Inverness, Inverness, CA

Inverness sits on the west shore of Tomales Bay in Marin County, a few miles up the road from Point Reyes Station and beside Point Reyes National Seashore. Most of what the town has is strung along a short run of Sir Francis Drake Boulevard. Its roots are as a summer place. In the late 1800s people from the city came up to camp and swim, and plenty of the small cabins from that era still stand among larger houses on the wooded slopes above the water. The place has kept some of that seasonal ease. Outdoors is why people settle here. Tomales Bay State Park fills the slope next door with bishop pines and sheltered, surf-free beaches, and Heart's Desire Beach is its main hub. Shell Beach is quieter, two small beaches at the bottom of a trail from a small parking area. The Jepson Trail climbs Inverness Ridge from the park and links to longer ridge routes toward Point Reyes. Dogs are not allowed on the park's beaches or trails. The Gables, an 1893 house at 15 Park Avenue, holds the library branch and the Jack Mason Museum of West Marin History under one roof, a fine way to spend a wet afternoon. For food, the Inverness Store on Sir Francis Drake Boulevard handles groceries and makes sandwiches to order. For a sit-down meal there is the Bayside Bar and Lounge at Tomales Bay Resort, on the waterfront just west of town, which opened in May 2026 and leans on seafood alongside smoked ribs and a vegan banh mi. Coffee usually means a drive to Toby's Coffee Bar in Point Reyes Station, a cash-only window at Toby's Feed Barn. Day to day, you drive. Bigger grocery runs mean Point Reyes Station or beyond, and San Francisco is about 40 miles by road. Evenings are quiet and dinner choices are few, so people learn to plan around a short list of kitchens. The forest is part of the neighborhood, for better and worse. A big wildfire in 1995 burned across Inverness Ridge, a reminder of how close the trees stand to the houses.