Marin Magazine‘s Best of the County Party kicked off July 31st at the Marin Art & Garden Center. The sold-out soirée was a high-energy celebration of community favorites, honoring winners chosen by the public — 15,000 votes were cast this year alone for “best of” in arts and entertainment, beauty and wellness, dining, fitness, home and design, philanthropy, services and shopping electing more than 1,000 Marin-based businesses, organizations and individuals that you’ll find on our Best of the County lists.
Over 400+ Marinites Celebrated!
“What surprised me most about the Best of Marin party wasn’t just how well it was organized—it was realizing how many of the businesses being celebrated were already places I know, visit, and genuinely enjoy. It really highlighted how special our local community is and how fortunate we are to have so many outstanding businesses right here in Marin,” said, Greer Westerink, voted Readers Choice, Best Insurance Agent this year. “It was a wonderful reminder of just how connected our community is and how many exceptional businesses are part of our everyday lives.”
Many of the Best of the County awardees were in attendance with their colleagues, family and friends. Each year, Marin Magazine selects a nonprofit partner to support during Best of the County. The 2026 nonprofit partner is the San Francisco Marin Food Bank.
Our Sponsors and Partners Made the Event Memorable
VIPs were driven to the event by 30 2026 Cadillac Escalades, which turned a few heads along Sir Francis Drake Blvd. in the upscale town of Ross. “We loved cruising in our caddy, it felt very VIP, the party vibes started long before we arrived,” says Danielle Singer, of Mill Valley. “The consoles felt like a luxury space ship, and I didn’t realize Cadillac had so many EV options.” Guests were also treated to party perks such as B12 shots by Jyzen, scalp and neck massages by FACE FOUNDRIÉ, tarot card readings, and enjoyed activities such as a putting green, charm making and dancing to music provided by DJ Airsun.
Guests arrived in their most festive party attire to a country club-themed party expertly curated by 38 North Design Co., where they enjoyed meticulously curated food stations by Stacy Scott Catering, along with sample bites from Cultivar and Piatti. They also sipped specialty cocktails courtesy of Sausalito Liquor Co. and enjoyed beer from Tam Tavern sparkling wine from J Vineyards & Winery and wines from Robert Mondavi. The party atmosphere carried on into the evening.
Matt Grimshaw, aka, the Documattarian, was busy filming it all, and another Matt, Matt Spinetta of Prismic Photography, was taking snaps of every moment.
Marin Magazine would like to thank its platinum sponsor Cadillac, as well as Alto Tiburon Veterinary Hospital, FACE FOUNDRIÉ, Bank of Marin, Graffeo, SDI Fireplaces and SDI Insulation, and its many other partners — all of whom made this extraordinary evening possible.
The Magical Grounds of The Marin Art and Garden Center Created the Ideal Venue
Marin Magazine has enjoyed a decades long partnership with The Marin Art and Garden Center, a historical, 11-acre property that has been intregal to the community since it’s founding in 1945 by visionary women from the Marin Conservation League. The Marin Art and Garden Center was created to preserve one of the last undeveloped estates in Ross from subdivision. Led by conservation pioneer Caroline Sealy Livermore, the group raised $25,000 to purchase the former Kittle Estate, whose history dates back to the 1860s when George and Annie Worn established the Sunnyside estate and planted many of the specimen trees that still grace the grounds today. The wooded campus later became home to the Marin County Fair and remains a beloved community gathering place. In 2022, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places.
Prizes and Goodies Galore
Marin Magazine group publisher Nikki C. Wood and passed out swoon-worthy raffle prizes to a few of the evening’s luckiest guests, who took home thousands of dollars in goods and gift certificates including:
- Three stand-up paddle board classes from Leigh Claxton
- A $150 gift certificate from La Gastronomia di Porchetta
- A Hydrafacial service from FACE FOUNDRIÉ
- A gift certificate from Sol Food
- One month of unlimited yoga from Metta Yoga
- A gift basket featuring carpet cleaner, wine and chocolates from City Carpets
- Two Body By Binay Bounty Bag from Body By Binay
- A DiamondGlow Hydrafacial gift certificate from Hayes Valley Medical Esthetics
- Two family four-packs of tickets to Gilroy Gardens
- A one-month membership from Club Evexia
- A $500 gift certificate from Sunrise Home
- A seaplane ride for two guests from Seaplane Adventures
- A Vienna Medium Pillow from Scandia Home
- A $500 gift certificate toward a new fireplace and a $500 gift certificate toward qualifying insulation upgrades from SDI Insulation & Fireplace
- A $1,000 gift certificate for event planning from 38North Design Co.
Every guest took home a bag chock full of goodies from party sponsors, including a FACE FOUNDRIÉ headband and gifts, Alto Pet Hospital bandanas, Graffeo Coffee samples, Jyzen Cryo-redlight cards, SDI Insulation/Fireplace pens, Kivi Organics products, Skincare by the Sea body balms, a custom tarot card from Kimberly Harter, plus more from La Gastronomia di Porchetta, Bank of Marin and 38north Design Co.
A Big Night Out for Partygoers and 270 Media Staff
