Although most visitors consider Point Reyes National Seashore to be primarily a park at which to enjoy the outdoors, there are three Visitor Centers in which one can find shelter and learn more about Point Reyes during inclement weather. In the Visitor Centers, one will find informative exhibits about the natural and cultural history of the Point Reyes area. Please see our Visitor Centers page to learn more about the Bear Valley, Kenneth C. Patrick and Lighthouse Visitor Centers. Or visitors with an appointment are welcome to check out the artwork that is on display in the Red Barn Classroom.

During inclement weather, visitors may also wish to visit the Jack Mason Museum in Inverness or the Bolinas Museum in Bolinas. There are also numerous art galleries in the vicinity.

Visitors may also request and view a number of audio-visual programs at the Bear Valley Visitor Center.

Bear Valley Visitor Center Auditorium

Now Showing:

• "Point Reyes: The Point of Kings" - Point Reyes Orientation (16 minute video)
• "Enchanted Shore" - Inspiring Images of the Seashore (20 minute slide presentation)
• "Something Special" - Point Reyes Orientation and Introduction (22 minute video)
• "On a Barren Rock" - Point Reyes Lighthouse History (11 minute video)
• "A Spark of Life" - 1995 Vision Fire (12 minute video)
• "Welcome to Kule Loklo" - Coast Miwok Indians (20 minute video)
• "Cordell Bank: Blue Water Oasis" (15 minute video)
• "Life at the Ocean's Edge" - Natural history of the threatened snowy plover and least tern (21 minute video)
• "A Sheltered Sea - The Journey of the California Marine Life Protection Act" (23 minute video)
• "This is America" - Preview of Ken Burns' 12-hour mini-series "The National Parks: America's Best Idea" which was broadcast on PBS in September 2009 (45 minute video)

Audio-visual programs are shown on request. Inquire at the desk about additional offerings.

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Science On a Sphere

Attend a presentation of the park's Science On a Sphere® (SOS) at the Bear Valley Visitor Center. For 2012, SOS presentations are offered by rangers at 11 a.m. on weekends throughout the year. In 2011, SOS presentations were also offered at 1 p.m. on weekdays from Memorial Day to Labor Day. Program times for summer 2012 have yet to be determined. Daily SOS presentations may also be offered during winter and spring breaks. We also have a variety of SOS films which can be viewed at other times of the day.

Science On a Sphere® is a room sized, global display system that uses computers and video projectors to display planetary data onto a six foot diameter sphere, analogous to a giant animated globe. Researchers at NOAA developed SOS® as an educational tool to help illustrate Earth System science to people of all ages. Animated images of atmospheric storms, climate change, and ocean temperature can be shown on the sphere, which is used to explain complex environmental processes in a way that is simultaneously intuitive and captivating.

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Red Barn Art Exhibitions

The Red Barn art gallery is open by appointment only, Mondays through Fridays, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.; closed holidays and as otherwise noted. Please contact Carola DeRooy at 415-464-5125 or by email to schedule an appointment or for more information. For most exhibitions, there is also an accompanying artist reception, which is open to everyone.

To get to the Red Barn Classroom, follow the directions to Point Reyes National Seashore. As you proceed up the driveway toward the Bear Valley Visitor Center, turn left at the sign for the Red Barn Classroom.

California Art Club Celebrates 50 Years of Point Reyes National Seashore
January 13, 2012 through April 5, 2012

The California Art Club was established in Los Angeles in 1909 to promote the fine arts and has nine chapters around the state. The San Francisco chapter presents this selection of juried plein air landscape oil paintings created within Point Reyes National Seashore to kick off a year-long celebration of the park's 50th Anniversary. This exhibition features work by: Chris Adessa, Nanette Biers, Christin Coy, Laura Culver, Michele DeBraganca, Paul Kensinger, Glen Kramer, Paul Kratter, Richard Lindenberg, Mark Monsarrat, Kathy O'Leary, Thomas Soltesz, Robert Steele and Dennis Ziemienski.

To view samples of each artist's work, visit the California Art Club's CAC Celebrates 50 Years of the Point Reyes National Seashore web page.

The public is also invited to an artists' reception on Saturday, March 10, 2012, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Coming soon:
Pastel Visions - West Marin and Beyond
June 1, 2012, through August 24, 2012

Bobbie Belvel's artwork depicts scenes of West Marin and points north and south along the coast. Bobbie Belvel is Point Reyes National Seashore's faculties management budget analyst.

Earlier Red Barn Art Exhibitions have included:

• Grounded: A California Indian Life
  October 10, 2011 through January 6, 2012

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