, up to $12, crab cake/gumbo/jambalaya, coffee/tea. Organic Dagoba chocolates were giving out samples - chili and lavender flavors! And of course, wine and beer booths. Ample sheltered round tables/chairs to eat in front of the music stand and servers to help you purchase your food (menus in hand) and bring it to you! These young kids went around to ask the exhibitors if they needed help to buy food and deliver it to them from the food concessions. Wow, that's service. Different entertainers daily. Heard a Latin band play and the Emeryville Taiko drums. Costumed stilt walkers were around and a separate stage for local performers (East Indian dancing, school children performing). The festival is held on soft grass and is very clean with ample port-o-toilets with the soap/water pumps outside. I overhead a worker driving by listening to a walkie-talkie message about a spillage and could something be brought over to cover it up. Very well organized.

Not what you expect and that is a good thing. I thought I was lost when I drove up to the…read moreunassuming building sitting practically underneath the Golden Gate Bridge. Once inside I could tell this was going to be a fun event. The setting was funky, the people funkier, and the entertainment was all that and more. Somehow they were able to manage to fit a decent size group of people and still have space for my set up. All in all a wonderful experience and I hope to have an opportunity to return. Ralph Sciutti 637 Lindaro Street, Ste 201 San Rafael, CA 94901 415.250.0931

Talk about "off the beaten path." But totally worth the trek…read more Came here recently for a friend's birthday. I've long heard of this place from my older/hippier Marin friends. They all swear by this joint. From what I had heard, I was expecting more of a dive bar. But this place (once you find it) is a legit music/bar/party venue. Plus, it boasts some pretty spectacular Golden Gate Bridge views (you're almost stone's throwing distance from the bridge). On the night we came, they happened to have a fireworks show around Pier 39. So we went on to the Presidio Yacht Club's deck and watched the whole thing. We pretty much had the best seats in the Bay Area. Around 7:30pm, an old-school rock band started cranking out the tunes. I saw a few folks hit the dance floor. It was def a lively scene. While I had a fun time time, there were a few things that I wasn't crazy about... 1) The drinks were WAY over-priced. I order two Makers Marks on the rocks and it cost me $28. That's even expensive by San Francisco standards. 2) While they do accept credit cards, they only accept cash gratuity (so make sure you visit the ATM before you get there). 3) Their food offerings are fairly limited and unimpressive. I saw a few pizzas come out of the kitchen that were clearly microwaved frozen pizzas. 4) Not all Uber drivers like making the trek out here (given its off-the-beaten-path location). I had two drivers in a row cancel on me. But if you're looking for a fun, funky venue for a Friday/Saturday night (and maybe get your groove on), I would highly recommend paying the Presidio Yacht Club a visit.