If you’ve ever driven up to Napa Valley from San Francisco, chances are you’ve already been in Marin County—you arrive before you're even done crossing the Golden Gate Bridge. Farther north, cattle ranches and chaparral-cloaked peaks share the landscape with towering redwood forests; to the east, a sun-drenched, 72-mile coastline is lined with oyster shacks and beach towns. Not long ago, Marin was considered wine county’s opening act, but that’s all changing: In recent years, the county has established itself as a destination in its own right, with new hotels, bars, and restaurants so alluring, you may get "lost" on the way to Napa and Sonoma.

“People have often passed right by Marin to go to Napa, but Marin has definitely been discovered in the last few years,” says Vivien Straus, a local small farm advocate who created the Marin-Sonoma Cheese Trail Map. “There’s been a lot of entrepreneurship in the area, great new places to stay, Zagat-rated restaurants."

In the past three years alone, an unprecedented number of new establishments have cropped up across the region: music venues like San Rafael's Terrapin Crossroads, owned by the Grateful Dead’s Phil Lesh; the upscale Molina in Mill Valley, with its wine-paired small plates like halibut crudo and sage-roasted quail; even a Kickstarter-funded bakery in Fairfax, Taste Kitchen & Table, specializing in seasonal, organic fare—think hearty salads and sandwiches made with fresh-baked bread and local veggies. Formerly sleepy cities throughout the county have also blossomed into foodie destinations; you’ll find everything from mofongo and chuletas fritas (at Sol Food in San Rafael) to some of the finest beignets outside of New Orleans (at Hummingbird, opened in Fairfax by a NOLA chef-restaurateur couple displaced by Hurricane Katrina).

“A new generation of high-skilled chefs set foot in Marin in the past few years, and they set the trend,” says Sietse Nabben, general manager of the newly opened Mansion at Casa Madrona in Sausalito, a modern boutique hotel housed in a restored 1885 mansion. “Barrel House followed in 2013 with elevated, farm-fresh, seasonal offerings and a great focus on design. Bar Bocce also opened a few years ago, and has fantastic pizza and a bocce court right on the water. Marin's culinary scene is definitely getting more attention.”

Left: view of the Golden Gate Bridge from Marin Headlands; right: the newly opened Mansion at Casa Madrona. Demetrius Fordham

Marin’s southernmost cities like Sausalito and Mill Valley have witnessed the most growth, says Nabben, thanks to visitors seeking an easy escape from the chaos and congestion in the nearby Bay Area. "The city has been forced to modify logistics to accommodate all the visitors coming across the Golden Gate Bridge; for example, bike rental and parking has been set up differently to handle the influx of bikers coming from the bridge or ferry. [Vehicle] parking is also in high demand, and pricing has gone up. It’s a sign that Sausalito and Marin at large are finally getting the attention they deserve.”