On a recent visit to Petaluma, I decided to explore as much as I could including historic sites. This one is a quick drive from downtown and is clearly marked. The parking lot is spacious, and is a short walk past cacti to the entrance. This site was the Mexican governor of the area's residence. On entry, there's a gift shop with souvenirs and reading material, plus some exhibits. There's a ticket booth too, which was reasonable (they also take cards). The ticket gets you into other sites in the area on the same day as purchase. The attendant was very friendly and gave me a laminated info sheet about the building. There was also a volunteer docent to lead you through the history of the building and people that lived here. I opted to explore both levels on my own, which had information signs and period furniture throughout. If you're a history fan with an hour to spare, it's worth a visit. read more

See all

A hidden gem! A beautiful site filled with history and fascinating exhibits. Bring a picnic and sit under the trees. And keep an eye out for the cute lizards that seem to be everywhere! read more

Awesome history here. Great place to see the old way of building Adobe structures and also tour entry fee gets you into the mission and the home in Sonoma! Plan on seeing them all in one day and make the most of your $3 adult entry. read more

Petaluma Adobe State Historic Park - Parks Near Me - Petaluma, California

See all

This place is fun if you are in the area and love California history. It is very large estate and requires climbing stairs. If you are accompanied by folks with mobility issues, this may be a downside. All the workrooms are on the first floor. They are very well set up. Great to see the mill and the tools used by the inhabitants of the place. The 2nd floor is more of the family quarters. The sitting room, dining area, bedrooms for the Vallejo family and their staff. The Fandango room had instruments for one to see and imagine the wild parties had! Overall, the impressive view of the hills from the 2nd floor that go all around are gorgeous. I had fun walking around and admiring the scenery. Advise-They have a rodent issue on the 2nd floor. We found LOTS of mice/rat droppings all over and the smell of urine was STRONG! We heard mice in the beams above the staircase as we were leaving. So disgusting! I recommend they get some cats on the property or an exterminator. read more

A dilapidated, unmanned kiosk at the entrance to this park said we're supposed to pay inside after we park. So we parked. But it's raining and some of the people in the car didn't want to walk around in the rain. I decided to wait it out (it's June), and pass a little time by reading about the adobe. Not two minutes later we were approached by a nasty park ranger who told us to pay immediately or leave. We'd been planning to pay and enjoy the park, but I suddenly didn't really feel like giving money to anything involving this horrible lady. I guess sweeping a completely empty parking lot gets boring. I bet everyone who's encountered this person knows exactly who I'm talking about. Good job, jerk. read more

What a beautiful spot and such great history. We love coming here as a family. In the autumn the ground is covered in leaves in the picnic area and makes for a great spot to hang out with the kids. read more

Petaluma Adobe State Historic Park - Parks Near Me - Petaluma, California

We went as a family we loved it!!!! Lots of picnic spots for the family there is no barbecuing so you would have to bring sandwiches or something like that but overall its very nice read more

See all

Wonderful place for weekend exploration. Many activities -posted on continually updated calendar- offer a hisotical venue. The staff- docents are so friendly and obviously love working here! read more

See all

My husband and I had business to do in Petaluma and we noticed a sign for this park down the road. We were so glad we checked it out! Jennifer was the most awesome tour guide ever! She explained the history of the park that was the home and ranchero of General Mariano Vallejo. I got the true feeling of how it was to live back then and was so appreciative of my comfy bed when I got home! The grounds are well tended to and the adobe building is extremely well preserved. The huge row of cacti with prickly pears was a cool back drop for pictures. Check this historical place out if you can! read more

Petaluma Adobe State Historic Park - There's a tiny person with the cacti if you look really hard! - Parks Near Me - Petaluma, California

Let's talk about adobe. People tend to associate adobe with the stark, sunlit Southwest. One imagines ancient Taos, Georgia O'Keeffe's Ghost Ranch...not an adobe rancho tucked among the wineries/vineyards and ranches of Northern California among redwoods, live oaks, and fragrant eucalyptus. It's as if Northern California were too temperate (just as if it were insufficiently harsh for the Russians, who are mentioned in the exhibits inside) The lot was surprisingly half-full, tho not completely full, on a holiday weekend. It was appropriate people were rehearing "Romeo&Juliet" in the courtyard- since authentic British coins from Shakespeare's time were found in nearby Olompali State Park in Novato. Pros- The admission is $3... and you can also go to Vallejo's mansion, the Sonoma mission&presidio on the same day. A package deal. They were keeping the grounds maintained. A ranger was vacuuming the bedroom of General (then Senator) Vallejo&his wife Benicia. The exhibits are interesting, from the original cowboys, to what was a typical rancho breakfast, and the Russians out at Fort Ross. The bathrooms are good. Cons- While Fort Ross&the Sonoma Historic Park have significantly upgraded over the years- the former added recreations of its windmill&sally port- this one hasn't. If you're here for souvenirs, there's not much. Ironically, the Sonoma Historic Part had the "Red or Green?" New Mexico cookbook. So all adobe is the same? They have an abandoned kiosk out front. Find another use, or demolish it. Too boring for urban explorers. One of the rangers was kind of grouchy. Sometimes the ranger's post is vacant when they should be accepting admission fees. Petaluma Adobe State Historic Park was once the largest rancho in Northern California. While other state parks have undergone improvements&renovations, this one has remained frozen in time. It needs some TLC. read more

