Now that spring has arrived in Marin, it’s the perfect time to head outside and explore what the county has to offer.

Looking for something fun to do? Head to West Marin’s Lodge at Marconi from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 19.

That’s when the Lodge at Marconi will celebrate International Marconi Day, which honors the legacy of Guglielmo Marconi, the inventor of the radio. Amateur radio enthusiasts around the world will participate in a 24-hour radio event, but the Lodge at Marconi is doing something a little different.

Some of the festivities will include a farmers market, live music, lawn games, scavenger hunts and much more. Admission is free. Food and drinks will be available for purchase from local food trucks and Mable’s, the onsite restaurant.

The connection between the Lodge at Marconi and Marconi is simple. The property was originally built in 1914 as a radio receiving station by Marconi. One of the property’s notable iterations since then was the home of the controversial Synanon cult. The Point Reyes Light’s investigations into Synanon’s secretive activities earned them a Pulitzer Prize in 1979.

The 62-acre site became a state park in 1989 and allows public access to the park to this day.

Now under the management of Oliver Hospitality, the former Marconi Conference Center has been reimagined as the Lodge at Marconi, a 45-room luxury retreat hotel and event space situated in the state park.

RSVP at lodgeatmarconi.com/experience/international-marconi-day.

Mushroom Hunt returns

The sixth annual Earth Day Mushroom Hunt takes place from 10 a.m. to noon April 26 in San Rafael’s Gerstle Park neighborhood.

San Rafael resident Adrienne Biggs started the free event at the beginning of the pandemic to lift her neighbors’ spirits and offer them a chance to gather outside safely for a fun local activity.

Each year, Biggs and a group of friends hand-paint biodegradable champagne corks to resemble decorated mushrooms. They’re then “harvested” by kids of all ages and “replanted” in public places where other people can see them or pick them up and replant them somewhere else.

Since then, she says, people have been leaving their own popped champagne corks at the hunt starting point for her team to decorate and use in the next hunt.

The hunt has grown in popularity over the years. Last year, more than 300 biodegradable champagne corks were planted.

This year, there will be more than 400 “mushrooms” to pick and replant. “Mushrooms” can be picked up on April 26 at 26 Marin St. in San Rafael.

“Everyone is welcome,” she says. “Go to Gerstle Park, have a picnic and pick a ‘mushroom.’”

Don’t-miss events

• Swap your plants, cuttings, starts, bulbs, seeds, succulents and more at Fairfax Library’s free public plant swap from 2 to 4 p.m. April 26 at the library’s Community Room at 2097 Sir Francis Drake Blvd. in Fairfax. Call 415-453-8151 or go to marinlibrary.org.

• The MarinHealth Raccoons’ garden tour of Belvedere’s Gold Coast is on May 6. Admission is $145, which includes a gourmet boxed lunch. Get tickets and more information at marinhealthraccoons-gardentour.org.

• The Outdoor Art Club’s garden tour of downtown Mill Valley’s historically significant gardens is on May 15. Admission is $100 or $150 with an added champagne tea event. Get tickets and more information at oacgardentour.com.

Show off

If you have a beautiful or interesting Marin garden or a newly designed Marin home, I’d love to know about it.

Please send an email describing either one (or both), what you love most about it and a photograph or two. I will post the best ones in upcoming columns. Your name will be published, and you must be over 18 years old and a Marin resident.

PJ Bremier writes on home, garden, design and entertaining topics every Saturday. She may be contacted at P.O. Box 412, Kentfield 94914, or at pj@pjbremier.com.