Mill Valley is a shady, artsy community at the base of Mount Tamalpais (known affectionately as Mount Tam). Mount Tamalpais State Park is 6,300 acres/2,550 hectares of California hillside dominated by Mount Tam's distinctive triple peak (said to look like a sleeping Native American girl when viewed from the south). There are hiking and mountain-biking trails, and a Visitor's Center at the summit with amazing views. Mid-May to mid-June, the "Mountain Play"—annual theatrical productions (usually tried-and-true musicals)—are performed in an outdoor amphitheater high on the mountainside. The amphitheater was built in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps. Mountain Play theatergoers (often armed with picnic baskets and California wine) are picked up by shuttle buses in Mill Valley and taken to the amphitheater. Some choose to hike the lovely 6-mi/9.5-km trail back down the mountain into downtown Mill Valley after the show; others take the shuttle back.
