Sausalito Floating Homes Tour

*** This is a review of the grounds and houseboats, not the tour. ***Whenever I have a guest from out of town and I want to give them a real slice of North Bay life (something you don't usually find on a guided tour), I take them to the Sausalito houseboats. It's so full of funky architecture, spectacular Bay views, a few hidden beaches, and plenty of colorful residents. This place is a total trip! Where else in the world can you find such a unique, seaside community with so many photo opps. Although this makes for a fun tourist destination, you have to remember that people actually live here. Translation: be respectful of the communal decks and property. Otherwise, you may endure the wrath of some salty, seaside locals. Like I said, there are quite a few characters (old hippies, young yippies, artists, etc.) who live around here. Consider yourself warned.Even when I'm not playing tour guide to guests, I like strolling here with my dog (yes, it's dog-friendly... as long as they're on leash). It's just a really relaxing spot, and it reminds me of how lucky we are to live in such an amazing area. When visiting, I'd recommend parking near the Mike's Bikes shop and Davey Jone's Deli. But be sure to lock your doors. The area can sometimes attract car burglars.

Such a unique experience just seeing these beautiful houseboats with beautiful views of the blue waters of the bay and the skyline of the city of San Francisco, and in the other direction - the lovely hillsides of Marin County. I can only imagine how much more unique it must be to live in one!A community of writers and artists who became commercially successful, live here. Shel Silverstein used to live in a houseboat here. Rumor has it that Michael Lewis, the guy who wrote Money Ball, The Blind Side, and The Big Short, all of which were made into movies, also owns a houseboat in Sausalito. His house on terra firma is just across the bridge in Berkeley.Just a million dollars for a tiny home on the water in Marin paradise. Location, location, location!

***This is a review of the grounds and homes, not the tour.***While you can pay $40-$105+ for an official tour of the floating homes aka house boats of Sausalito, I prefer the more adventurous exploration route (free). The floating homes are quite impressive and I recommend checking out these quirky, unique, artistic homes around sunrise or sunset. You can spend about 2 hours wandering around the area and exploring grounds.Note, there are several different docks to walk by but be warned, several of the docks themselves are private property and require approval from a resident to walk on the dock. Also, most parking spaces are for residents only (there are some public parking spaces but you have to know where to look). Also within the last week or so, construction has blocked access to the South docks from the North end so you will have to walk down Bridgeway to explore the other homes on the South end.A few friendly reminders - be respectful of the residents here. Do not board private docks, do not shoot photos straight into people's homes (these are not tourist attractions - people live here), do not park in private parking spots and be mindful of the noise levels when roaming around.

This year was the 24th annual floating (houseboat) home tour. The proceeds benefited Friend's of Marin City Library and Family Service Agency of Southern Marin. Twenty homeowners in this unique community opened their homes to the public. The diversity of styles of the homes was amazing. It was impossible to see all 20 hours on the tour this year; because of the limited space and with only one entry into the home, the lines were long. Even though I only was able to go into 14 homes, I feel that the $40 cost was money well spent; it was a great tour and a beautifully warm day on the Richardson Bay An added bonus was the free entertainment and reasonably priced food vendors. I suspect the next years tour is already in the planning stage. I am looking forward to the next tour!

We did the 2016 Sausalito Floating Home Tour. There were ten homes on the tour this year and the cost was $50 per ticket. The homes were an excellent selection from the historic Becky Thatcher to newly renovated homes. The volunteers and committee put on an excellent event - very organized; all volunteers and committee were unfailingly friendly and courteous. This was the 31st year for the tour. We only encountered waits to get in at a few homes during the peak time (from 11-1). The number of people in the ones was restricted only to ensure a good experience for people in the smaller homes.The "headquarters" for the event is Kappa Greens. You exchange your tickets for your wrist band there. Food and beverages are also available. The food vendors are limited but are of high quality.