For your stay in Tomales: a getaway guidebook
Neighborhoods
History:
When Europeans first reached Tomales Bay, it was home to Coast Miwok people. Numerous authenticated Miwok villages are known from this area, including one (named Utumia) sited near the present-day town of Tomales.
The Tomalles post office opened in 1854, and changed its spelling to Tomales before 1879. The historic church in Tomales was built in 1868 and is the oldest standing Protestant church building in the country.
Starting in the 1870s, Tomales was a stop on the North Pacific Coast Railroad connecting Cazadero to the Sausalito ferry.
Built near the San Andreas Fault, Tomales was affected by the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. One of the town's two cemeteries predates the earthquake, and the damage to the pre-1906 plots shows just how widespread the quake's effects were.
To the north of our house is the town of Fallon; to the south is Tomales Bay, Marshall, and Point Reyes. A favorite day trip is going to Cowgirl Creamery in Point Reyes Station, and bring our cheese and bread picnic lunch out to the lighthouse near there.
To the east of the house are 20 miles of farmland and the city of Petaluma, where you'll find great restaurants, antiques, Lagunitas Brewery, and several museums.
To the west, 4 miles away is Dillon Beach, a dog-friendly beach that goes for miles and miles along Tomales Bay. Bring a picnic from the artisan restaurants in Tomales, because Dillon has limited services.
Northeast of our place are dozens of wonderful day trips, including Bodega Bay within 30 minutes, Guerneville and Sebastopol with 45, and Napa and Sonoma about an hour away. Check out the guide books we have in the living room for more details.
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Tomales
History:
When Europeans first reached Tomales Bay, it was home to Coast Miwok people. Numerous authenticated Miwok villages are known from this area, including one (named Utumia) sited near the present-day town of Tomales.
The Tomalles post office opened in 1854, and changed its spelling to Tomales before 1879. The historic church in Tomales was built in 1868 and is the oldest standing Protestant church building in the country.
Starting in the 1870s, Tomales was a stop on the North Pacific Coast Railroad connecting Cazadero to the Sausalito ferry.
Built near the San Andreas Fault, Tomales was affected by the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. One of the town's two cemeteries predates the earthquake, and the damage to the pre-1906 plots shows just how widespread the quake's effects were.
To the north of our house is the town of Fallon; to the south is Tomales Bay, Marshall, and Point Reyes. A favorite day trip is going to Cowgirl Creamery in Point Reyes Station, and bring our cheese and bread picnic lunch out to the lighthouse near there.
To the east of the house are 20 miles of farmland and the city of Petaluma, where you'll find great restaurants, antiques, Lagunitas Brewery, and several museums.
To the west, 4 miles away is Dillon Beach, a dog-friendly beach that goes for miles and miles along Tomales Bay. Bring a picnic from the artisan restaurants in Tomales, because Dillon has limited services.
Northeast of our place are dozens of wonderful day trips, including Bodega Bay within 30 minutes, Guerneville and Sebastopol with 45, and Napa and Sonoma about an hour away. Check out the guide books we have in the living room for more details.
Food scene
Fresh, hand made pizza two blocks away, with outdoor dining and a dog-friendly patio. Available morning – afternoon Thursday-Sunday
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Route One Bakery & Kitchen
27000 Shoreline HighwayFresh, hand made pizza two blocks away, with outdoor dining and a dog-friendly patio. Available morning – afternoon Thursday-Sunday
Great morning through evening: coffee and pastries, sandwiches and salads, drinks and ice cream. This local institution has been around for decades: the owner used to be an employee and cares deeply about the community. Open 7 days, morning through 5-ish pm
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Tomales deli + cafe
27000 Shoreline HwyGreat morning through evening: coffee and pastries, sandwiches and salads, drinks and ice cream. This local institution has been around for decades: the owner used to be an employee and cares deeply about the community. Open 7 days, morning through 5-ish pm
New owners, raised in the area, are making the Tomales General Store a place for daytrippers and locals alike to find what they need right in town. Great selection of snacks, beach gear, treats, healthy foods, wine, and more. They welcome feedback, so help them get their business off and running!
14 personas del lugar lo recomiendan
Tomales deli + cafe
27000 Shoreline HwyNew owners, raised in the area, are making the Tomales General Store a place for daytrippers and locals alike to find what they need right in town. Great selection of snacks, beach gear, treats, healthy foods, wine, and more. They welcome feedback, so help them get their business off and running!
