Travel

The Valley of the Moon
Wine Country Day Trip: For a change of pace from the popular Napa, head to Sonoma for wine tasting, hiking and lunch. Less than an hour’s drive from most of Marin County, Cornerstone Gardens is a good place to start: you can browse through creatively quirky shops like Artefact Design and Salvage. Light breakfast, gourmet coffee, tea and pastries are available at the Blue Tree Cafe. From there, head to Highway 12 in the heart of one of California’s most scenic and treasured locales, the Valley of the Moon. Wineries offering tasting abound, including favorites Arrowood, Blackstone, Landmark, Ledson and Chateau St. Jean. Pace yourself and plan for a late lunch on the patio at Kenwood Restaurant and Bar, where the views of the garden, vineyards and surrounding area are a visual enhancement to any meal.

After lunch, zip over to Glen Ellen and Jack London State Park, where you can visit the museum and take a short walk to the famous London dwelling Wolf House before driving back to Marin.

Resources
Best place to find travel books: Book Passage, 51 Tamal Vista Blvd., Corte Madera ★ Best place to buy luggage: San Rafael Luggage Center, Fourth Street ★ Best ride to the airport (S.F. and Oakland): Marin Airporter, Strawberry Limo, Marin Shuttle

Tiburon/Angel Island
Day-tripping in Marin: Head to Tiburon to catch the Angel Island ferry; it’s a five-minute ride to Angel Island, where you can walk, run or bike the circumference (five miles). Take the ferry back to Tiburon and enjoy a well-earned lunch on the deck of Sam’s or Guaymas. Matinees at the movie theater in Tiburon start at 4 p.m. and typically feature first-run films. After the movie enjoy dinner at Servino, Three Degrees, Rooney’s or the Cottage Eatery.

Hotel Vitale
Overnighting in S.F.: Pack your overnight bag and hop one of Marin’s ferries to the Ferry Terminal in San Francisco. Walk across the street, check into the Hotel Vitale and indulge in a spa treatment before dinner. In addition to Americano—a happening restaurant and bar on the premises—you can walk to numerous hot restaurants including Boulevard, the Slanted Door, Hog Island Oyster, Chaya and the latest Pat Kuleto creations, Waterbar and Epic Roasthouse.

On the coast
Mendocino, Little River Inn; littleriverinn.com. Big Sur, Post Ranch Inn; postranchinn.com. Sonoma, Sea Ranch Lodge searanchlodge.com. Marin, Nick’s Cove nickscove.com

Local secret
Choice hotels to put up friends and family: Acqua, jdvhotels.com; Cavallo Point, cavallopoint.com; The Lodge at Tiburon, thelodgeattiburon.com