Daycation to the Schulz and Children’s Museums in Sonoma County

Jessica Graham

Visit your favorite Peanuts characters at the Charles M. Schulz Museum in Sonoma County. Photo courtesy of the Charles M. Schulz Museum and Research Center.

SANTA ROSA – In the age of reading news online, for many, the funny pages have become a distant recollection. Gone are the days when brothers and sisters squabbled over who would get to read them first. If you’re guilty of having cut out your favorite strips to pin to the refrigerator, you’ll enjoy this walk down memory lane with some of your favorite Peanuts characters.

Photo courtesy of the Charles M. Schulz Museum and Research Center.

Located in his hometown of Santa Rosa, the Charles M. Schulz Museum and Research Center gives fans young and old a face-to-face opportunity with Snoopy, Woodstock, Linus, Peppermint Patty, the Little Red-Haired Girl, and, of course, Charlie Brown himself. Schulz, the creator of the famous comic strip, said, “If you read the strip, you would know me. Everything I am goes into the strip…” But Schulz’s career spanned more than just Peanuts. At the museum, you’ll see Schulz’s early artwork and his first weekly comic strip, Li’l Folks. You’ll also gain an appreciation for the breadth of Schulz’s imagination. Peanuts first appeared in the funny pages in 1950 and ran for 50 years, until Schulz’s death in 2000.

Photo courtesy of the Charles M. Schulz Museum and Research Center.

You don’t have to be an outdoorsman to appreciate the Peanuts Goes to Camp exhibit in the Strip Rotation Gallery, on display now through November 18. Then check out the Changing Gallery’s Peace, Love and Woodstock display, featuring the comic’s hippie bird, who was named after the 1969 music festival.

schulz musuem snoopy labrynth

Guests walk along the Snoopy Labyrinth outside the Charles M. Schulz Museum in Sonoma County. Photo by DJ Ashton, courtesy of the Charles M. Schulz Museum and Research Center.

At the theater, watch your favorite characters come to life on the big screen or take in an interview of Schulz. On the museum’s second floor, you’ll see the desk where Schulz drew his figures and in the Education Room, guests can try their hand at cartooning. Finally, be sure to head outside to check out the Snoopy Labyrinth.

If you go: the Charles M. Schulz Museum and Research Center is located at 2301 Hardies Lane, Santa Rosa. From now until Labor Day, the Museum is open weekdays 11am-5pm and on weekends, 10am-5pm. Tickets are $12/adults, $8/seniors (ages 62 and older), $5/youth (ages 4-18), and children 3 and under are free.

For more information, visit SchulzMuseum.org or call 707.579.4452.

If you have little ones in tow, the Children’s Museum of Sonoma County is another creative enterprise within walking distance. This brightly colored play place has lots of fun nooks and crannies and even boasts a spiral staircase that leads to more adventure. (There is also an ADA lift.)

Although the museum is intended for children, adults will enjoy their visit, too. Former Lite-Brite owners will find the interactive Light Peg Wall nostalgic and calming. Train lovers will love seeing the 250 feet of continuous track that runs along the ceiling. People of all ages will be entertained by the simplicity of the Apple Tree House and Pulley System. TOTopia is a play space for infants/toddlers and houses a sensory bin.

If you go: Find the Children’s Museum of Sonoma County at 1835 W Steele Lane, Santa Rosa. From now until August 6, the museum is open Monday-Saturday, 9am-4pm and Sundays, 11am–4pm. After August 6, the museum is closed on Tuesdays. Tickets are $12 for children and adults. Children 12 months and under are free.

For more information, visit CMOSC.org or call 707.546.4069.

Your Town Daycations is a series featured in Your Town Monthly. A version of this article was originally published in the August 2019 print editions.