A hotel and saloon in business since the late 1800s! A great place to stay, eat, and drink. Weekends have breakfast, lunch, dinner. Popular Friday and Saturday evenings. Best place for gathering (since we don't all parties, bring guests you want to entertain to William Tell).
From their website: "Selecting daily from local famers and purveyors, the menu features new items such as Seafood Towers to standards such as Tomales Bay Cioppino. The Tell's bar program and signature cocktails feature similarly seasonal and local ingredients and will be sure to please locals and weary coastal travelers." Oysters, entrees, and sandwiches, there's something for everyone at William Tell.
https://www.sfgate.com/travel/article/oldest-bar-Marin-Bay-Area-William-Tell-House-16702138
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William Tell House
26955 CA-1A hotel and saloon in business since the late 1800s! A great place to stay, eat, and drink. Weekends have breakfast, lunch, dinner. Popular Friday and Saturday evenings. Best place for gathering (since we don't all parties, bring guests you want to entertain to William Tell).
From their website: "Selecting daily from local famers and purveyors, the menu features new items such as Seafood Towers to standards such as Tomales Bay Cioppino. The Tell's bar program and signature cocktails feature similarly seasonal and local ingredients and will be sure to please locals and weary coastal travelers." Oysters, entrees, and sandwiches, there's something for everyone at William Tell.
https://www.sfgate.com/travel/article/oldest-bar-Marin-Bay-Area-William-Tell-House-16702138
Secret local favorite: great lunch to talk wherever you're going. Thursday through Saturday, 11-3. Around the corner from the General Store.
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K&A Take Away
13 Dilon Beach RoadSecret local favorite: great lunch to talk wherever you're going. Thursday through Saturday, 11-3. Around the corner from the General Store.
Sightseeing
Beautiful drive to a beach where you can stay all day. 3.2 miles out and back from the parking lot to Nick's Cove. Dog friendly, kid friendly. Bring supplies from Tomales, though, because there's one very pricey sundries store in Dillon Beach (with soft serve ice cream we highly recommend) and no other services.
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Dillon Beach
Beautiful drive to a beach where you can stay all day. 3.2 miles out and back from the parking lot to Nick's Cove. Dog friendly, kid friendly. Bring supplies from Tomales, though, because there's one very pricey sundries store in Dillon Beach (with soft serve ice cream we highly recommend) and no other services.
10 minutes from here is the magical town of Marshall. Oyster lovers: do not miss this trip!
Stolen straight from the Marshall website:
Tomales Bay’s nourishing waters sustain California’s biggest oyster-producing region. More than half of the state’s shellfish growers lease acreage on the shallow bay’s floor, where conditions are just right for cultivation.
Taste the fruits of their labor at The Marshall Store in the bayside hamlet of Marshall. Order oysters prepared every which way—not just raw, but also barbecued, smoked, Rockefeller (spinach, cheese, and breadcrumbs), and Kilpatrick-style (bacon and Worcestershire sauce). Then find a spot at the outdoor tables—live-edge wood slabs perched on oak barrels—and gaze at the bay while you toss back your bounty. Hefty, plump, and sweetly briny, Preston Point oysters pair perfectly with creamy clam chowder or a hunk of sourdough and baked brie. During crab season, typically November to May, the kitchen caters to Dungeness devotees as well as oyster fans. Try their divine Dungeness sandwich or crack into a whole carapace.
After your meal, rent a boat at Blue Waters Kayaking and paddle along the bay, stopping at tiny beaches wherever you please. Twelve miles long and one mile wide, Tomales Bay is home to dozens of shorebird and waterbird species. Great blue herons and glistening white egrets stand sentry along the bay’s edges. On moonless nights, Blue Waters offers an unforgettable guided paddling tour to witness the magic of bioluminescent plankton glowing in the dark.
Of course, you could just go for a drive. Highway 1 hugs the water’s edge, with weathered oyster shacks and Cape Cod–style bungalows perched over the bay and picturesque dairy farms lining the eastern hills. A few miles south of Marshall, stop for an easy stroll at Millerton Point for sweeping vistas of the bay and grassy pastures. Or walk the hillside paths at Marconi Conference Center State Historic Park (Meadow Trail offers the best views of the bay). In 1913, this westward-sloping property was where Italian inventor Guglielmo Marconi set up a receiving station and was the first person to retrieve wireless telegraph messages sent through the airwaves from Hawaii and Asia.
