Point Reyes & Tomales Bay Day Trip Ideas from the San Francisco Bay Area

Hog Island Oyster Co.

Tomales Bay is known for oyster farming, which makes it the ideal destination for sampling some of the freshest oysters around! Hog Island is one of the regions well-known oyster farms and has a beautiful setting for their Boat Oyster Bar, which is what drew me to them in the first place.

I recommend driving up to Hog Island and getting your day started here.

What to Get at The Boat Oyster Bar

The Boat Oyster Bar at Hog Island has a limited menu of delicacies to choose from. Here’s what I recommend:

• Start with a nice crisp glass of Hog Wine White Blend and some Acme bread and cultured butter.
• Order up a dozen raw oysters (offerings change daily), which come with Hog Wash mignonette and fresh lemon.
• Do yourself a favor and get some of their BBQ oysters grilled with chipotle bourbon butter! An order only comes with four oysters, but the flavor on these is unbeatable! Definitely worth the splurge.
• Sample the fresh crudo. When we visited, the fish was halibut and was my favorite thing we had at the Oyster Bar!

Tips for Visiting Hog Island

• Make a reservation via their website. They say it’s mandatory to reserve a seat, but they did take some walk-ins when we were there. If you want to walk-in, your best shot is probably right at opening at 11:00 a.m.
• Get the earliest reservation for the day if you plan on starting your day at Hog Island (11:00 a.m.). I also recommend this time due to the limited parking in the area.
• Dress appropriately for the weather. It can get foggy and chilly on the coast, even in the summer! Always have a sweater or jacket on hand.
• The Boat Oyster Bar is only open for the weekend on Fridays – Sundays, so plan accordingly!

Tony’s Seafood

As a sister location to Hog Island (as of 2017), Tony’s Seafood is a great second choice if Hog Island is booked up. The restaurant is located right on the water with both indoor and patio seating. That means the views are great no matter where you sit!

At Tony’s, you can order up fresh oysters and even get some of those delectable chipotle bourbon butter grilled oysters that Hog Island has. I also highly recommend the Bloody Mary, fish tacos and steamed mussels!

The Marshall Store

Next up is The Marshall Store, which is just a few minutes down the road from Hog Island Oyster Company. The Marshall Store also serves up fresh oysters from Tomales Bay Oyster Company (they were a little pricier than Hog Island but larger in size). However, we wanted to stop and try their fish stew and clam chowder!

The Marshall Store is also located right on the water and I can’t think you’d have a bad view anywhere you sit here.

The Chorizo Fish Stew and Clam Chowder are pretty tasty, but definitely need a little added kick to them. Thankfully, they give you some packets of salty oyster crackers. There are also bottles of hot sauce on nearby tables you can snag to add some extra zest to them!

You can peep their current menu here to see what they’ve got going on! I’m definitely going to try that Rock Cod Sandwich next time.

Heidrun Meadery

Continuing on down Tomales Bay, plan to visit Heidrun Meadery in Point Reyes for some sparkling honey mead.

Heidrun’s meads are made from both monofloral honey (nectar predominately from one plant species) and wildflower honey. And while they work directly with beekeepers from across the U.S. (and the world), they also keep their own beehives to source honey for many of their wildflower varietals!

Each of Heidrun’s meads has a distinct botanical essence to it, and you can really get a sense of each flower through smell and taste of the mead itself. The flavors are so unique! They are also allegedly the only meadery in the U.S. to use the French Methode Champenoise to produce naturally sparkling mead.

Tips for Visiting Heidrun Meadery

• Book a tasting via their website! They do have a large space, however, and am pretty sure they can accommodate walk-ins, especially if it’s earlier in the day (they tend to get busy around 2:00 p.m.).
• Stop in at one of the local cheese shops, like Cowgirl Creamery, so you can picnic while you sip on your bubbles!
• Tasting flights are $20 per person, with each tasting waived with a 3-bottle purchase.

A little added bonus – they have this beautiful curly willow tree on the property (with tasting tables and picnic tables underneath it). If you’re lucky, you might see one of these little caterpillar fellas cruising around on the ground or one of the tables (I believe it’s a yellow spotted tussock moth caterpillar). Our hostess said they drop regularly from the tree!

Point Reyes Lighthouse

If you are visiting on a clear day, I would highly recommend taking the drive out to the Point Reyes Lighthouse, which happens to be extra beautiful at sunset!

Some pro tips: bring comfortable walking shoes! It’s quite a hike from the parking lot to the lighthouse (and even more rigorous if you are going to brave the steps down to the actual lighthouse building). It can also get very windy and cold here, so be sure to plan your outfits accordingly and dress in layers.

Marin French Cheese

If you love cheese, the drive to Marin French Cheese is worth it! It’s located about 15 minutes from Point Reyes Station, making it an easy detour. The grounds are lovely and the cheese is delicious! You could even plan to spend a couple hours here and have a picnic lunch by their little lake with all the goodies you buy.

Marin French Cheeses are soft and creamy, so if you’re a fan of brie-style cheeses, this is your spot! They also have special deals on some of their cheeses, and will give out samples of some items they are featuring.

Other Activities in the Area

Here are a few other things you can add to your Point Reyes and Tomales Bay day trip itinerary!

• Schedule a cheese tasting at Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese Co. You get a cheese board filled with different cheeses and accoutrements, and I hear they have fabulous homemade ice cream sandwiches!
• Visit Point Reyes Station and try out one of the local bakeries or restaurants.
• Check out the Point Reyes Shipwreck, which is located on the shores behind the Inverness Grocery Store.

What to Pack for Tomales Bay

• Cooler and ice if you plan on picking up some fresh oysters to shuck at home (or to enjoy on the beach). This is also ideal if you’re planning to purchase cheese, picnic supplies, or even some bottles of honey mead!
• Oyster shucking kit if you think you’ll want some to-go oysters to enjoy outside of the stops along Tomales Bay
• Jacket or sweater for cooler weather
• Blanket or throw for picnicking or to keep you warm in cooler weather
• Sunscreen and chap stick for warmer days
• Sunglasses for sunny days!
• Dramamine if you get motion/car sickness. The roads to/from Tomales Bay and the Point Reyes lighthouse are very windy (lots of twists and turns). You do not want to get car sick if eating oysters is on your agenda, trust me!