What a beautiful park with things to do for everyone! Play structure with lots of variety for young…read moreand big kids, train, carousel and horse rides! Felt like we didn't have enough time with all the things to do and will be back. If making a trip with kids to Sonoma make this a stop for sure!

This is a great park for families. There is a nice play area that has many different activities for…read moreall ages. They have po ore rides, a train ride and a carousel. That also rent out paddle boats and canoes. There are many hiking trails that hook up with a spring lake and Andel park so you can walk as far as you want. It's a great place for birthday parties as well. Many tables. Parking is rough sometimes on a busy weekend.

Got it--here's a sharper, more satirical version that still lands well as a review:…read more We visited the Sonoma Children's Museum and quickly learned it's less "children's museum" and more "rule enforcement training facility." At the water play area, my child took off his shoes (you know... at a water feature), and we were immediately told he could only use his hands--not his feet. I explained this to him, he was listening, all good... or so I thought. A few minutes later, the same staff member circled back like we were committing a repeat offense, and then a supervisor came rushing out like there was an actual emergency. In front of everyone, she asked my son, "Where is your parent?"--which felt unnecessarily dramatic and honestly a bit humiliating for a kid who was doing his best to follow directions. Then came the lecture. I got a full, very intense Public reprimand and rundown about hand, foot, and mouth disease, delivered with the urgency of a public health crisis... over a kid standing near water without shoes on. Look, I understand hygiene and safety. But the energy here was wildly disproportionate. It felt less like a place for kids to explore and more like a place where adults hover, monitor, and correct every move. If your idea of a fun outing involves being policed over minor things, you'll love it. If you're hoping for a relaxed, kid-friendly environment... maybe adjust expectations.

Super cute museum! My son is 7 and autistic. They have headphones available if you need them. We…read morealways bring ours but LOVE that they offer this accommodation for kids who have sensory sensitivities. The outdoor and indoor areas of the museum are sooo packed with lots for kids to explore, learn, play, and engage. One of my son's favorite activities was the outdoor water play area. There's also bikes to ride, two classrooms for art and block play, a huge outdoor area for snacks and climbing around, a mud garden / kitchen, and also an indoor area that is more typical of a children's museum but so well kept and clean. My son loved the train tracks inside, the space section, the fruit tubes, and over-all it was a lovely location and I'd happily go back.

A bit of a hassle activating E-ticket accounts, but once we're on board, everything was smooth…read moresailing -- make that riding. Downside is that WiFi only works at the station(s). We're currently taking advantage of a deal that combines the train and Sherry for $10 per person each way jump on it while it's still good which I think it's through June 2025. The other good deal right now through June is seniors, and "youths" are free riders on the train.

My second time riding the Smart Train to Larkspur. I enjoy leaving the driving to somebody else…read more The trains are very clean & comfy, more than enough room to find a seat. It's roughly about an hour from Santa Rosa to my Larkspur destination. It's a beautiful day to be outside!

Located near Wine Country, this California Welcome Center is located in a historic part of Santa…read moreRosa. It is the historic railroad depot, and it is also adjacent to the public transit station for downtown Santa Rosa. They have a lot of tourist information for both California and adjacent states. However, the really cool thing about this location versus the others is the Peanuts-themed monuments around the area and Peanuts-themed souvenirs. The staff is friendly and helpful. Great experience for visitors in the area.

In 1904, the Northwestern Pacific Railroad Depot was built in Santa Rosa to replace the original…read morewooden structure that burned down in 1903. This depot was used as a backdrop in Alfred Hitchcock's Shadow of a Doubt and is now a Visitor's Center! I am pinching myself that I have not stepped inside sooner than today (though I have taken photos outside on the wagon years ago and dined out in Railroad Square many times). Well, today is the day! What a cute little visitor's center with tons of brochures, magazines, pamphlets on many wine country attractions. There is a cute little gift shop that is scattered throughout visitor's center from Snoopy merchandise to Visit Santa Rosa gifts. In the other room contains the Northwestern Pacific train museum with old photos and artifacts you can explore. A recommended stop whether you are a tourist or a local! Even though I have lived in Santa Rosa for 12 years now, I wish I came in sooner given that I love Santa Rosa history, Snoopy, Trains and just old historic buildings. Check it out!

What an awesome day we had at Safari West yesterday!! It has been a bucket list item for our family…read morefor quite some time and we were thrilled when the stars aligned to make it happen! We took our kids, ages 8 and 6, and they LOVED it! Our tour guide, Nicole, was awesome! She has been at Safari West for 4 years and really knows the animals, their behaviors and all the fun facts (along with some great jokes!). The jeep tour was about 2 hours, but it is engaging the whole time. We were lucky and got to see several brand new babies of multiple species!! We were all able to take turns sitting on top of the jeep, but sitting on the inside was great as well. After a short break, we did the walking tour which was the perfect ending. Also, we highly recommend the lunch buffet (which must be booked 48 hrs prior to arrival). We were all pleasantly surprised with how great the food was, plus it was kid approved as well! During our break, enjoyed some snacks from Delilah's - the dole whip was a favorite! Thank you Safari West for the awesome memories.