Summer 2011, I joined the throngs of people making long overdue visit to our local state historic parks on the impending closure list. First stop was to visit the most local to us, the Petaluma Adobe. All I can say is that it is overwhelming to think we may be losing such an important historical resources in our community. Seriously. We have majorly jumped the track somewhere along the line that we have to sacrifice these critical resources. But I digress. The Petaluma Adobe, which served as the rancho for General Mariano Vallejo, is lovingly recreated at this park. Despite it's location off a prominent and busy road, the park really allows visitors to step back in time and imagine what life would have been like. Visitors are provided with a self-guided map, and are able to tour the two story home at their leisure. Each room has been adorned with artifacts and replicas to emulate what the home would have looked like in the appropriate time period. While interpretive materials were somewhat lacking, the significance of this site comes across loud and clear. The North Bay was in such an interesting geographical location in this period of the 19th c., as it was on the border between Russian and Spanish territories-which is partly why so many notable historical events happened here. Vallejo's outpost at the Adobe was one of the primary hubs during this period, and its value should not be underestimated. So run don't walk to the Petaluma Adobe, and your other local State Historic Parks, before these historical assets are no longer publicly available. Closing them is criminal, so we sincerely must enjoy them while we can. read more

Makes for a stunning sunset. A charming property off the old Petaluma beaten path. Approach through the Sonoma area to take in more of the scenery a la driving to grandma's for the summer experience. Park in the lot and walk across wooden footbridge to access the actual Adobe. Picnic tables & restroom facilities adjacent to parking area. Special events are hosted here throughout the year and the property is available for private use. Wonderful for all ages. Amazing photography scene! read more

Really nicely done historical place! (And at a very reasonable price -- $3 for adults, $2 for kids up to 17, and no parking fee.) Great stop on our "day in Petaluma" tour. read more

Fun place for kids and learning about history. It has stuff for everyone to look at. It's a neat place that shows you what is was like. Giving one a real perspective of the times they lived in. A true local Petaluma experience. Go try it out and you you will be happy you did. read more

Our first stop between San Francisco and Point Reyes. Largest existing adobo brick building in the US. It's the largest existing adobo brick building in the US. Authentically restored 1700s ranch. It's a CA state park. read more

See all

Well worth the trip...nice free tour guide to give facts and history knowledge. I am still shocked to know we only paid $3 per adult that gets us into the Sonoma mission as well. Beautiful display of cacti and 4 sheep and a mix hybrid looking donkey/mule/horse that came up to us for a free pet on the back. read more

See all

This is one of the few good historic parks in our area, to be sure. Lots of history in the buildings to go through, when they're open. Some interesting annual events worth going to also, everything from sheep shearing to a cultural history day. But the best time to come here is when no one else is, so you can have a nice, quiet, peaceful picnic in the park. It's so nice to get away from it all. read more

A visit here was the highlight of our Labor Day weekend last year. We'd attempted a KOA "camping" trip nearby, and my husband and I couldn't handle another moment of chasing our 3 kids (under 5) around a parent's version of hell (RVs, big kids on scooters, junk food everywhere, super crowded pool)...so we bailed, packed everyone up and took them to a historical site. It sound so weird, but our kids were so much better behaved at this spot than they'd been all weekend at the KOA campground. We talked about the "olden days" as we toured the rooms upstairs with their period furniture, they got to see wool spun, and we had a picnic lunch in the park at the end. It is an awesome spot. read more

Thanks Lauren B. for your concerns. The droppings you are seeing belong to brown bats and pallid bats...the squeaks you heard above you were the bats. We have had bat experts and our District scientists visit the Adobe and they have determined that there is no risk to the public. While our visitor services staff and maintenance staff try their best to keep it clean, it is a difficult task to stay up on. We have excluded them from some parts of the Adobe, but they are a protected mammal and part of the park's natural resources... hence, we can't completely exclude them from the structure....they are not inside the rooms of the Adobe, but have found a home where the roof meets up with the structure. We do have an occasional rodent, but NO INFESTATION AND NO HANTA VIRUS...please be careful what you post on the web as it can be damaging- visitation will now suffer to one of the state's cultural and historical resources as a result of a posting that is not completely based on facts and the truth. read more

Love this place. Every room is open to the public and is well preserved. The trail/walk to the adobe is nice as well.