While you’re out and about looking for somewhere to endure the next inevitable heatwave this summer, consider making Old Mill Park in Mill Valley that much sought-after refuge.
Fairy tales, books, films and other media generally present a sanctuary as a serene, quiet place that shelters occupants from the turmoils of the outside world with a kind of amniotic tranquility. Old Mill Park is no different.
Setting that overly poetic preamble aside for the moment, it really does fit the bill. It’s just as at home in a day-dream as it would be on a postcard, with a softly lapping stream that meanders through its center, imposing redwood trees that loom overhead and a quaint hilltop garden welcoming visitors. On a clear day, the warm sunlight that cuts through the canopy does so in picturesque columns in the otherwise shaded wood. They’re the kinds of things that pull any painting of a fantastical landscape together, looking like Narnia in summer.
Actually, just do that. Imagine the impeccable nature of the Kingdom of Aslan that is Narnia (post-witch), and you’ll be surprisingly close.
There’s a modest amphitheater you and the family can use to perform a few of Shakespeare’s sonnets or one of your own homebrewed plays. Dotted plentifully throughout the park are picnic benches that make for great lunch spots with loved ones. Cozy tree hollows act as private reading nooks where the responsibilities of adult life can’t find you. There are even a bridge or two to enjoy crossing.
So whether it’s a solo get-away for one’s own sake, a day out with a significant other and any little ones, or just looking for something to do, Old Mill Park, located at 64 Cascade Dr., Mill Valley, is a wonderful place for any of it.
