The great Petaluma mill building made exploring downtown Petaluma a wonderful experience…read more We discovered this place on the Hampton Inn Petaluma website, the place we stayed. We were glad that we found it and had spent enough time exploring it without rushing. The rooftop is a great place to overlook the Petaluma River. The view here is truly stunning. I took a lot of amazing pictures and videos. I highly recommend the Refill Mercantile shop as well. It sells gifts, personal, and refillable skincare products. Particularly, the toothpaste tablets are my favorite. It is just next to the famous Wild Goat bistro restaurant. Unfortunately, we found out about this popular place after we had our lunch. All in all, whether you're a first-time visitor or think you have seen it all, it's a fun and entertaining way to discover this historic landmark city!

104/2024 After lunch…read morewent strolling along this Great Petaluma Mill Shopping center that is overlooking the Petaluma River. A lot of quaint shops and restaurants to visit. We enjoyed window shopping and smelling the food aroma following our trail! Wonderful variety shops and restaurants here are: Wild Goat Bistro Nostalgia Alley River Front Cafe 24 Hour Fitness Adobe Road Winery Tasting Room Front Row Salon Still Skincare America's Home Loans WHISP Massage The Hunter & The Bird Clothing Aveda GB Films Bizx LLC Accounting Clio Threads Pro Active Health Center Central Market Refill Mercantile

We could not have dreamed of a more perfect place to hold our wedding last May. It almost feels…read moreunreal that a place as beautiful as Garden Valley Ranch exists. The entire property is breathtaking and there is nothing better than the sight and smell of fresh roses everywhere! Our guests raved (and even a year out they're still dropping us compliments) about how gorgeous the Belvedere lawn area and Secret Garden were, which is where we held our ceremony, cocktail hour and reception. The koi pond is a hidden gem that we loved doing our first look at. Working with Jessica made planning our vision for the day feel so easy. She is so kind, responsive, generous, and professional. She and the team had also worked with many of our other vendors who were local to the area, so we felt at ease knowing everything would go just as planned on such a busy day. Garden Valley Ranch is a stunning place and we cannot recommend it enough. Our wedding day flew by so fast and we wished we had gotten more time to enjoy this beautiful space!

Great facility. Love the emense rose garden. Luckily there was a southerly breeze the day we were…read morethere...due to neighboring property with all the cattle.

On a recent visit to Petaluma, I finally went inside this gorgeous building and was glad I did…read more What used to be a school is now the local museum, and it's a must stop for any fans of films, namely American Graffiti, which was filmed downtown. The museum is free to enter, and has rotating exhibits on the main floor. Around the far walls, and continuing upstairs, are displays of the various times in the town's history, mainly focusing on eggs! I loved the movie display, with memorabilia and actual filming items from the class American Graffiti. The building itself is worth seeing, especially the glass window on the ceiling. There is also a research library for local history here, by appointment. They have a small book store with items of local interest. Donations are appreciated. This is well worth a stop!

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.

There just aren't enough of these types of majestic bridges around. The Haystack Rail Bridge is a…read moresteel single-leaf drawbridge that carries the Northwestern Pacific Railroad over the Petaluma River near the 101 freeway. The rail line connects downtown San Rafael with the Sonoma Airport. Not a "new" bridge but instead is the old Galveston Causeway bridge that was built in 1987 and planned to be scraped in 2012 but instead was purchased for $4.2 million and moved here from the Texas Gulf Coast. This was a big savings as the cost of refurbishing the old 1903 Haystack Landing Bridge was quoted as $20 million! There is a great viewing area on Petaluma Boulevard and we hung around for a bit hoping for a bridge opening but gave up after a half hour. [Review 21013 overall - 530 in California - 1998 of 2023.]

I can't believe it took me so long to go to Pinky's. Their pizza is delicious. Seriously, I wasn't…read morevery hungry and I still managed to devour half a large pizza. The restaurant has a really casual, laid-back vibe. There were some arcade games in the back, and tons of families were there hanging out. I'll definitely go back!

Went there on a week day night and it was a great experience. The ambiance is laid back and chill,…read morethere were two parties celebrating birthdays. Our pizzas were delicious and the price was reasonable. My son liked the arcade and I loved that it still takes the quarters. Great place!

