Subsequent time you’re within the San Francisco Bay Space, as a substitute of heading south into Silicon Valley or alongside the coast, take the Golden Gate bridge north into Marin. Right here you’ll uncover some hidden treasures, in addition to some extra identified ones, corresponding to wine nation.

The French Market Marin

On the second Sunday of the month, you may experience the ambiance of the French flea markets in Paris in San Rafael on the Marin Heart. Better of all, attendance and parking are each free. The French Market Marin market brings collectively over 140 cubicles of classic and vintage treasures.

Picture credit score: French Market Marin

The French Market Marin is an excellent option to spend a Sunday afternoon, as you stroll by means of aisles of dwelling and backyard décor, classic and property jewellery, collectibles, books, classic shabby stylish, farmhouse type, artwork, pottery, silver rugs and a number of different objects. They at all times have dwell French music and a creperie meals truck. You’ll come throughout dishes, pots, furnishings, native American items, artwork, previous relics, Asian rugs and vintage garments, starting from designer items to vintage lace equipment.

Under, my sister and I take a selfie in one of many many cubicles that make up the Sunday French Market.

We stay big followers of the market who was began by Fern Loiacono who used to shopped the well-known weekend brocantes or flea markets in Paris—Marché du Biron, Marche Vernaison and Porte de Clignancourt, the most important and oldest one—trying to find gems she liked. That inspiration led to her launching the French Market Marin in 2011 and the remaining is historical past. Two thumbs up.

Petaluma Classic Market

Talking of markets, simply north of the French Market Marin is a month-to-month market in Petaluma, in Sonoma County. Alongside North McDowell Boulevard, you’ll discover roughly 4 dozen distributors promoting their newest finds. Its official identify—Petaluma Classic—incorporates a curated number of over forty classic and vintage sellers specializing in all issues classic. 

Among the stuff you’ll discover embrace video video games, toys, clothes, jewellery (costume and vintage), hats, style equipment, comedian books, buying and selling playing cards, books, films, posters, artwork, furnishings, decor, dishes, lamps, kitchen gear, devices, glasses, rugs and extra.

We discovered one other nice rug however this one was a lot bigger. A bit heavy to hold, however for a beautiful piece, isn’t it price it? The added bonus was Sean from Sean’s Antiques & Tremendous Artwork, was such a delight. Irish-born and a pure storyteller, it was a such a pleasure to hang around with him.

For extra data, together with the following dates, visit their website.

Larkspur Wine Stroll

Yearly, the Larkspur Chamber hosts a Larkspur Wine Stroll on the principle drag, which is closed right down to automobiles so pedestrians can stroll up and down the road tasting wines for the afternoon. Among the featured wineries embrace Adobe Highway, Alexander Valley Vineyards, Calstar Cellars, Isetta Household Wines, Drew Dowsett Wines, Cazadero Vineyard, Grgich Hills Property, Santori Wines, Assemble Vineyard, and fairly a number of others.

That they had dwell music as effectively — children and adults alike performed, participated and danced.

Wine tasting anybody?

This was their twelfth 12 months internet hosting the wine stroll and it was as soon as once more a hit. Fortunately the climate cooperated, which is sort of a given for Marin within the Fall. If wine isn’t your factor, Larkspur has tons of cute outlets to discover as effectively.

One in every of our favourite outlets (to not be missed) is Citrine alongside the principle drag. House owners Jay and Karyn curate one of the best garments, crystals and reward objects. We’ve by no means been within the store and never found a gem. Additionally they have a yoga studio within the again in addition to a singular therapeutic salt room. For these new to crystals, citrine is a wonderful crystal, (additionally Karyn’s birthstone) with therapeutic qualities which are slated to signify all issues abundance and manifestation.

Jay and Karyn Holland, homeowners of Citrine in Larkspur

We additionally love sitting on the bar and ordering wine and appetizers at Left Financial institution Brasseries in downtown Larkspur. It’s an outpost of a small native chain providing easy Southern French delicacies in a hip atmosphere with a fire. To seek out out when the following Larkspur wine stroll is, make sure you take a look at their website.

Healdsburg

Why Healdsburg? Positioned roughly an hour or so north of San Francisco, this little wine nation city boasts tons of historical past and tradition. It additionally occurs to be a wonderful city surrounded by rising hills and vineyards. Nestled towards the Russian River in northern Sonoma County, Healdsburg exudes the attraction of a small, agricultural neighborhood with the facilities of a world-class wine and meals vacation spot.

We used it as our place to begin for wine tasting. It’s an awesome spot for lunch or dinner and the buying is fabulous. For those who’re an artwork lover, there are some great galleries, certainly one of which was so eclectic that we had a tough time leaving: Aerena Galleries & Gardens. Additionally they have outlets in St. Helena, Yountville, Mill Valley and Napa.

