Date Night Marin November: "Date Day" at the Coast

Bay Area locals know that the coast can be cold and miserable during the summer, but sunny and spectacular during the fall before the rain arrives in earnest. For November's Marin date night, we decided to take a look at fun activities out in West Marin coupled with a great dinner or lunch. Let's face it—you probably won't be driving out to Point Reyes for a night out, but a day out is a whole different matter!

You can find some ideas for daytime outdoor outings in our special sections dedicated to Point Reyes and the outdoors in Marin.

Do you have a favorite date night (or any time of day) spot that you'd like us to highlight in a future post? Let us know.

Point Reyes and Point Reyes National Seashore have a wealth of fun activities to do with or without the kids. Get in touch with with nature on a long hike, paddle Tomales Bay on a kayak excursion from Blue Waters Kayaking in Inverness, or visit the artisan cheesemakers of West Marin on California's Cheese Trail. Of course, a long walk on the beach might be in order, too.

Point Reyes is rightly known as a foodie mecca, with countless farms and food producers in the area, so finding a great meal shouldn't be a problem. In downtown Point Reyes Station, check out perrenial favorite the Station House Cafe, which offers fresh sustainable food, as well as live music every Sunday evening. Across the street, Osteria Stellina creates Italian-inspired cuisine using organic local ingredients. And if you're in the mood for pizza, try Café Reyes, whose wood-burning over turns out some terrific artisan pies.

Head out of town on Sir Francis Drake Boulevard to the village of Olema, where you'll find Sir and Star at the Olema, which serves creative cuisine crafted from local ingredients (love their whimsical menu names and descriptions). In nearby Inverness, the Salt Water Oyster Depot dishes up its namesake bivalves, as well as other innovative dishes using local ingredients. (Are you sensing a theme here?) They also have a wide array of wines and beers both on tap and in the bottle.

Keep in mind that Point Reyes and other places in West Marin are, well, "cow towns", and thus things tend to close up early. Don't expect most places to stay open much past 9 pm, and do check their websites before you go. While there's not much in the way of nightlife out there, make sure you take a look at the schedule for Point Reyes' Dance Palace Community Center, which occasionally offers interesting concerts and other performances.

Need a place for the kiddos to go while you enjoy your evening out? Marinwood Community Center in San Rafael offers a Parents Night Out event on Friday, November 14, from 5 to 10 pm. The cost is $22, with a $4 sibling discount for kids ages 2 to 10. Your child will have fun in safe environment with games, a movie, arts and crafts, and dinner, too. Register early, as this program fills up quickly. More information and reservations at www.marinwood.org.