TAke a Journey Through Time and Imagination
By Monica Vanover on October 8, 2025
Imagine a place where you can step into the living history of the Coast Miwok people and also wander through landscapes that inspired Jedi knights and Ewoks—all in a single trip. That’s Marin County!
Here, the stories of the first people of this land and the creativity of George Lucas
come together in parks and towns that invite all to learn, play, and dream. These are not just visits to parks—they are journeys through time and imagination.
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Tomales Bay State Park is a place where visitors can visit the shoreline that was once connected to the Coast Miwok people. Along Indian Beach, walk the same shoreline where Miwok families lived for thousands of years. Coastal natives relied heavily on shellfish, and today shell middens—remnants of their meals—still remain visible, marking the presence of these early communities. The beauty of Tomales Bay offers an opportunity to sense this connection between people and their surroundings.
Olompali State Historic Park was once home to one of the largest Coast Miwok villages in the region. The park’s name itself is understood to mean “southern village” in the Miwok language.
Look for interpretive trails that explain Miwok traditions, from the construction of homes to the care of the land. The site also holds remnants of later history, including the adobe structures from Rancho Olompali and the Bohemian-era gardens. Visitors can enjoy the popular 2.5-mile Miwok Loop, which circles the lower slopes of Mt. Burdell. This is a park where one site holds many stories, from Miwok heritage to Mexican ranching to countercultural communities of the 1960s.
History is only one part of Marin’s story—imagination has its place, too. In downtown San Anselmo, Imagination Park celebrates the creative spirit of George Lucas, who once lived here. The park may be small, but it holds two bronze statues that delight children and adults alike: Yoda from Star Wars and Indiana Jones.
Donated by Lucas, these statues sit among benches, fountains, and shady trees, creating a space where children can pose with favorite characters, and parents can share how Marin helped inspire stories that became part of film history.
For the ultimate blend of imagination and nature, Roy’s Redwoods Preserve offers a magical experience. The preserve’s ancient redwoods inspired George Lucas in his creation of the Ewok villages for Return of the Jedi. While the actual Endor battle scenes were filmed farther north, the towering groves of Roy’s Redwoods carry the same atmosphere of his vision.
Imagine a place where you can step into the living history of the Coast Miwok people and also wander through landscapes that inspired Jedi knights and Ewoks—all in a single trip. That’s Marin County!
Here, the stories of the first people of this land and the creativity of George Lucas come together in parks and towns that invite all to learn, play, and dream. These are not just visits to parks—they are journeys through time and imagination.
Tomales Bay State Park – Indian Beach
Tomales Bay State Park is a place where visitors can visit the shoreline that was once connected to the Coast Miwok people. Along Indian Beach, walk the same shoreline where Miwok families lived for thousands of years.
Coastal natives relied heavily on shellfish, and today shell middens—remnants of their meals—still remain visible, marking the presence of these early communities. The beauty of Tomales Bay offers an opportunity to sense this connection between people and their surroundings.
Olompali State Historic Park was once home to one of the largest Coast Miwok villages in the region. The park’s name itself is understood to mean “southern village” in the Miwok language.
Look for interpretive trails that explain Miwok traditions, from the construction of homes to the care of the land. The site also holds remnants of later history, including the adobe structures from Rancho Olompali and the Bohemian-era gardens. Visitors can enjoy the popular 2.5-mile Miwok Loop, which circles the lower slopes of Mt. Burdell. This is a park where one site holds many stories, from Miwok heritage to Mexican ranching to countercultural communities of the 1960s.
Olompali State Historic Park
History is only one part of Marin’s story—imagination has its place, too. In downtown San Anselmo, Imagination Park celebrates the creative spirit of George Lucas, who once lived here. The park may be small, but it holds two bronze statues that delight children and adults alike: Yoda from Star Wars and Indiana Jones.
Donated by Lucas, these statues sit among benches, fountains, and shady trees, creating a space where children can pose with favorite characters, and parents can share how Marin helped inspire stories that became part of film history.
Imagination Park in San Anselmo
For the ultimate blend of imagination and nature, Roy’s Redwoods Preserve offers a magical experience. The preserve’s ancient redwoods inspired George Lucas in his creation of the Ewok villages for Return of the Jedi. While the actual Endor battle scenes were filmed farther north, the towering groves of Roy’s Redwoods carry the same atmosphere of his vision.
Roy’s Redwoods Preserve
Only in Marin can redwoods and starships share the same backdrop, as you experience Indigenous history and explore forests that inspired cinematic worlds.
For the best places to stay while in Marin, visit us at visitmarin.org/hotels, and download our new visitor app.
Make Your Time Legendary
Imagine a place where you can step into the living history of the Coast Miwok people and also wander through landscapes that inspired Jedi knights and Ewoks—all in a single trip. That’s Marin County!
Here, the stories of the first people of this land and the creativity of George Lucas
come together in parks and towns that invite all to learn, play, and dream. These are not just visits to parks—they are journeys through time and imagination.
Only in Marin can redwoods and starships share the same backdrop, as you experience Indigenous history and explore forests that inspired cinematic worlds.
For the best places to stay while in Marin, visit us at visitmarin.org/hotels, and download our new visitor app.