West Marin County & Point Reyes National Seashore

Fascinating Attractions, Pastoral Scenery...North of San Francisco

​Tour Highlights:

• Muir Woods, an ancient redwood forest
• 'Mediterranean' Sausalito's seaside promenade
• Frank Lloyd Wright's Marin County Civic Center, an architectural masterpiece
• The Marine Mammal Center, world's largest marine animal 'hospital'...served by 1000+ volunteers
• Point Reyes National Seashore: a lighthouse in a location almost too spectacular to believe, dairy ranches, a large herd of elk, perhaps a passing whale
• Cheesemongers Cowgirl Creamery                                                     & Marin French (the oldest cheesemaking operation in the U.S.)
• Heidrun Meadery, who make wine from their own bees' honey
• An exciting ferry ride from Tiburon (picturesque, unique) ​​      

A FREQUENT ITINERARY
     
​      Create your own: focus on the sites that you find most enticing: walk down to and climb the hundred steps back up from the Point Bonita Lighthouse, which offers a view of San Francisco only cruise ships enjoy; visit the Marine Mammal Center, a few miles outside Sausalito, where you may see orphaned/injured sea lions and harbor seals being nursed back to health; discover Sausalito's historic Bay Model, an U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' scale-model of the hydraulic ecology of the entire Bay and Delta watersheds. Stroll through Tiburon, an affluent California town of unique shops, a wine-tasting room, and spectacular! Bay vistas. Take the guided tour of Frank Lloyd Wright's last masterpiece, the Marin County Civic Center, a truly innovative and important building in the history of American architecture. Afterwards it may be time for lunch in picturesque Olema or Pt. Reyes Station. Or feast on oysters (raw or barbequed) fresh out of beautiful Tomales Bay.

      Afternoon is also a matter of options: hang out with surfers in picturesque Stinson Beach or "hidden" Bolinas. (We can observe the beautiful creatures of a tidepool, if we're there during low tide.) Enjoy 2 or 3 hours in the Point Reyes National Seashore wilderness area—its herd of tule elk, beaches or "Earthquake Trail". On a clear day, a drive out to the Point Reyes Lighthouse is definitely worthwhile, as it sits on a moonscape promontory you'll never forget. Alternatively, you may wish to a hike into the primeval redwood forest of Muir Woods. Love cheese? Then we can include the acclaimed Cowgirl Creamery or Marin French, the oldest cheesemaker in our state. Throw in a stop for English beer in front of the fireplace at the medieval-styled Pelican Inn or a ferry across the Bay from Sausalito ...and you've had a very full day.

    This represents an ambitious itinerary: in reality we'd have to select 2 or 3 foci for your day as travel in the beautiful countryside between these destinations takes considerable time--it's a big county.

Why tour Marin County with A Friend in Town and not just rent a car or take the big bus tour? 

     Because driving yourself, you may waste time figuring out exactly where everything is and miscalculate how long it actually takes to get there. And there is no big-bus tour to most of these destinations. With us you can relax, enjoy the scenery, focus on each special place.

     Mother Nature has blessed Marin County with a wonder-full variety of attractions, both natural and man-made. We create an itinerary for your enjoyment based on your selection from many great options. Begin your day in beautiful Marin County however you'd like: either the Marin Headlands, with a walk down to and strenuous return from the Point Bonita Lighthouse, and,or a visit to the remarkable Marine Mammal Center, where you can observe volunteers taking care of orphaned and injured sea lions and harbor seals.
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FYI, the most popular version of our "Marin, the Beautiful" tour usually runs 8-9 hours
​—a bit shorter if that suits your availability best.