Downtown Mill Valley

Downtown activities center around Lytton Square, where people gather for coffee at the Book Depot Café or for a game of chess while conducting some serious people-watching. Fashionable boutiques and restaurants fill the downtown. Sweetwater, one of the top roots music clubs in the nation, is well-known for its live musical performances and famous guest musicians who occasionally “drop in” for an evening to improvise.

Mill Valley is host to a range of cultural activities. The Mill Valley Film Festival is an internationally recognized festival that has attracted leading filmmakers and movie aficionados for many years.

The Mill Valley Outdoor Art Club, a state historical landmark, was designed in 1904 by internationally known architect, Bernard Maybeck. Particularly notable for its unusual roof truss system, the Arts and Crafts style building exemplifies Maybeck’s creative use of natural materials.

Mill Valley, home of the Marin Mountain Bike, hosts the annual Dipsea Race, the second oldest footrace in the United States. The race takes runners over a 7.1 mile course up and over Mt. Tamalpais to one of the most beautiful California beaches on the Pacific Ocean.