Where to Drop In on Mare Island Now That the Whiskey Bar Is Reservation-Only

Where can you go on Mare Island this fall without a reservation? Until last weekend, one easy answer was the Redwood Empire Bar and Eatery at 1095 Nimitz Avenue. It closed on Oct. 4, about a year after it opened to the public.

The distillery isn't leaving. The company told the Vallejo Sun that it hopes to reopen daily for drop-in visits once the island gets more foot traffic. Until then it will take reservations only. That leaves the walk-in part of the island running on a tighter schedule than many people may realize. The places you can still just show up to are all open on the same days only from Thursday through Sunday. The island's biggest events this fall fall on specific Saturdays and Sundays, and two of them sit about a block apart on Walnut Avenue.

What closed, and what stayed at 1095 Nimitz

Redwood Empire began in Graton, in the Russian River Valley, in 2015. In 2025 it bought Savage & Cooke's distillery on Mare Island and moved its operation there. Production tripled, from four barrels a day to 14. The bar and eatery opened in May 2025 to build community. A year later, the company decided the restaurant was pulling resources away from the whiskey.

"We are not restaurateurs," said Andrew Floor, Redwood Empire's vice president of marketing. He described the new focus as "delivering the best possible whiskey experience whenever people came here, through education, information and experiential offerings." He called closing the bar a tough decision. Seven employees are affected.

Here is what you can still book:

• Tours: 90 minutes through the barrel room, the production room and the rooftop balcony, ending with a guided tasting of six whiskies.
• Blending masterclass: taught in November by master blender Lauren Patz.
• Private events: available year-round. Floor said the building has hosted weddings, high school reunions and holiday parties.

Tours are booked through Redwood Empire's tours and experiences page. The company also said it is talking with the Mare Island Historic Park Foundation about hosting rotating historical exhibits. If that happens, a whiskey tour would also cover some of the island's Navy history.

The walk-in window runs Thursday to Sunday

With the Redwood Empire bar gone, three places on the island still advertise walk-in service. Their posted hours overlap less than you might expect.

Mare Island Brewing Co.'s Coal Shed offers dine-in and takeout. Vino Godfather welcomes walk-ins for tastings, wine by the glass or bottle, and snacks. The Quarters Coffee House is the only one of the three open on Monday and Tuesday, and it closes by midafternoon.

Thursday through Sunday are the only days all three are open. On a Tuesday afternoon there's a coffee counter and not much else. On a Saturday you can start with coffee at 8 a.m. and finish with a pint at 9 p.m. The coffee house and tasting room pages don't list street numbers, so check their sites for directions before you go.

Second and fourth Sundays line up best

The Mare Island Historic Park Foundation opens St. Peter's Chapel, at 1181 Walnut Ave., for self-guided visits on the second and fourth Sundays of each month from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. It asks for a $5 donation. The foundation describes the chapel as home to the largest collection of Tiffany stained-glass windows in a single location. Volunteers are on site to share the history and answer questions.

The listed open-chapel dates for the rest of 2026 are:

• October 11 and 25
• November 8 and 22
• December 13 and 27

The foundation says dates sometimes change because of private event rentals, so check its schedule before heading over.

On those Sundays, the chapel's three open hours fit inside a day when all three walk-in spots are open. Coffee at The Quarters before 11, the chapel until 2, then the Coal Shed or Vino Godfather after that. Each piece of that afternoon is open on a Sunday, and none of it needs a booking.

The foundation also runs guided docent tours during the first and third weeks of each month: Thursdays at 2 p.m., Saturdays at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., and Sundays at 2 p.m. Reservations are required. The full historic tour starts at St. Peter's Chapel and continues on foot to other historic sites. A shorter chapel-only tour is also offered. Docent tours run in the first and third weeks, and open-chapel Sundays fall in the second and fourth. Between the two, the chapel has some public access in almost every week of the month.

October 24 puts two events on Walnut Avenue

Saturday, Oct. 24, is the busiest date on the island's fall calendar. It's also the date when walk-in hours line up best with organized events.

At 3 p.m., the foundation's Speaker Series presents "Haunted Mare Island" at St. Peter's Chapel. The speaker is Jeffrey Dwyer, Ph.D., a paranormal investigator, and tickets are sold through the foundation's events page.

From 4 to 8 p.m., the Mare Island Halloween Block Party takes over Officers Row at 1015 Walnut Ave. It's free, and organizers ask guests to RSVP. The lineup includes trick-or-treating, pumpkin decorating, a dog costume contest and, new this year, zombie activity at Alden Park. Event details can change, so confirm on the listing as the date gets closer.

The talk starts an hour before the block party, a short walk up the same street. On a Saturday, Vino Godfather pours until 7 and the Coal Shed stays open until 9, so both are still open after the block party wraps up.

The rest of the fall calendar

October 24 is the busiest day, but the foundation has more dates through December. Here are the ones currently listed, in order:

1. Oct. 11: Mare Island Navy Hospital tour. It falls on an open-chapel Sunday.
2. Oct. 24: "Haunted Mare Island" at St. Peter's Chapel, 3 p.m., then the Officers Row block party, 4 to 8 p.m.
3. Nov. 15: Lecture on World War II shipyards at the chapel, 3 to 4 p.m.
4. November, date set by the distillery: Redwood Empire's blending masterclass, by reservation.
5. Dec. 6: VOENA concerts at 2 p.m. and 6 p.m.

Maker Faire Bay Area celebrated its 20th anniversary in late September with a three-day event in the Mare Island Historic Core. SF Bay Ferry ran mainland-to-island service that weekend, with some trips free. That weekend has passed, but it shows how a dated event can bring extra ferry service to the island.

Getting there, and walking it off

Not every Vallejo ferry goes to the island. SF Bay Ferry runs daily service between Vallejo and San Francisco, and only select trips continue to the Mare Island terminal at 1050 Nimitz Ave. The Vallejo timetable, effective March 9, 2026, lists direct Mare Island departures on some weekdays and weekends. The terminal sits between the Coal Shed at 850 Nimitz and the distillery at 1095 Nimitz, so a ferry that does stop leaves you on the same street as both.

For walking, the San Pablo Trail runs about four miles along the island's west side. At the southern end, the Shoreline Heritage Preserve covers 215 acres with walking trails. The City of Vallejo's preserve page still describes the preserve's 2020 reopening and COVID-era visitor rules, so check current access before planning a long walk there.

When Redwood Empire's Floor talked about the location, he said he hopes to build "bridges, literally and figuratively, from the other side of the Bay to get people out to Vallejo." For now, the island's three walk-in spots are all open only from Thursday through Sunday, and the chapel opens to visitors on the second and fourth Sundays.

If you're planning a Mare Island Sunday with a parent who loves Navy history, or a family afternoon on Officers Row, we're glad to share what we know about Vallejo and the communities around it. At Realm Real Estate, we enjoy talking about the places that shape our clients' weeks just as much as the houses they live in. Let's Connect.