Early Queen Anne Victorians, false-front store facades, a Mission Revival-style church and City Hall, remind us of Larkspurs’ past. Downtown Larkspur is officially listed on the National Register of Historic Places as “an irreplaceable American turn-of-the-century town”. Stores and restaurants line Magnolia Avenue along with dozens of historic buildings, including the Blue Rock Inn and the newly-restored Lark Theatre, a 1930’s art deco movie house. Downtown, the world-famous California restaurant, the Lark Creek Inn, sits nestled in a redwood grove beside a creek. Unfortunately a fire destroyed the restaurant in March 2014 and it never reopened. San Francisco restauranteur Perry Butler purchased the Victorian Murphy House, and the historic structure now hosts Perry’s in Marin.
Larkspur is divided into two distinct areas adjoining Highway 101. Its historic downtown is west of Highway 101, and an old quarry area, Larkspur Landing, lies to the east of the highway along the San Francisco Bay shoreline (across from the Larkspur Ferry Terminal). Known as Marin Country Mart, the Larkspur Landing is a rambling outdoor shopping and dining area with outdoor tables, a fountain, and a large center courtyard which hosts farmers markets and numerous family style community events (http://marincountrymart.com/calendar)