Eat Like a Mare.
Drink Like a Sailor.
WANDER THE WET MILE
For 142 years, hungry and thirsty workers of Mare Island Naval Shipyard played a big role in American history. Come see and taste echoes of that rich past in the emerging wave of breweries, distilleries, wineries, and cafés fueling the future of Mare Island.
Pick up a Passport at any of the four participating Wet Mile venues. Wander the Wet Mile and collect stamps from them all, then show your full Passport at The Quarters Coffee House or the Mare Island Brewing Co. for a special Mare Island gift reward!
1. Quarters Coffee House 2. Vino Godfather Winery 3. Savage & Cooke 4. Mare Island Brewing Co.
THE QUARTERS COFFEE HOUSE
Mare Island’s New Living Room
A new center of the island’s gravity—the place to caffeinate, stock up, snack, and come together to feel the island’s energy (or fuel your adventures) every day of the week.
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Housed in a historic officer’s residence along Walnut Ave on Officers Row, The Quarters Coffee House opened in 2023 to rave reviews. Here, you can sip, shop, or linger with a variety of espresso, coffee, tea, local snacks and beverages, and a range of local-made gifts and wares.
It’s known as “Mare Island’s Living Room” not just because it’s in a historic home, but because those who work here welcome guests like Mare Island’s unofficial welcoming committee.
The Quarters makes residents, visitors, and workers all feel equally at home. A place to start your day, end your week, or recharge in-between. It’s the perfect place to start or end an adventure into Mare Island history or nature, with or without a trusty canine companion. Inside, you’ll not only get a sense for the feel of a historic residence, but see visual references to the island’s unrivaled collection of trees on everything from the cafe’s logo to its wallpaper.
While you’re inside, pickup a Trees of Mare Island brochure. Mare Island, especially nearby Alden Park, is home to an epic collection of trees from all continents and climates of the world. A tradition of enticing ship’s captains to bring back trees from their voyages started with Commander David Farragut in 1854. More than a century later, touring the nearly 200 tree species that now live on Mare Island is like touring the world. With The Quarters as home base.
Hours:
M-F: 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Sa-Su: 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
VINO GODFATHER TASTING ROOM
Step Back in Time and Taste Local Wines
In 2015, Vino Godfather opened a tasting room in a historic officer’s residence. Today, it’s the gateway to Napa Valley, offering a variety of handcrafted, red, white, and sparkling small batch wines.
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Step back in time and taste hand-crafted small batch wines in the stately rooms of the former Captain’s Quarters Mansion on Officers Row. Next door to The Quarters Coffee House, Vino Godfather’s Tasting Room offers a tasting flight, excellent wines by the glass, or bottles to share.
Vino Godfather vineyards are located in some of the best AVA's around Northern California. They use only the best fruit and produce only around ten thousand cases annually. Get a taste while relaxing on the grand front porch, lounging in the outdoor seating. Look for public and private events hosted at the tasting room all year round.
Like The Quarters, Vino Godfather’s building is a destination in itself, one of 12 homes built along Walnut Avenue for ranking officers that comprise one of the most important sets of historic military family housing anywhere in the United States.
The Quarters on Officers Row are surprisingly not the original homes. An earthquake in 1898 damaged them so severely that it was decided to rebuild them, using as an architectural model a Colonial Revival home in Washington DC belonging to a United States Senator.
While you might expect homes this grand to have secret passages, these do not. But the built-in buffets in the dining rooms do reveal a small secret. A small mechanical trigger in the center drawer reveals a hidden compartment that may have come in handy during Prohibition. Today, of course, there’s no need to conceal Vino Godfather’s great wines.
Hours:
Th- Su 12 p.m. to 7 p.m.
SAVAGE & COOKE
Craft Spirits,
Raised in California
Located in a stunning historic and renovated distillery building, Savage + Cooke ages and bottles bourbon, whiskey, and rye, offers tastings, and operates a thriving bar and restaurant.
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Founded by celebrated winemaker and distiller Dave Phinney, Savage & Cooke is a remarkable repurposing of Buildings 45 & 65, at the end of the building ways in the Historic Core of Mare Island. Savage & Cooke distills, ages, finishes and bottles a range of brown spirits including bourbon, whiskey and rye and was recently named California Bourbon Distillery of the year at the New York International Spirits Competition. The restaurant serves up Blanchard’s famous fried chicken and soulful southern sides that pair exceptionally well with curated craft cocktails.
The two-story brick Building 45, constructed in 1864, is one of the oldest buildings on Mare Island. The main floor was originally a storehouse; the upper floor a Sail Loft. After ships no longer required sails, the space was converted to the Flag Loft, and the main floor became the Apprentice School. In 1915, 100 feet the structure was demolished to make room for building of the 624-foot battleship USS California. The large vault in the center of the building housed extensive Shipyard plan files, and during the Cold War was a hub for intelligence gathering.
Building 65 was built in 1901, and at various times was an Apprentice School, the Printing Shop, and an annex for the Planning and Estimating Division. In 1906, buildings 45 and 65 were connected by a bridge between the upper floors. When both buildings were extensively renovated prior to becoming home to Savage and Cooke, many original architectural elements were removed and restored before being reinstalled in their former location. This is true of much of the lumber used in the reconstruction of the bridge, one section of which contains the carved date, builder’s initials, and cost–$1,000–of the original structure.
Visit the Savage & Cooke website to book tasting of award-winning whiskies, a private event, or an in-depth tour of the historic buildings and state-of-the-art production facility.
Hours:
Th– Su: 12 p.m. to 7 p.m.
MARE ISLAND BREWING CO.
Behind Every Great Beer Is A Great Story
Mare Island Brewing Co.’s Coal Shed Brewery and taproom resides in a completely restored and renovated historic Navy coal shed, featuring 12 taps of craft beers brewed on site, spacious indoor and outdoor seating on the waterfront, and tasty food served from its Pie Wagon food truck.
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Originally built in the 1890s, the historic Coal Sheds were only used to store coal that fueled Navy steamships for a short period, between 1901 and the early teens. Prior to that, coal for steam ships was simply high-piled on the pier and craned aboard ships as needed. When the Navy shifted to oil, the sheds were converted to office space.
After the shipyard closed, the sheds housed a large artist community, and were further converted to house various retail and other businesses. The promenade along the waterfront is home to art and events year-round.
The seed for Mare Island Brewing Co. was planted when Founder Kent Fortner, a veteran of the winemaking industry, bought and restored the historic officer's "Quarter U" on Mare Island in 2007. Inspired by the rich history of the island, he started working on plans for a brewery.
After years working in winemaking also,, Co-founder Ryan Gibbons made the jump from grapes to grain. The duo brewed their first beer in 2013, and named it after the first ship built at Mare Island Naval Shipyard: Saginaw Golden Ale.
Their first taproom opened its doors in 2014 at the Ferry landing on the Vallejo waterfront. In 2016, renovations began on the historic Navy coal shed that would become the Coal Shed Brewery. In June 2020, the Coal Shed Brewery taproom and beer garden officially opened to the public, and the "Pie Wagon" food truck arrived not long after. The rest is history.
Hours:
M- Sa: 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Su: 11:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.
ONE ISLAND. MANY NEXT STEPS.
Choose Your Adventure.
In addition to mainstay options, Mare Island offers a constant calendar of events featuring food and beverage. And ample opportunities to make time you visit for a hike, picnic, or tour, an event unto itself.