This place is a total Petaluma community asset. I have seen three shows there now and each one of…read morethem has been outstanding. The acoustics are excellent and the set up is fun and intimate. I want to say the venue holds five or 600 people. It's always pretty easy to get in and find a space to sit or stand and the bar in front as you walk in is always hopping! The staff is friendly and the location is fantastic in downtown Petaluma. We recently paid $35 or so per ticket to see an outstanding country performance and I would highly recommend it to anyone whether it be date night or a small group of friends, you can't go wrong checking out a show at the Mystic Theater. Five stars for sure!

Wouldn't even let us into the venue…read more My family was having a memorial for my recently deceased family member I was on the guest list and they wouldn't even let me in

I took my daughter so she can try out for ballet at Contessi Ballet and she loved it. She tried out…read morefor the age group 6-9yrs old. I had a few questions since every ballet company works a bit differently and I was happy that the staff was quick to response and answered all my questions. It's a small ballet studio in a beautiful community of Penngrove. There is a park near it as well as a Penngrove Market. I liked the atmosphere and what I saw the first two classes I attended. Parents are welcome to stay to watch the class if they like or take advantage and finished those last minute errands you might have while your child it's at ballet. The teacher is nice but firm and she runs the class smoothly. She has a good handle on the kids and most important she knows how to talk to them. She makes sure everyone gets a turn and sees that everyone is in the right position otherwise she'll correct them. She makes the class a learning experience but fun but at the same time. There isn't a water fountain in the studio so make sure you bring water or you can purchase from the snack Bar water bottles or snacks. There is plenty of Parking so no worry there.

(( This business is also known as "Contessi Ballet". I will be reviewing the Adult Ballet division…read more )) Located in Penngrove's historic train depot building, Contessi Ballet has a warm, community feeling and they embrace dancers of all ages, shapes, and sizes. At my first class, I was warmly welcomed by the staff and dancers. They offer a decent compliment of adult ballet classes, including two levels of pointe. They offer classes both in the mornings and in the evenings, making it easy for a busy adult to take class during our ever-changing schedules. Best of all (and what attracted me to the studio in the first place), they allow their adult dancers to perform dancing roles in their productions, and even join the NBPA company if they qualify. The company class on Saturdays also offers pas de deux. The studio holds both a winter production (The Nutcracker), and a spring production. The only issues I would put forth is the cleanliness of the floor (I would prefer it to be a bit cleaner), and the temperatures in the studio can fluctuate, so dancers are encouraged to bring layers. I feel that more corrections could be given during classes (some of the teachers are young and seem hesitant), and perhaps more teacher/pedagogical training could be provided for the instructors. A great studio for adults who wish to pursue dance!

One of the best theatre experiences on an ongoing basis-year after yesterday producing wonderful…read moreshows.

Theater night. The Cinnabar Theater's production of The…read moreLast Five Years was an entertaining and intimate experience. We came in support of a friend in the show and enjoyed the small cozy theater's old charm. It provided the perfect backdrop for this emotionally charged musical. The talented 2 person cast did a fantastic -delivering powerful performances that left the audience captivated. The production showcased the complexities of relationships and the passage of time in a truly poignant way. Overall, it was a memorable and engaging theatrical experience. Note: tight parking lot. Come early to make sure you get a space.

Lots of details about this interesting corner of the Bay Area provided by our guide Dan G. He was a…read morewealth of information, pretty funny and as a local was able to share a lot of perspective on the islands changes. Great day trip and I wish we had more time to poke around.

Wonderful tour led by Jim. History + nature! A great morning spent on the island…read more For people who are looking to visit the Naval Museum on the island, it is no longer open, but this tour is operative and you get to see the naval chapel and walk around the area. I was originally looking for information about the museum and arrived at this page: https://www.mihpf.org/tours. I hope this will help you find their tour options and dates! All digitalized, no fuss. And it turns out I was the only who signed up for today's tour, and they did not cancel on me because of that. I really really appreciated it. One last thing, the money you spend on the tour goes into helping this foundation : ) Yay!