Mountain Home Inn 810 Panoramic Highway • Mill Valley • California 94941

Perched on a forested ridge between the lofty peaks of Mt. Tamalpais and Mill Valley 1,000 feet below, the Mountain Home Inn has been enticing guests with stunning views and rustic charm for almost a century.

This bed and breakfast was built in 1912 as a mountain getaway for San Franciscans seeking an escape to nature, and has since served the entire Bay Area as a welcome stop for hiking enthusiasts, writers, lovers and even celebrities (Jack London and the Grateful Dead have stayed here). An abundance of wood, both inside and out, lends warmth to all the rooms, as do numerous fireplaces and homey details like the vintage photos of the inn framed on guestroom doors.

Everyone who comes here is mesmerized by the breathtaking panorama from the Upper Deck: A vast redwood forest flows down and away to the distant foothills of Mt. Tam, and on a clear day you can see past Tiburon and Angel Island to the East Bay. Although the inn is only 25 minutes from The City, it feels like it’s at the edge of the wilderness.

All of the guestrooms face east, so you’ll wake up to the sunrise. Some of the rooms also have Jacuzzi tubs, fireplaces and terraces. Designated a Bay Area Green Business, the inn keeps its grounds pesticide-free, uses eco-friendly cleaning products and supports local farmers and artisans.