On a recent visit to Petaluma, I finally went inside this gorgeous building and was glad I did. 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! read more

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The Petaluma Historical Library and Museum is a majestic building on 4th Street built in 1904. It is 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. read more

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I feel lucky to have a local museum in Petaluma that provides tours and preserve the history of the town. 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! read more

Petaluma Historical Museum - Volunteer tour guides - Museums Near Me - Petaluma, California

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102/2024 Friendly staff Displays were all in honor of African American and Arts . Famous African American Musical Artists are on display. read more

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Amazing stained glass dome to gaze at above while learning about Petaluma's history. I love popping in here when I can and learn about architecture, farming, the people that shaped Petaluma, and the animals. There is currently a little table with glue sticks to make your own 'quilt' and great for children. Highly recommend this gem! read more

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Beautiful Old Building of knowledge and history. A lot of important events, people's accomplishments and their contribution to Petaluma's culture. read more

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This free library is worth the visit. It is a lovely museum. The history of Petaluma chickens and eggs is worth noticing by parents and children. The outside of the building is old, very old and the grounds are ok to look at by anyone hanging out. read more

As you enter the museum it says "free to all". I walked in to use the restroom that is free to all, but the rude older woman working berated us asking who told us there was a restroom in the museum. It was classically an unwelcoming librarian vibe and it makes the Petaluma historical museum a historically unwelcoming place. I would not return here the staff is not friendly. read more

Prelude as to why the handsome man and I adventured to Petaluma for a smidgen of a day. Why did we visit? In two words: This Museum. It was his turn to choose our destination for a few hours of a day. He said he'd seen a PBS show on this museum and wanted to go. My thoughts; not words...just thoughts... "PBS." "Museum." ...ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, crap...booooooorrrrrrrrrrrrring!" Yet, I kept my sassy mouth shut and happily said "OK, let's go there!" :D Cut to the chase...I had a blast and waaaaaaaay more fun than my husband. Hahahaaaaaaaaaaa! The museum has some darn cool architectural enhancements... gorgeous and huge carved wood columns and the huge stained glass ceiling artwork were our favorite structural visuals. The staff is soooooooooooo nice. I asked a lady staffer if it was cool for me to click away with my camera. She said it was fine for me to take photos. Not all museums allow that; I always ask. Being able to Click! Click! Click! truly made this museum visit Fun! Fun! Fun! Some of the displays truly intrigued me. Kiddie stuff makes me smile. It was a happy surprise to find a great kiddie exhibit on the second floor... a doll house filled with cute 'lil do-dads, a kiddie piano and more fun kiddie items. I posted some photos of the kiddie stuff and other misc. exhibits. The history of Petaluma is exuded within the walls of this museum. Some souvenirs are for sale; books and misc. items. I purchased some snazzy sparkly rocks...little reminders of our happy visit. Yeah...a little more happy for me than my handsome husband. You can see a happy CA cow via one of my photos. The dairy industry history is a huge part of the museum. If you adventure to Petaluma, bop into this museum. It is quaint and not a gigantic place, yet worth some of your time. And definitely bring your cameras! * Special Exhibits are ever-changing. * Visit the museum's web site for exhibit updates and information. read more

Had a quick 5 minute visit of the Petaluma Historical Museum. It is housed in the former Petaluma Free Library, a gorgeous building that makes you wish all libraries still looked like this! Lots of windows, polished wooden floors--excellent feng shui! The former check-out counter is now the Information Counter. The balcony encircles the 1st floor with additional exhibits. The first floor featured tributes to the fallen soldiers from various wars. There was a nice exhibit on the war nurses. One counter featured a fireplace and a cozy living room area. There was also a former horse drawn fire engine that looked as if it was ready and waiting to fight the next fire! Small but sweet gift shop with books and maps on local history. I found a small, sweet plush squirrel that makes "squirrely" sounds when you squeeze him/ Nice staff! We'll have to visit this museum again when we have more time to explore. read more

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Came for the Elvis Presley presentation. Mostly just photos and a 1 hour video. Building is the old library. Exudes charm and atmosphere. Upstairs collection of Petaluma artifacts from 1880's to 1920's is fun to see. Mostly egg & butter industry items. If you're a day tourist it's worth a 30 minute visit to learn a little about Petaluma here. read more

Shiver me timbers, They are having a "Pirates, Legends and Lore" exhibit. It knocked our socks off. It was my first time there and we went to the grand opening of the exhibit. They served free rum! (only on that night) Now I want to go back for more. I loved every inch of that museum. Afterwards we walked through Old Town to Dempsey's on the Riverfront and ate outside. A great night. http://www.pressdemocrat.com/apps/pbcs.dll/gallery?Site=SR&Date=20110918&Category=COMMUNITY&ArtNo=918009992&Ref=PH&pl=1 http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20110915/COMMUNITY/110919695 Why didn't the pirate get into the movie to see the show? It was rated "Arrrrr" read more

