Over the past two weeks, with school out, Bean and I got back to our regularly scheduled adventure-filled programming. One stop I knew we had to make was the Charles M. Schulz Museum in Santa Rosa.
In our home, it’s not Halloween unless we’ve watched ‘It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.’ Followed a month later by ‘A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving’ then capped off with ‘A Charlie Brown Christmas.’ It only made sense to celebrate the end of the Autumn and Winter holiday season with a trip to Sonoma.
(Its location means that you can take in the museum AND go cheese or wine tasting the same day, which we did. It makes for the perfect Sonoma day trip for adults and kids, alike.)
Charles Schulz, the creator of the Peanuts gang, grew up and married in Minneapolis but soon after moved to Sebastopol then Santa Rosa, California. This is where he had his first studio and gave life to Charlie Brown, Snoopy, and friends.
Conveniently located right off US-101, the museum is nestled into a leafy residential community. If you drove any further, you might actually come across kids playing a pick up game of football.
Inside, the museum is open, spacious, with really beautiful tributes to Mr. Schulz art. An entire wall of ceramic tiles made from Peanuts comic strips comes together to form an image of Charlie Brown and Lucy van Pelt.
Now, the exhibits are very much more geared toward an adult audience, with an entire exhibit going on now about Mr. Schulz’ (and the Peanuts gang) foray into politics. But, there will still be plenty for your young comic enthusiasts to grab onto: larger than life statues of Charlie, Snoopy, Lucy, and Linus; wall-sized murals of favorite scenes; or a replica of Snoopy’s doghouse. Down way low, near the floor, drawings of Woodstock guide you through the museum.
So, while you may be perusing historically significant cartoon strips that speak to certain challenges of the time, your little one will find a life-size replica of Lucy’s psychiatry booth and signs that say “Good grief!” or “You’re hopeless!”
If your little one does get restless, there is a youth art workshop upstairs, a large room where they can pull up a seat and let out their inner artist.
We took in the museum across three generations, and we all had a great time.
If you go, you must (MUST) also head across the street to Snoopy’s Home Ice and larger gift store. Snoopy’s Home Ice is an ice skating rink with cafe, decorated with full Christmas regalia on our visit. The gift shop is just a bit farther, with a massive collection of paraphernalia and an even cooler gallery upstairs.
After, we headed back out, to a restaurant that was literally housed in the dining car of an antique train (more to come about that.) Santa Rosa: just making 3 year old dreams come true over here.
2301 Hardies Lane Santa Rosa, California 95403
(707) 579-4452
Open weekdays (except Tuesdays in Winter) 11am to 5pm
Open weekends 10am to 5pm
Tickets: Adults $12, Seniors $8, Youth $5, and kids 3 and under are free