Above and under: Aerena Galleries & Gardens in Healdsburg

After you’ve had a stroll by means of downtown Healdsburg, it’s time to go wine tasting in close by Dry Creek Valley.

Dry Creek Valley Wine Tasting

We’ve completed our justifiable share of wine tasting in Napa and Sonoma valleys through the years however we have been new to tasting wines from Dry Creek Valley, a few of which you’ll doubtless acknowledge when you’re a wine lover. I’d advocate not more than 4 wineries in a day and even three is loads if you wish to actually get to know the winery, and spend time speaking to the wine maker or get a tour.

We pushed it at 4 and our trek on a scorching September day included Breathless Glowing Wines, Amista Vineyards, Capo Creek Valley, and DaVero Farms & Vineyard. Remember to take a look at our longer article on the Dry Creek Valley vineyards and our experiences there for extra in-depth data on every of them. Under are a number of photograph highlights from every.

Breathless Sparking Wines

They provide 15 additional brut glowing wines, and we sampled a number of of these. Further brut interprets to lower than half the quantity of sugar of an everyday brut and the additional brut wines boast a decrease calorie depend as effectively. Woot woot. Run by three sisters, they solely make 2,000 to 2,500 circumstances a 12 months. Listed below are a number of enjoyable visible highlights from our cease at Breathless Glowing Wines.

Amista Vineyards

We didn’t have as a lot time at Amista Vineyards as we had hoped, so missed out on a full-blown expertise.  That mentioned, we did have an opportunity to strive a number of of their wines, beginning with their Property Glowing Blanc de Blanc (additional brut). They introduced chips, caviar and cream to the desk to pair with the wines — the Blanc de Blanc was an ideal companion. See under for a number of recollections from our time of their tasting room and the surface vineyards.

Capo Creek Valley

Capo Creek Valley is a hidden gem who affords a singular meals and wine pairing expertise outdoors with views of the vineyards off within the distance. All of us liked their Playlist: Property White Wine Mix, which is fabricated from Clairette Blanc (26%), Grenache Blanc (24%), Roussane (21%), Picpoul (11%), Petit Manseng (10%) and Voignier (8%). What a mixture proper? Mary Roy, who led us within the meals and wine extravaganza, has fairly a narrative to inform. Two thumbs up. Under are a number of visible highlights.

DaVero Farms & Vineyard

DaVero  Farms & Vineyard is all about sustainability and their farm demonstrates that dedication. By biodynamic farming and conscious, conventional winemaking, they produce Italian varietal wines and olive oil in stability with their local weather and the ethos of regenerative agriculture. They act as a hub for an academic and immersive expertise, beginning with a tour of the farm itself. There have been so many varietals of crops, fruit, herbs and flowers that it might take days to discover all of them in depth. Take a look at a number of highlights from our afternoon.

AGAIN, make sure you go to the longer article on our 4 wine tasting picks from Dry Creek Valley for extra visuals and particulars.

Mill Valley Artwork Truthful

We’re not at all times on the town for the Mill Valley Artwork Truthful, however like to attend each time our schedule permits. It’s held in Mill Valley amongst Redwood bushes and boasts all kinds of artwork, from pottery, jewellery and eclectic installations, to conventional portray, blended media and extra.  l

This 12 months, the competition devoted their Particular Grove to an exhibition referred to as Artwork for a Higher World. This specifically curated exhibition contains work of neurologically various artists from Autistry Studios of San Rafael and the group Artwork With out Boundaries that includes work from Oak Hill College, the Helix College and PAASS. Additionally exhibiting within the Particular Grove have been Youth in Arts, which helps youth of each background.

A few of our favorites from the day contains Erin Burch’s pottery — completely beautiful. She can be a physique employee, who designed one thing referred to as the Burch Method.

Erin Burch in her sales space on the Mill Valley Fall Arts Pageant

Then there’s this distinctive blended media artist, Jamie Pavlich-Walker.

Vibrant coloured work adorned one wall — I fell in love with David Palmer’s sunflowers.

Mayumix had one other distinctive providing, artwork on materials. Completely stunning work.

There have been additionally these stunning pure items, combining artwork with nature.

Extra earthy pottery that had me at hi there.

Additionally they had a enjoyable puppet present outdoors for teenagers accompanied by classic music. It was such an ideal providing for households with babies. His present even had me mesmerized. Fact be informed, I didn’t need to depart.

Undecided what to name this one, however he introduced a smile to each face who handed him. It jogged my memory of the Wiccan Inexperienced Man.

