Oh my goodness literally one of the most amazing experience gems in Petaluma. If you have a child…read moreand are looking for a wonderful way to spend quality time for a couple to several hours on a Saturday, you simply need to go visit the Petaluma Wildlife Museum. This beautiful space is run by high school students who are in animal husbandry or communications-type classes and each, and almost every one, of them are wonderfully informative, kind, engaging, and helpful. Whoever is training these students is doing an outstanding job! The minute you walk through the door they are there to guide you through this fun Petaluma experience. They have thousands of dollars (likely hundreds of thousands) in quality and unique taxidermy animals that are thoughtfully displayed, and where the children can get up close and personal with creatures from all over the planet. We particularly love the room that focuses on the national parks (as our favorite states are represented)! We have taken our grandson here three times at six months intervals and every time he discovered something new. They have a fabulous dinosaur room as well and the students we've encountered are highly educated and love to share tidbits of information. They also have a charming compact outdoor area where kids love to roam and they also have an arts space where kids can draw and explore. It's $5 per person as of 2026 (and I want to say that our almost 3 year-old grandson was free each time). GO! Check out this phenomenal community asset on any given Saturday and you'll be so glad you did! Five giant stars!

This is such a wonderful place to visit on Saturdays! It's donated by a local business man and the…read morehigh school students volunteer on Saturdays to help visitors understand the wild life displayed in the museum. Every high school student volunteers have extensive knowledge of the wild life. We were amazed by all the stories and information told. They even let us touch some of the animals there. It's not just for kids. Adults will definitely enjoy it too.

The name should be changed to a gallery or collection or something.. the best things were the…read morestructures outside. The collection is disorganized and not very informative. The taxidermy is sad and the barbies dresses up as native people were weird. The park is nice...

This is a very small but, excellent Museum. It's in a nondescript stucco two story building…read moretowards the Novato Blvd. entrance and parking. Every time I have explored it, I've been impressed. There are I've local items and also rotating visiting exhibits. Last time I was there, there were beautiful Indian clothing from several different tribes within the U.S.

I took a class here on Polaroid emulsion. There were only 3 of us. It was hands on. The instructor…read morewas awesome. I came home with 3 prints I made. The cost was reasonable.

While in this new Marin MOCA location another patron began voicing his unhappiness to the woman…read moreworking there. He was annoyed that the Novato location had closed and that this new site was a mere shadow of that. I perked up my ears; until that moment I'd assumed that this new San Rafael spot was a second outpost of Marin MOCA. It is not. As much as I generally appreciate contemporary art I have to say that the new Marin MOCA leaves a lot to be desired. It 's one large room with a few small rooms and it currently features an exhibit on - maybe - water. There's no signage to tell you what you're seeing but a booklet has been prepared to page through to learn more about the installations. The booklet may as well have been written in a foreign language as it was in no particular order, one had to repeatedly flip through its pages to find something that looked to be what one was standing in front of, the explanations were incomprehensibly long, and of one piece that I could not find a write-up on it was explained to me that "the artist changed the piece she decided to display after the booklet was made". Can we please just go back to some simple plaques beside the artworks that describe the works in language that is comprehensible? The current installation features some interesting components but honestly, one shouldn't have to work so hard to comprehend them. I wish only continual improvements to Marin MOCA in their new digs. I'd like them to stick around but I'd also like them to improve their offering.

Wonder little history museum located downtown Novato. The museum was the home of the first Post…read moreMaster in Novato. The museum is clean and free of most dust particles. Many small historical museums are so dusty. I was pleasantly surprised to see the clean artifact, fingerprint fee cases and nice looking collection of items. The Director is a former school Principal and keeps artifacts open for people to touch. This is great for a tactile person like myself. They have an electronic screen with video shorts and plan an effort to recognize the Hispanic/Latino culture. I hear they are planning to expand in future years. This is a good quick a stop for a historic perspective on Novato.

This is the History Center that will give you an idea what this Valley was like about a hundred…read moreyears ago. It was settled for farming and its first mode of transport was by river to the SF Bay. Check it out! It is volunteer run by very kind locals.

We decided to check this place out on a Saturday afternoon, not sure what to expect. Parking was…read moreeasy for a quick stop, as it's at a dead end street. We were tricked numerous times thinking there was someone on site, but nope just random mannequins posing among the decor, as well as at least two tin man characters, and a couple different slides (one of them cut off halfway in the air). There was lots to explore and no one stopping us from going deeper into the property, where you'll find a cute little footbridge and pond, along with plants, animal sculptures, and more artwork made of "junk". It doesn't really look like it's maintained (as of May 2024) but the junkyard look actually gives it some character, and it has a sort of messy organization to it. And of course the oversized picnic table off toward the side near the highway can pique the curiosity of those driving by. I liked it... nothing too impressive, but still a unique exhibition of quirky art, which is something I enjoy especially when it's free.

Hard to define this "attraction" -- part junk yard, part art installation, all fun. This is a…read morecreated community based on reusing .. well .. junk It is a feast for the eyes and well worth a drive past (and not on the 101 but on Lucky Road). For kids of all ages, there is a giant picnic table at the end of the road where you can take a cool photo with Mt Tam in the background. If you like funky, off the beaten track stuff, this is one for you.

We visited the Marin Museum of Bicycling because my dad has always loved mountain biking, and it…read morewas such a cool experience to explore a place so connected to the sport's history. The entrance fee was $10/person. The museum is well put together, with vintage bikes, historic posters, and exhibits that highlight how mountain biking was born in Marin County. It felt meaningful to learn about the pioneers of the sport and see the culture celebrated in such a dedicated space. The staff and volunteers were incredibly knowledgeable and passionate, taking the time to explain exhibits and share stories that brought everything to life. Even though my dad couldn't join us, visiting in his honor made the experience really special. If you appreciate cycling or know someone who does, this museum is absolutely worth the trip.

Awesome stop in Fairfax! I would definitely recommend! Joe and his wife Connie really know their…read morestuff! If Joe's around definitely ask him about the bikes and all the cool history behind them!!

The Petaluma Historical Library and Museum is a majestic building on 4th Street built in 1904. It…read moreis one of the few remaining Carnegie libraries in California. We came upon the museum as we were enjoying a stroll in the quaint downtown of Petaluma. The museum is free but accepts donations. The is a tremendous amount of historical artifacts from the city and area. When we visited there was a Black History moth exhibit. There was a corner dedicated to the 1970's movie 'American Graffiti' which was filmed in Petaluma.

I feel lucky to have a local museum in Petaluma that provides tours and preserve the history of the…read moretown. The walking tour is hosted during certainly months probably from May to November. We joined the last walking tour for the year and it was so interesting. The tour guides are volunteers and they are vivid story tellers. I will have to come back again to learn more about the town and visit often!