What to See in Sausalito - Top Sights and Attractions

Museum in Marin County, California. The Bay Area Discovery Museum is a children's museum located in Sausalito, California inside the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, which is right at the foot of the Golden Gate Bridge. It was founded in 1987.

The museum is geared to children from 6 months to 10 years of age with different areas of the museum tailored to a specific age group. Children have the options of exploring the 6 different sections of the museum: Art Studios, Bay Hall, Discovery Hall, Lookout Cove, Tot Spot, and Fab Lab.

In the fall of 2021, the museum completed a $20M USD renovation that included five new exhibits including an interconnected set of tree houses shaped like the nuts of the trees they inhabit.^[1]

Non-profit. The Marine Mammal Center is a private, non-profit U.S. organization that was established in 1975 for the purpose of rescuing, rehabilitating and releasing marine mammals who are injured, ill or abandoned. It was founded in Sausalito, California, by Lloyd Smalley, Pat Arrigoni and Paul Maxwell. Since 1975, TMMC has rescued over 23,000 marine mammals. It also serves as a center for environmental research and education regarding marine mammals, namely cetaceans, pinnipeds, otters and sirenians. Marine mammal abandonment refers to maternal separation; pups that have been separated from their mother before weaning. At the center, they receive specialized veterinary care: they are diagnosed, treated, rehabilitated and ideally, released back into the wild. Animals in need of assistance are usually identified by a member of the public who has contacted the center. These animals represent the following major species: California sea lions, northern elephant seals, Pacific harbor seals, northern fur seals and southern sea otters. On a few occasions, TMMC has taken in Guadalupe fur seals, Steller sea lions and bottlenose/Pacific white-sided dolphins. The only non-mammals that TMMC takes in are sea turtles.^[3]

Fort. Fort Baker is one of the components of California's Golden Gate National Recreation Area. The Fort, which borders the City of Sausalito in Marin County and is connected to San Francisco by the Golden Gate Bridge, served as an Army post until the mid-1990s, when the headquarters of the 91st Division moved to Parks Reserve Forces Training Area. It is located opposite Fort Point at the entrance to the San Francisco Bay.

Fort Baker was previously named the Lime Point Military Reservation. It was renamed in 1897.

Fort Baker is named for Edward Dickinson Baker, a former U.S. Senator from Oregon. Active in California politics in the 1850s, Baker lost his life while leading a regiment of Union troops in the Civil War. He and his wife are buried in the San Francisco National Cemetery at the Presidio.

Fort Baker was included in a historic district listing on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973, as part of Forts Baker, Barry, and Cronkhite.

Fort Baker features essentially intact historic structures and landscapes, and is currently under the jurisdiction of the National Park Service. It is known for its views of the San Francisco Bay.^[5]

Beach in Marin County, California. Rodeo Beach is a beach in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area located in Marin County, California, United States, two miles north of the Golden Gate Bridge. It is characterized by a spit of around 50 meters width at the mouth of a long embayment, known as Rodeo Lagoon; for much of the year the lagoon is cut off from the ocean, making the beach spit a baymouth bar. Part of the beach is sheltered by cliffs. Rodeo Beach is known for its dark, pebbly sand, its uses for surfing and sunbathing, and its locale as a place for viewing, but not collecting, semi-precious stones. This beach is unique among California beaches in that it is largely made up of coarse, pebbly chert grains, both red and green in color. Its mineral composition sets it apart from every other beach in the state Surfing is possible throughout the year and at all tidal stages, but is best in summer — although there is a risk of shark attacks. Due to the North bar offshore of this beach it results in big waves in the winter months with the big swells that come in. Strong currents make swimming dangerous.

The beach features free entrance, free parking, wheelchair-accessible public restrooms, showers, and picnic tables. Dogs are allowed, but must be leashed or voice-controlled.

In November 2007, oil from the wreck of the Cosco Busan washed up on Rodeo Beach, prompting its closure for several weeks.^[7]

Public library in Sausalito, California. The Sausalito Library is a public library serving the City of Sausalito and environs in Marin County, California. The library opened in 1974 at its present location of 420 Litho Street in Sausalito. The library collection consists of over 64,000 books, periodicals, CDs, DVDs, and audiobooks. Services offered include programs for adults and children, Internet access, online databases, downloadable e-books and e-audiobooks, home delivery for seniors, museum passes, and assistance with downloading library ebooks onto personal devices. The library is a member of the Marin Automated Resources and Information Network, a consortium of publicly funded libraries in Marin County. Abbot Chambers is the current City Librarian following Mary Richardson's retirement in July, 2011. Richardson had been the City Librarian of the Sausalito Library since 1985.^[8]