Once you settle into Marshall’s slow life, you won’t want to leave. Extend your time in the no-rush zone with a stay at Nick’s Cove, a collection of 1930’s-era bayside bungalows, each decorated in its own funky-chic style with recycled wood and galvanized metal. Play a little bocce ball, rent a paddleboard at the pier, and join your fellow guests for an evening bonfire at the beach—with s’mores, of course.
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Marshall
10 minutes from here is the magical town of Marshall. Oyster lovers: do not miss this trip!
Stolen straight from the Marshall website:
Tomales Bay’s nourishing waters sustain California’s biggest oyster-producing region. More than half of the state’s shellfish growers lease acreage on the shallow bay’s floor, where conditions are just right for cultivation.
Taste the fruits of their labor at The Marshall Store in the bayside hamlet of Marshall. Order oysters prepared every which way—not just raw, but also barbecued, smoked, Rockefeller (spinach, cheese, and breadcrumbs), and Kilpatrick-style (bacon and Worcestershire sauce). Then find a spot at the outdoor tables—live-edge wood slabs perched on oak barrels—and gaze at the bay while you toss back your bounty. Hefty, plump, and sweetly briny, Preston Point oysters pair perfectly with creamy clam chowder or a hunk of sourdough and baked brie. During crab season, typically November to May, the kitchen caters to Dungeness devotees as well as oyster fans. Try their divine Dungeness sandwich or crack into a whole carapace.
After your meal, rent a boat at Blue Waters Kayaking and paddle along the bay, stopping at tiny beaches wherever you please. Twelve miles long and one mile wide, Tomales Bay is home to dozens of shorebird and waterbird species. Great blue herons and glistening white egrets stand sentry along the bay’s edges. On moonless nights, Blue Waters offers an unforgettable guided paddling tour to witness the magic of bioluminescent plankton glowing in the dark.
Of course, you could just go for a drive. Highway 1 hugs the water’s edge, with weathered oyster shacks and Cape Cod–style bungalows perched over the bay and picturesque dairy farms lining the eastern hills. A few miles south of Marshall, stop for an easy stroll at Millerton Point for sweeping vistas of the bay and grassy pastures. Or walk the hillside paths at Marconi Conference Center State Historic Park (Meadow Trail offers the best views of the bay). In 1913, this westward-sloping property was where Italian inventor Guglielmo Marconi set up a receiving station and was the first person to retrieve wireless telegraph messages sent through the airwaves from Hawaii and Asia.
Once you settle into Marshall’s slow life, you won’t want to leave. Extend your time in the no-rush zone with a stay at Nick’s Cove, a collection of 1930’s-era bayside bungalows, each decorated in its own funky-chic style with recycled wood and galvanized metal. Play a little bocce ball, rent a paddleboard at the pier, and join your fellow guests for an evening bonfire at the beach—with s’mores, of course.
Historic town, with restaurants, hotel, lovely shops. Great stop on the way to Bodega Bay or Sebastopol; in fact, you can paddle or kayak from Valley Ford to Bodega Bay.
The historic Valley Ford Hotel, built-in 1864, has been upgraded with 6 charming guest rooms and a wine shop complete with tastings and picnic supplies.
Valley Ford
Historic town, with restaurants, hotel, lovely shops. Great stop on the way to Bodega Bay or Sebastopol; in fact, you can paddle or kayak from Valley Ford to Bodega Bay.
The historic Valley Ford Hotel, built-in 1864, has been upgraded with 6 charming guest rooms and a wine shop complete with tastings and picnic supplies.
January through May, whales migrate past Bodega Bay. There's a Hitchcock Festival in March, Chowder Day the last weekend in January, and a whole summer and fall or glorious weather and beaches. Spas and restaurants, hikes and golf: Bodega Bay is one of the most unforgettable day trips in the Bay Area.
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Bodega Bay
January through May, whales migrate past Bodega Bay. There's a Hitchcock Festival in March, Chowder Day the last weekend in January, and a whole summer and fall or glorious weather and beaches. Spas and restaurants, hikes and golf: Bodega Bay is one of the most unforgettable day trips in the Bay Area.