Spellcraft Curator

Spellcraft Curator is a Sonoma County household owned enterprise and was designed and operated by a credentialed trainer.  Three of us went for a pair hour expertise at their facility in Santa Rosa California.

Under, proprietor Pamela kicks issues off within the foyer.

She begins you out within the candle making workshop room, the place you may select your colour and create your individual to take dwelling with you in a glass jar.

Then she units you unfastened and you may wander to the varied curated rooms. There are presently 5 in complete with a sixth being added quickly, targeted in Egypt historical past and tradition.

Every room is really distinctive. There’s a Victorian Parlor the place you may turn into a Victorian for a stint. Benefit from the fads of the time, such because the stereoscope and utilizing a metallic stamp to make a very good luck talisman.

There’s additionally a Reed Pump Organ, which is a Victorian vintage instrument from the 1800’s. And sure, I performed it . . . with care in fact. Was it haunted? It’s laborious to say but it surely actually gave us nice sound and introduced a smile to our faces.

You may as well turn into a Colonial Witch — rewind the clock and create a natural concoction. This room is an acknowledgment to the ladies who misplaced their lives for being midwives and healers.

There’s additionally the Divining Den, the place you will get a taste of the 1920’s, a time when mediums held seances and spiritualism was on the rise.

My favourite was the Celestial Examine, the place you turn into a Renaissance Wizard and make your individual magic wand. How cool is that?

And when you’re fortunate and get a few of the clues proper, you may return to Pamela within the Wax Workshop and she or he’ll offer you a Spell Package goodie bag loaded with tons of enjoyable gems.

Two thumbs up. It was such a enjoyable expertise. My solely remorse was not having sufficient time in every of the rooms. Take a look at their website for extra data and the right way to ebook.

Fairfax

Fairfax is a an off-the-beaten-path city in Marin. When Anthony and I first visited it, he mentioned “it’s just a little witchy.” By that, he meant that it was inventive, artsy and nature-driven, all of that are true. Among the homes are nestled into the hills and surrounded by bushes, chicken life and chances are you’ll even spot a deer.  It’s a small city (below 10K) and but, boasts a bustling downtown space with eating places, cafes and enjoyable outlets. There are additionally murals and artwork outdoors on partitions and tucked away in locations you’d least anticipate finding blossoming creativity in motion.

Under are indicators on the Espresso Roastery.

Exterior on the identical avenue, there’s a beautiful mosaic bench the place you may sit and other people watch over a cuppa espresso.

Inside The Eleventh Home metaphysical store, the partitions and ceilings are painted. Tremendous enjoyable, proper?

There are additionally a few enjoyable classic clothes shops as effectively alongside the principle drag. One other enjoyable expertise is the Wu Wei Tea Temple, which calls themselves as a “gathering place for creatives, wanderers and lovers of life’s little treasures.” It’s a full service tea home and Kava bar that includes natural bone broth, house-made therapeutic elixirs & Center Jap treats. Additionally they have weekly dwell music, tarot readings, and performances. 

Picture credit score: Wei Wu Tea TempleWe hope you’ve got loved a few of our enjoyable picks north of the Golden Gate bridge.

Renee Blodgett is the founding father of We Blog the World. The positioning combines the magic of a web based tradition and journey journal with a world weblog community and has contributors from each continent on this planet. Having lived in 10 international locations and explored almost 80, she is an avid traveler, and a lover, observer and participant in cultural variety.

She can be the CEO and founding father of Magic Sauce Media, a brand new media providers consultancy targeted on viral advertising and marketing, social media, branding, occasions and PR. For over 20 years, she has helped corporations from 12 international locations get traction out there. Identified for her international and natural strategy to product and company launches, Renee practices what she pitches and as an lively consumer of social media, she helps shoppers navigate digital waters from world wide. Renee has been running a blog for over 16 years and often writes on her private weblog Down the Avenue, Huffington Put up, BlogHer, We Weblog the World and different websites. She was ranked #12 Social Media Influencer by Forbes Journal and is listed as a brand new media influencer and recreation changer on numerous websites and books on the brand new media revolution. In 2013, she was listed because the sixth most influential lady in social media by Forbes Journal on a High 20 Record.

Her ardour for artwork, storytelling and pictures led to the launch of Magic Sauce Photography, which is a visible extension of her writing, the results of which has led to producing six photograph books: Galapagos Islands, London, South Africa, Rome, Urbanization and Ecuador.

Renee can be the co-founder of Traveling Geeks, an initiative that brings entrepreneurs, thought leaders, bloggers, creators, curators and influencers to different international locations to share and be taught from friends, governments, companies, and most people with a purpose to educate, share, consider, and promote progressive applied sciences.