Fun Things to Do in Dillon Beach, a Beautiful California Beach Vacation Town Great for Families
There are so many fun and interesting things to do in this small, beautiful town of Dillon Beach, located on the beautiful Marin County, California Coast. Plan a wonderful visit for a family reunion, a Girl’s Weekend, or a corporate retreat. Vacation rental homes abound here, everything from a small beach cottage to grand, beautiful homes which comfortably sleep up to 12 people for weekends or weekly rentals. There are so many fun activities, so will want to return again and again, year after year. Here are just a few things to enchant you with your Dillon Beach Vacation:
Hiking
At the top of the bluff of Oceana Drive at the end of the street, you go through a cattle gate. To the left, there is a gorgeous view from Eagle Rock, overlooking Bodega Head and the gorgeous Tomales Bay. You’d think you were in Scotland, but it’s just over an hour’s drive from San Francisco! There are some deer trails you’ll see, follow those to the right and you’ll come upon a fire road. Go left, and you’ll come to the Estero in about a mile. Lots of good sticks and rocks along the way! Fun for kids of all ages. Dogs love this hike!
Another great hiking area is Pt. Reyes National Seashore Visitors Center. It’s a beautiful 45 minutes drive from Dillon Beach. There are fun trails – make sure to go on the Earthquake one, and then go to see the Miwok village as well. You can drive on along Tomales Bay to an adventure to climb the 300 steps down to the Lighthouse. Look along the drive for a glimpse of the Tule Elk which run free, and listen for the barking of the Sea Lions along the shore.
Towns
If you’re heading down to the National Seashore Center, plan some time in Pt. Reyes, it’s a cute little town with some fun shops. Be sure to visit Toby’s Feed Store. There is a park behind Toby’s for kids. Bovine Bakery is well known, and good! Locals keep their own coffee mugs on hte shelves, so bring your own to feel a part of things. Next door is a great bookstore to explore.
Tomales has the world’s best bakery, however. Open only Thursday-Sunday you need to get there early, before they sell out! The William Tell has just been redone and is quite good. you can now sit outside for a BBQ oyster treat. The deli is great for sandwiches, which you can take across the street to the park and let the kids play. Don’t miss the hot lamb sandwich! In the opposite direction is Native Plants Nursery which is fun to explore.
Petaluma has a great old downtown area. Cute shops, antiques and great restaurants. It was not damaged much by the 1906 earthquake, as so many areas of the North Bay and San Francisco were, so the buildings are among some of the oldest in our area. Known for it’s past chicken industry, it still hosts ” Chicken and Egg Days”, with a fun parade and family activities honoring the popular poltry of yore.
Other fun towns to explore – the small town of Bodega (not Bodega Bay) is where Alfred Hitchcock filmed “The Birds”. Sebastopol has a great downtown, plus loads of antique shops along the Gravenstein Highway. Healdsburg is a great place to visit, the town square is lovely with shops and restaurants to explore.
San Francisco is a fun day’s outing away. You can explore Golden Gate Park, with the museums or The Exploratorium at the Palace of Fine Arts. Chinatown, Fisherman’s Wharf and Ghirardelli Square are all fun to explore.
Winetasting
So many to choose from! While Napa is most famous, and only about 45 minutes away, locals really prefer the area closer to Dillon Beach. Sonoma county rivals Napa is world class wines. Go to the Alexander Valley, Russian River Wine Road, or try some of the smaller boutique wineries in Sebastopol.
Dillon Beach
If you want to stay close to home, just try our beach! You can have a fire in a firepit, and your dog can enjoy the beach too. The north end of the beach often has great tidepools for exploring. The dunes are so fun to run & up down, but make sure to not allow children to dig too deeply, sand moves and can easily collapse a hole.
You can walk south along the beach to Lawson’s Landing, the campground. There is a pier where you can fish or crab. Clamming is also popular here. There is a fee to drive to the landing.