Santa Rosa is the perfect day-trip from the San Francisco Bay Area and Napa wine country. With kid-friendly activities, an often warmer climate, and delicious restaurants, the one hour drive it takes to get to the urban hub of Sonoma feels totally worth it.
Here are some of our favorite kid-friendly activities in Santa Rosa:
Santa Rosa is located on the stolen and occupied homeland of the Pomo, Wappo, and Miwok tribes
Getting there
- Check the traffic. The drive from the San Francisco Bay Area can take about an hour without traffic
- If you are planning on staying overnight, consider booking your lodging or a campsite in advance
What to pack
- Standard diaper bag essentials
- Snacks
- Sunscreen and hats
- Stroller and/or baby carrier
Top 5 family-friendly things to do in Santa Rosa on a weekend trip with kids
1. Visit the Children's Museum of Sonoma County
The Children’s Museum of Sonoma County could easily take a whole day to explore.
The indoor space feels a little cramped on busy days, but is full of interactive and kid-sized activities for toddlers and preschooler’s.
Cook at a pretend restaurant, put on a puppet show, perform a check-up at a pretend pediatric clinic or dentist, and give a giant alligator patient an x-ray. There is even an adorable indoor section just for kids under-two.
Outside you’ll find even more adventures to be had with bike rides, a helicopter to climb in, an edible garden, a bubble station, an art room, and much more.
PRO-TIP I would highly recommend you ask about storytimes at the front desk when you buy your tickets. Storytime are located by the giant caterpillar and are a lot of fun!
2. See Snoopy at the Charles Schulz Museum
Charles Schulz, the author of Charlie Brown and the Peanuts stories, lived in Santa Rosa. The Charles Schulz Museum has all of the Charlie Brown history you could ask for.
Check the schedule to see what events might be happening when you go. At the time of our visit, we attended a cartoon lesson and a live drawing story time! My toddler enjoyed coloring with the group during the lesson and watching the cartoonist draw while they told the audience a story.
I have mixed feelings about the Charlie Brown stories. Even though they were written in the 1950s and are a product of the time, the stories do not teach lessons about life I want my kiddo to read. For example, there is only one kid of color, and characters are often unkind towards each other.
Even so, I knew my little one would enjoy the artwork and cuteness of Charlie Brown, and that we could attend the museum without having to go into an analysis of the themes and characters.
3. Go ice skating at Snoopy's Home Ice
Snoopy’s Home Ice – Redwood Empire Ice Arena was built in the 1960s by Charles Shulz and is located right next door to the Charles Shulz Museum.
This giant indoor arena is self-proclaimed the “most beautiful ice rink in the world” because of its interior Swiss Alpine décor. I admit, the lights and year-round Christmas/Winter feel did make me feel more festive and excited to be ice skating.
Snoopy’s Home Ice offers general sessions and skate rentals open for anyone to skate, and a toddler and preschooler skate hour for skating lessons ($25/hour including skate rentals). Check the schedule to find the best time to visit with your family.
Bring snacks to enjoy inside the arena or grab a quick bite and hot coco at the Warm Puppy Cafe.
Skating costs $12 for children ages 0-12, $14 for everyone aged 13+, $4 for skate rental.
Just a ten-minute drive from downtown Santa Rosa, Spring Lake Regional Park is a family-friendly outdoor oasis.
Pay $7 for parking at the kiosk on your way in. Bring your lunch to picnic at the lake, go for a hike along the paved trails, go for a swim at the seasonal swimming hole, or plan ahead and camp overnight at one of their tent or cabin campsites.
Check out our blog post here for more information on camping and exploring Spring Lake Regional Park.
5. Enjoy a beer and a meal at Fogbelt Brewery
One of the first things we do when we travel is to scout out the kid-friendly brewpubs or wineries and taste some of the local brewery scene, and Fog Belt Brewing Company has the best food and brews in town.
Located in a seemingly unimpressive strip mall with plenty of parking, Fog Belt Brewing Company serves up delicious food and beer with a kids menu. We ordered carnitas tacos, smokehouse fries, and sliders along with the house-brewed kombucha and a hazy IPA.
The restaurant had plenty of outdoor seating that is enclosed to keep the kiddos inside; had kid-friendly staff and cups with lids for small hands; and played awesome tunes for dancing.
Putting it into practice
Social Justice History:
Charles Shulz and the stories of Charlie Brown are a big sense of pride for Santa Rosa. Although the first Charlie Brown comic strip appeared in 1950, the first black character wasn’t introduced until 1968 – 18 years later.
Our experience
We encountered many other BIPOC families at every activity, including many mixed-race kids. We felt safe and respected by staff and locals.
Questions to discuss with your kids
-What do you notice about the kids in Charlie Brown? How do they treat each other?
-Did you know Franklin was the first black character in the comic?
-How do you think it made other kids of color feel to see someone like them with the Peanuts gang?
-What did you notice was different about ___? What was the same?
Santa Rosa proved that even suburban centers can be full of unique activities and non-chain restaurants for families like mine. I was happy to see that there were BIPOC families everywhere we looked, and a lot of mixed-raced kiddos at the children’s museum, too.
The children’s museum was so much fun that we ended up getting a membership and returning to Santa Rosa three more times that year to play. My kids LOVE children’s museums, so much so that when I took them to an art museum my preschooler said “wait, where are all of the toys and kid’s stuff?”
The city is a great launching-off point for all of Sonoma—it’s in close proximity to Sebastopol, Bodega Bay, the Russian River, and wine country.
Whatever the reason, I highly recommend you take a trip to Santa Rosa this year with your kids.
What is your favorite kid-friendly activity in Santa Rosa? Comment below!
Puerto Rican & Indigenous mama of two. Bay Area native. Salsa dancer. Backpacker. Doula. Angel (she/her/hers) is a co-founding member of the Beautiful Brown Adventures team. She has traveled to over 30 countries and loves to explore the world with her two daughters & partner - one ice cream shop at a time.
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