We booked our tour about a month ahead and chose our date, but the weather had other plans and it…read moreended up raining. Even so, we decided to go. Our tour guide, Megan, was wonderful, friendly, engaging, and great at making the experience enjoyable despite the weather. My little one was beyond excited and kept calling it "going on an adventure," which made it even more special. That said, there weren't as many animals out to see, probably because of the rain, since some were hiding inside. The stop and go process to open and close the gates along the way was also a bit annoying and felt like it slowed things down at times. Toward the end of our tour, the rain picked up from a light shower to a heavy downpour, but we were able to finish in time. Seeing how happy my little one was made it all worth it. She sat up top with her dad and had an amazing time. ***One thing to keep in mind is that there is no cell service at the location, so plan accordingly. We didn't stay overnight, so I can't speak to the Wi-Fi situation, but if you need connectivity, you'll have to drive back into the city.*** P.S. Avoid going on rainy days!

We were in visiting San Francisco Ventura and my daughter is really wanting to come to Charles M…read moreSchultz Museum, for a couple years now. Peanuts are her favorite, it's about 50 to an hour drive with traffic. Very easy to get to once we were there. It's in a beautiful little neighborhood. Plenty of parking. The museum itself has a lot of interesting things to read about and the history of Charles and how he started some interesting things I had never knew. The gift shop is very small not much to purchase. But we did discover if you cross the way there's an ice rink and they sell snacks there and then next to that there's a store that has tons of peanut merchandise.

The cutest little museum and a MUST do for Peanuts fans!!!…read more My wife and I took a trip to Santa Rosa, specifically for this museum. The museum is rather small, but is very well done. The entire Schulz campus, including the gift shop and the ice rink is an experience. You will want to give yourself a few hours to fully experience this place. Up stairs, there is an area where you can sit and color and also trace your favorite peanut characters. They provide all the supplies to make your own paper Snoopy Dog House. It is very cute. The museum as several great picture opportunities throughout the museum. Even the bathrooms are themed with Peanuts characters on the tiles. In addition to enjoying the museum, I also highly recommend doing the "Peanuts on Parade". There are Peanut status all throughout the Santa Rosa area. Over 100 of them!!! We challenged ourself to find and take a picture with all of them. We got about 120 before we ran out of time. It's free, other than your time and gas to drive around, but it was an extended part of the Peanuts experience that we absolutely enjoyed.

Great place to meet up and play some games! They have improved a lot over the years, and I'm very…read moreimpressed with their current space. An absolute stable rock in the Santa Rosa gaming community, the city wouldn't be the same for us nerds without it.

The only positive I can say about this shop is they have about three wonderful employees, decent…read moreselection, and have snacks. For example: I asked someone for help locating a small amount of cards and all he answered was idk. No effort to check anywhere besides the front glass case, etc. Also the majority of the time this shop has things for sale at scalper prices. Plus they try and push their own product called Vaulted Rarity which is just repacked cards with crappy value,etc . Also, if you try and turn in cards for store credit or if you dare cash value, you're going to majorly ripped off and get a small percentage of what it's worth. I've also ran into a lot of toxic customers here during gaming tournaments not really abnormal for the card gaming community but expect to have them do nothing if issues occur. Parking is not wonderful either with either small parking spaces, illegal parking behind othe cars during release weekends and people racing through the parking lot. If you want to not experience being ripped off, bad customer service, and be in a welcoming environment.... I would recommend going to Harveys in Rohnert Park.

Came here on a Saturday morning around 11am. Tickets for train and carousel is $5 per person and…read morefree for kids 2 and under. The train ride is less than 10 minutes with no cover so we brought our hats. It's a quick ride and you pass by the parking lot and a park. My girls enjoyed it. After we played by the nearby park. There is a bathroom close to the train ticket booth and lots of tables to enjoy a snack or even lunch. They were just starting the grill to cook the food for lunch but our girls were hungry so we left to get food elsewhere.

A fun family outing on a nice, sunny day. Train ride tickets are $5 each and the train ride itself…read moretakes you on a loop through the Vasona County Park. Very relaxing ride that takes about 10 minutes. All seats are uncovered so make sure to bring your hat or sunscreen. Right next to the train is an antique carousel, tickets are also $5 per person. The ride lasts relatively longer than the average carousel ride so I feel like you get your money's worth. Billy Jones Railroad is located within a larger park so there are several playgrounds and lots of open, grassy picnic areas or picnic tables to enjoy some lunch or snacks outside.

Wow! This shop is decked out with games, plushies, and magical themed room!…read more Very cool and nostalgic games here. Upstairs has more toys and games to check out and a space to play board games! They should set up a cafe upstairs for people to lounge and play!

This is such a cool space for games for everyone! As you stroll through the store there is a wide…read morevariety of games, pocket games, puzzles, tarot and so much more. The games are sorted by category with something for everyone. The staff is knowledgeable and made several recommendations based on types of games we liked. The decor gives a magical vibe and I love that there are spaces to sit down and play. There is a nautilus room you can rent for a reasonable price for gaming with friends. For families that love playing games you must go check this place out!

A group of seven of our friends came to Santa Rosa for vacation. We made the amazingly good…read moredecision to ask Elite Excursions to drive us to various wine tastings. We were so fortunate that Fonzi was our guide for three of our four days, and equally as happy to have Phil join us for one of the days. We seriously can't imagine any way we could have been happier with our choice of drivers. They both were all you could hope for. They went above and beyond the call. Without a doubt, we will reach out to them next time we were in the area.

Sergio, our driver, went above and beyond for our group! Went to a couple wineries and traveled…read morewith an infant, he was so helpful even helping me get my stroller ready for each place! If I'm ever in need of transportation services again, I'm definitely using Elite Transportation! Cost was the best in the area.