A secret jewel of the Bay Area, Point Bonita is still an active lighthouse maintained by the U.S. Coast Guard. Discover Point Bonita's wild landscape, geology, and fascinating history.

The lighthouse is reached by a half-mile trail, with a tunnel that is open only on Saturdays, Sundays, and Mondays, from 12:30 - 3:30 p.m. Point Bonita docents are on hand along the trail, and the setting offers breathtaking views.

NOTE: Until the spring of 2012, the lighthouse itself is not accessible by the public -- the suspension bridge between the tunnel and the lighthouse is currently under construction.

During the tense years from 1953 to 1979, the United States Army built and operated a total of 280 Nike missile firing batteries in the United States, emplaced as the last line of defense against Soviet bombers. Today, site SF-88 in the Marin Headlands has been turned into a museum, and is the only restored Nike missile site in the country.

Visit SF-88 and see the tools of the Cold War up close. The site is open Wednesday through Friday, 12:30 - 3:30 p.m., with guided walks beginning every hour. There is also an "open house" on the first Saturday of every month, 12:30 - 3:30 p.m., with volunteer docents and Nike veterans on hand.

The only children's museum in the U.S. to be located in a national park, the Bay Area Discovery Museum is a one-of-a-kind indoor and outdoor children's museum nestled at the foot of the Golden Gate Bridge.

The first Wednesday of the month, admission is free to the museum. Bring the family down to explore the 7.5-acre, indoor-outdoor environment that harmonizes nature and nurture.

Check out permanent exhibits such as Lookout Cove, which includes a shipwreck with clues to dig up and discover, and the San Francisco Bay Hall, a playful simulation of the Bay Area with an "underwater" tunnel, 300-gallon sea star tank, a fishing boat, a model of Fisherman's Wharf, and a play shipping port.

Long closed to public access, Battery Townsley in the Marin Headlands has been refurbished and is now open to visitors the first Sunday of the month.

Come explore this labyrinthine fortification, and learn about San Francisco's most extensive -- and most secret -- World War II military fortification.

From 1940 to 1948, it mounted two massive battleship guns and housed more than 100 soldiers in an extensive network of underground tunnels; during the Cold War, it was used as an underground research facility.

Battery Townsley is reached via a moderately strenuous hike up the Coastal Trail, approximately one half-mile north of the Rodeo Beach parking lot.

Join docent Warren Riley for an illustrated talk about the history of the lighthouses of San Francisco Bay and their critical role in the growth of California.

Reservations can be made by calling (415) 331-1540.

Gung hay fat choy! Welcome the new Year of the Dragon at the Bay Area Discovery Museum's annual Chinese New Year celebration.

Learn more about your Chinese zodiac sign or try your hand at calligraphy, decorate a lucky red envelope in the art studio, and make your own traditional sweet pastry. Inside, see vibrant dance performances by local youth, and outdoors watch a traditional lion dance.

The Bay Area Discovery Museum is a one-of-a-kind indoor and outdoor children's museum nestled at the foot of the Golden Gate Bridge.

Artists, art patrons, art lovers, and everyone else is welcome on 4th Street in San Rafael every second Friday of the month for the city’s art walk.

Browse open studios and art galleries, and enjoy the latest and greatest work by some of the Bay Area’s most talented artists -- along with a glass of wine or two. Galleries and retailers will have special extended hours so that art walkers can experience the full variety of downtown commerce, from art and artisan gifts to clothing and accessories.

This month's First Fridays event at the Mill Valley Public Library is a storytelling series. Previous events have included an arts showcase and a cinema cabaret! 

The Naked Truth: Real Stories Live, is hosted as part of a First Friday series of events. This season, on the first Friday of February, June and October, the library will be transformed into a venue for seasoned raconteurs as well as storytelling novices to showcase the human experience. Based on a theme, each guest will tell a ten-minute true story without the benefit of notes. The February theme is "missed connections." Registration is required for this  event.  

Check out the bounty of produce grown in Northern California at one of the state's largest farmers markets, held each Sunday, all year round, in the Marin Civic Center parking lot. There's no better way to shop local!

During peak summer season, you'll find more than 200 local farmers, artisans, and food vendors selling everything from oranges to tamales, fresh cheese to creative jams to locally made pottery.

Come for lunch, shop for dinner, or for graze the booths for a mid-morning snack of free samples!

The Sausalito Farmers Market offers an abundance of locally grown and/or produced vegetables, fruits, organic products, gourmet cheese, herbs, seafood, meats, organic coffee, desserts, and wines, available right from the people who produce them.

This is the perfect spot to sample Marin County's agricultural bounty, grab fixings for a picnic, or stock up on groceries for your hostel stay.

The Farmers Market is held year-round at Dunphy Park. 

Join Marin Headlands docent Jane Haley on an easy walk to Rodeo Lagoon to learn about the birds that take shelter in the Headlands from the winter storms.

Appropriate for ages 8 and up. Reservations required; call (415) 331-1540.

Celebrate the grand reopening of the Bay Model. Construction on the Bay Model has given it new life and a fresh look; the center now has 2,500 solar panels and energy efficient lighting. Come enjoy the newly remodeld Bay Model Visitor Center.