Marin County Visitors Bureau - Attractions & Destinations

Marin County Visitors Bureau

Attractions & Destinations

Food & Wine | Recreational | Tours
Historical & Museums | Environmental | Cultural

Cultural
Marin County is well known for its arts and culture. The county is proud of its home-grown Marin Symphony that plays to sell-out audiences each season. The Marin Ballet, Marin Opera and Marin Theatre Company offer professional performances to appreciative local audiences. A profusion of art galleries can be found in all the cities and towns in the county, many of them filled with the work of local artists.

A number of local theatre companies perform regularly. The Mountain Play, one of the longest running theatre companies in Marin, performs its annual Broadway musical production in a huge amphitheatre at the top of Mt. Tamalpais. The Marin Center in San Rafael is the venue for national and international music, theatre and dance productions and numerous exhibitions throughout the year.

Art Works Downtown
This lively center for the arts is located in the heart of downtown San Rafael. The center provides studios for 40 local artists and organizations, which makes it possible for visitors to Art Works Downtown to observe art in the making. Art exhibitions, classes for all ages in a wide range of media, and events are all held at the center. The center is located at 1337 Fourth Street, San Rafael and open 10:00am-5:00om, Tuesday to Saturday.
Information: 415-451-8119 or www.artworksdowntown.org.

Bay Area Discovery Museum
( http://www.baykidsmuseum.org ) The Bay Area Discovery Museum is a hands-on museum of exploration for children 8 and under. Children may explore a life-size shipwreck, climb aboard a real fishing boat, encounter a simulated tide pool and discover science. Located at the foot of the Golden Gate Bridge, East Fort Baker, 557 McReynolds Road, Sausalito. Hours: 9:00am-4:00pm, Tuesday-Friday and 10:00am-5:00pm. on Saturday and Sunday. Admission is charged.
Information: 415-339-3900 or www.baykidsmuseum.org.

Christopher B. Smith Rafael Film Center
The Rafael Film Center, in downtown San Rafael, is operated by the California Film Institute, a nationally and internationally respected arts organization that brings classic and cutting-edge multi-cultural programming and guest artists to the San Francisco Bay Area. Artistic restoration has preserved many of this three-screen theater’s historic art deco design elements while adding new film and sound technology. Location: 1118 Fourth Street, San Rafael.
Information: 415-454-1222 or www.cafilm.org.

Falkirk Cultural Center
Falkirk, an 1888 Queen Anne-style Victorian building is the former home of shipping magnate Robert Dollar. The 17-room mansion was purchased by the community in 1974 to be preserved as a historic and cultural resource. This national landmark building is surrounded by 11 acres of formal grounds, natural wooded hillside, a sculpture garden and a restored green house. Falkirk exhibits contemporary art in the upstairs galleries and holds seasonal public events throughout the year. Admission is Free. Location: 1408 Mission Avenue, San Rafael. Call for hours.
Information: 415-485-3328 or www.falkirkculturalcenter.org.

Golden Gate Bridge
A trip to Marin County wouldn’t be complete without a walk across the Golden Gate Bridge. This historic bridge, which is 1.7 miles long, was opened to vehicular traffic on May 28, 1937. Pedestrians and bicyclists may access the bridge sidewalks during daylight hours. Five acres of manicured gardens on the southeast side of the bridge allow visitors to wander along paths to view the bridge from different perspectives.

The Gift Center is located in the historic “Roundhouse,” also on the southeast side. The Gift Center is open daily from 8:30am-7:30pm in summer and 8:30am-6:30pm in winter. $5.00 bridge toll for passenger vehicles entering San Francisco.
Information: Dial 511 (within the Bay Area), 415-455-2000 (outside the Bay Area) or visit www.goldengatebridge.org/visitors.

Guide Dogs for the Blind
Guide dogs and puppies in training are a familiar sight on San Rafael’s streets, because it is the location of Guide Dogs for the Blind. This non-profit organization provides guide dogs and training in their use to visually impaired people throughout the United States and Canada. Dogs and services are free.

Tours (www.guidedogs.com/cal-CAtours.html) of the campus are available, and monthly graduation ceremonies (www.guidedogs.com/cal-graduation.html) are open to the public.
Information: 800-295-4050 or www.guidedogs.com.

Lark Theatre
This recently-restored single screen theatre is the winner of the 2005 Art Deco Society Preservation Award. The original 1936 structure has been beautifully modernized to include an original art deco mural and a streamlined concession area and bar. The theater was restored with environmentally safe materials and can be rented for special events. Located at 549 Magnolia Avenue in downtown Larkspur.
Information: www.larktheater.net or call for show times: 415-924-5111.

Marin County Civic Center
Thousands of visitors come to Marin County each year to see the futuristic Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Marin County Civic Center. It was Wright’s last major commission and is one of the famed architect’s most distinctive designs. It is now a national and state historic landmark.

The Civic Center, which houses Marin County’s administrative offices, county court rooms and county jail, spans three hills. Its sculptural sky blue roof, scalloped balconies and golden spire are so extraordinary that it was the location for the 1997 science fiction movie Gattaca. The entire complex includes an 11-acre lagoon, 20-acre park and the Marin Center Auditorium and Exhibition Hall.

The buildings are open to the public for self-guided tours from 9:00am-6:00pm, Monday-Friday. Docent led one hour tours (www.co.marin.ca.us — Docent Led Tours) are held every Wednesday at 10:30am. Fee $5. For tours for groups of 10 or more by appointment call 415-499-7009.
The County’s general information hotline is 415-499-7000 or visit www.co.marin.ca.us.

Mill Valley Outdoor Art Center
The Outdoor Art Club was founded in 1902 by a group of Mill Valley women whose mission was to preserve the beauty of Mill Valley. The Clubhouse, now a state historical landmark, was designed in 1904 by internationally-known architect Bernard Maybeck. The arts and crafts-style building exemplifies Maybeck’s creative use of natural materials. It is located at One West Blithedale Avenue in downtown Mill Valley. The Clubhouse may be rented for weddings and special events.
Information: 415-383-2582 or www.outdoorartclub.org.

San Rafael Improvement Club
This building is one of the two remaining buildings from the 1915 Panama-Pacific Exposition held in San Francisco. It was originally the RCA Victrola Music Pavilion in the Expositions’s Palace of Liberal Arts. The building was barged to San Rafael on a raft and used by the members of the San Rafael Improvement Club for meetings and special events. Located at Fifth Avenue and H Streets in San Rafael, the building is now privately owned and not open to the public. It is a city and state landmark and on the National Register of Historic Places.

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Food & Wine | Recreational | Tours
Historical & Museums | Environmental | Cultural