What makes Marin County feel different from one town to the next? The answer is often the relationship between a commercial street, the surrounding hills and the water. A movie on Magnolia Avenue, groceries at Bon Air, a walk near the marsh in Corte Madera and an afternoon in Fairfax are different experiences, even when they fit into the same part of the county.
County guide · Marin
Marin County: Town Centers, Trails and Everyday Places
This is an introduction to Marin, with a closer look at six communities. It is not an exhaustive guide to every town or a suggestion that the county has one neighborhood character.
Start with the places, not one description of Marin
Kentfield has everyday anchors around College Avenue: College of Marin, cafés and Woodlands Market. Its local story comes through as much in school-day routines and neighborhood stops as in destination attractions.
Greenbrae has a different center of gravity around Bon Air. Shopping and food bring people to the center, while residential streets climb away from the Sir Francis Drake corridor. It connects closely with Kentfield and Larkspur without being interchangeable with either.
Larkspur offers two distinct outings: the Magnolia Avenue downtown, with the Lark Theater and restaurants, and Marin Country Mart at Larkspur Landing. The latter has its own shops and Saturday market; it is not simply another block of the historic downtown.
Corte Madera brings shopping centers and tidal habitat into the same local picture. Town Center and The Village are separate destinations on opposite sides of Highway 101. The marsh deserves attention in its own right, not just as scenery beside the road.
Fairfax has a compact town center, a mountain-biking history and access to nearby wooded open space. Its shops and restaurants give a visit a natural stopping point before or after time outdoors.
Novato adds another scale and setting: downtown history, Hamilton’s former airfield landscape and open-space destinations near the city. Stafford Lake and nearby Olompali offer different ways to spend time beyond the shopping streets.
What history belongs in a Marin introduction?
Marin’s history does not begin with its towns or commuter routes. The National Park Service’s Coast Miwok account describes Indigenous life at Point Reyes and the continuing community. That is an important starting point, not a historical footnote.
Local histories then give individual places their own texture. The Kentfield–Greenbrae Historical Society collects residents’ recollections; Larkspur’s downtown preserves a recognizable older commercial streetscape; Fairfax’s mountain-biking museum tells a much more recent story. These belong in the community guides rather than being flattened into one county origin story.
Where can you find a farmers’ market?
For a year-round Saturday outing, Marin Country Mart’s market runs 9 a.m.–2 p.m. at 2257 Larkspur Landing Circle in Larkspur. It combines produce and food shopping with the Mart’s other businesses.
The county’s market directory also lists weekday and seasonal markets, including Corte Madera, Fairfax and Novato. The individual guides below give their schedules and locations so that a seasonal market does not get mistaken for a year-round one.
Market details checked October 5, 2026. Confirm holiday closures and changes with the operator before going.
A personal starting point
My years in Kentfield and Corte Madera introduced me to Marin through bike rides, school, friends and soccer games. Those everyday trips are part of these guides, alongside current places to visit. A childhood route and a present-day recommendation are not always the same thing.
Explore Marin at a closer scale
Sources & local information
Business and visitor details can change. Follow the original sources for current information.