mare island

There are many reviews for Mare Island's various points of interest (venues, golf course, brewery etc.) but the best part of the island are all the abandoned old, rusted, distressed, beaten up, buildings. Mare Island is a photographer's dream for capturing the cool, unique, weird, dark aspects of this magnificent destination. Spend a day wandering around and you will see all it has to offer. There is plenty of development going on here so explore while you can before it is all gone.

Front 9 holes are interesting with hole 3 a make it or break it. Back 9 is like playing on another golf course with 17 being the easiest.

This fomer military establishment has a lot to recommend it--broad, leafy avenues, a museum, a beautiful church, and many other sights...Check their site for special events!

What a beautiful place to visit. We joined their preservation program and plan to visit often. There is a wonderful museum and docents to help with all the rich history

Lots of abandoned naval buildings, but Touro Medical School and the excellent residential neighborhood near it are providing a basis for a rebirth of potentially one of the great beauty spots of already beautiful Northern California. I suggest a walk on the footpaths facing out on the bay. Truly beautiful!

I recommend the "Admirals Mansion" on Walnut Ave for weddings and other celebrations. Easy parking, stately historic Naval venue, lovely back yard garden for outdoor ceremonies. Huge industrial kitchen inside as well as large rooms inside for gathering/reception.Couples can prepare for their big day upstairs in the former Admiral's and his wife's furnish (very 70's) huge master bedroom.Here's the link to the Mare Island Historical Park Foundation - they are a non-profit and charge a fee for renting the space: http://www.mareislandhpf.org/weddings.html

No matter what you take pictures of, this place will have something for you. My godson and I spend a whole day and part of the evening wandering around shooting industrial scenes, artistic compositions, and natural landscapes - and didn't see it all!Others have written about the museum etc, so I won't go into that...Yes, the place is full of dilapidated buildings and decaying infrastructure, and yes, the peeling paint is lead-based, but staying home and breathing the air is dangerous too. brick buildings from the first world war, cement buildings from the 30s, rusting cranes and derricks... herons and all kinds of seabirds on the shoreline. not a lot of people getting in the way: a photographer's dream!my godson is a professional photographer and some of his shots from there are now on exhibit.

We started early Saturday morning driving over to Mare Island so we could be there when the Museum opened. It was a great museum packed full of Navy history - the volunteer made us feel very welcome and was available for any questions. The photos are incredible and for some reason I was fascinated by the history of the hard hats. She then took us on a tour of the area and St Patricks church and one of the homes. After the museum and tour she pointed us toward the graveyard and ship. The volunteers on board the LSC 102 were very friendly and the ship and it's history are fascinating. After leaving the ship we headed to the preserve where we took a hike to the top of the hill overlooking the bay and walked through the cemetary where descendants of Francis Scott Key are buried. On the way out we stopped by the bunkers and wandered through the small park near the museum. It turned out to be a full day worth every minute. The ship, museum and preserve survive on small donations for entry.

The Mare Island Shoreline Heritage Preserve is a hidden gem in Vallejo. At the end of the island lies a hangar that functions as a starting point and is filled with antiques, wildlife exhibitions, and cultural and historic pieces that tell the story of Mare island. There is also a beautiful trail that takes you all the way up to the highest point of the island were one can enjoy breath taking views of the San Francisco Bay. Well worth seeing!!!

Mare Island is one of those places that you look at and know they are on the verge of being better, but the vision hasn't been achieved yet. We visited it while in Vallejo and although there are some interesting parts to it, it's really kind of depressing because you could see it's potential. It's a good place for some nice walks, and has a lot of historical significance to the area, which is interesting. In a few years, it could be great.

I just attended a wedding for my nephew at St. Patrick's Church on Mare Island. A darling smaller church that can hold about 200 people. Lovely stained glass windows made by Tiffany. The reception was at the Captain's House back yard and was a catered affair. Lovely and quaint!

Found this by accident while driving by the Vallejo waterfront on Memorial Day - this is a must see for the area. The "Preserve" on Mare Island is currently open Fri-Sun + holidays as it is run 100% by volunteers. It was perfect timing since its home to the oldest cemetery on the Pacific Coast (from 1852) and was decorated with an American flag at each headstone for the holiday. Lots of history and scenery to experience as well as a Visitor Center with historical data and local artist works.The trail is pet-friendly and is a wonderful 2-mile +/- walk (round trip) on asphalt to the top of a 360-degree view hilltop. You can see Mare Island Golf Course below to the Golden Gate in the distance on a clear day as well as the Carquinez Straits and Napa hills. Allow 2-3 hours to explore the area and the rest of the island. Bring water and snacks as there are none available for purchase nearby. BEWARE OF TICKS in Spring/Summer so be sure to stay on the path out of the grass.Check out the website www.mareislandpreserve.org for details.

If you like military/naval history, Mare Island is the place to visit. Old officer's quarters still kept in fairly good shape, a beautiful chapel with fabulous Tiffany stained-glass windows...you can just about see the ghosts of thousands of US Navy people walking the beautiful streets of this old naval base.

Mare Island is contaminated. It has been for decades. Every navy ship on the west coast that was overhauled since WW1 threw all their ammunition in the river before entering the dry docks. Once the ships entered dry dock they were sand blasted. All the lead paint was scattered over the island through a piping system designed to push all the bad stuff to the surrounding delta. The military has been trying to clean it up for years but they were denied registration on the National Historical Registry because the base was too contaminated. They also recently lost a bid to have the USS Iowa refurbished there and become a tourist destination because Mare Island was so contaminated and had such a bad name. The USS Iowa was moved down to San Pedro for refurbishing and to become a museum in Long Beach area. What a huge strike out for Mare Island. Once the government comes forward with the truth, not likely, it would make a beautiful community and great recreational site for Californians.

Loved the history. Loved the risk I felt. The little park with statues and replicas, the bunkers, the officers quarters, the dry docks, the buildings where nuclear submarines were built....it was a thrill to me. My kids were ho hum, but perhaps when they are older, some bits of it will be fused in their memories.