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The building is beautiful. We loved the central dome. It is the largest free-standing dome of stained glass in California so it was really cool to see. We also enjoyed learning about the chicken history and how they used to clean the eggs and clip the beaks of the chicken. read more

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The Petaluma Historical Museum is a cute little getaway in a small town known for its Dairy and Egg Festival. It has a beautiful stained glass ceiling dome, as well as a lovely tree out back. The upstairs section chronicles Petaluma's history. Petaluma's Victorian houses managed to survive the 1906 Earthquake, despite the epicenter being Point Reyes/Santa Rosa. The Petaluma Historical Museum currently has an awesome exhibit about Elvis Presley, who would've turned 75 this year. There's great memorabilia, as well as surrealistic music videos of the time playing. It's a pleasant little getaway. read more

we went on the historical walking tour on saturday and it was great learning about the town thru the eyes of locals - sherry and leif. they were fantastic, knowledgeable and gracious guides who shared fascinating factoids we would not have known without their help. the museum is housed in the gorgeous carnegie library w/the original dome that's stunning to admire. it's a gem that has done a fantastic job preserving and continuing the history of petaluma for future generations to come. read more

Bring the kids and get to know some history of petaluma. Small town charm and great to see what has taken place around here. The staff is so very nice. They go out of their way to show you around. They also hold art shows which are amazing. read more

What a beautiful library, with a nice local museum inside (And at a very reasonable price -- free!) Though it was tough to find parking on a Sunday afternoon, we were close enough to walk to Lala's for an ice cream. Great stop on our "day in Petaluma" tour. read more

Went to an event here celebrating "Trailblazing Women of Sonoma County". Beautiful place, loveky people. read more

Petaluma Historical Museum - Museums Near Me - Petaluma, California

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This review is way overdo. Went to the pirate exhibit quite a long time ago. Ok, like last fall. Anyway, they earned 4 stars just for having an entire exhibit featuring pirates and the little preview thing they had was cool. The museum is small and imperfect, but rich with Petaluma and at one time, Pirate history. read more

We have been members of the Petaluma Historical Museum for years now. It's housed in a beautiful building, the old Carnegie Free Library, and is a trip through history just walking through it's doors. The upstairs has a permanent display of Petaluma history which is always so fun to look at. Downstairs they have permanent exhibits, but also rotating special exhibits of a wide variety. I've also been to events at this museum that have been very enjoyable. Recently we started renewing our membership at the supporter level, which is $125 because of the NARM (North American Reciprocal Museum) benefits. Our favorite museums are part of NARM so our $125 membership fee not only gets us into this museum, but also the Legion of Honor, deYoung Museum, our very own local Charles Schulz Museum and the somewhat new and delightful Walt Disney Museum. We can take our granddaughters to all these museums as often as we want and trust me, we take advantage of that. They ESPECIALLY love the Schulz and Disney museums as do we! If one goes to any of these other museums it's a no-brainer to invest $125 for this membership. In particular for families whether it be your own kids or grandkids. There are SO many museums that are part of NARM it's impossible to name them, but you can see a list online. Another one we love is the USS Hornet and our very own Petaluma Arts Center where this membership gets you free entry. Oh and if you have a business, for just $25 more you can get your business card in their newsletter. I encourage people to visit this museum and to consider supporting it with an annual membership. It's also a great gift opportunity for those individuals and/or families who would appreciate something more unique and supportive of our community at the same time. read more

My husband-to-be and I staged an epic radio play and wedding ceremony here, amidst the glorious wedding dresses from Petaluma's past in the 'I Do' exhibit at the Museum. The Curator, Board Members and Museum Staff were absolutely wonderful to work with. Our 'Happily Ever After' began is an historic fashion and was absolutely magical! read more

Great exhibits displaying rich history (from the different ethnic groups who called Petaluma home to the "chicken capital of the world"days). The staff is friendly, there's no entrance fee, and it's interesting stuff. read more

It was okay. Two story museum. Bottom floor had all Elvis Presley memorabilia. Upstairs they had historical things like egg washer, maps of petaluma, things from petalumas first elementary school, kitchen supplies. They had an old tree in the back that was approximately 200 years old. Pretty cool. It was kind of relaxing sitting on the benches around the tree. read more

Other yelpers have praised the Museum's exhibits, but these are now past. Bear in mind that the Museum has perhaps six new exhibits each year, plus the usual historic displays upstairs. I would recommend the viewers check with the Museum for a schedule of upcoming exhibits and then come to be amazed! read more

Once housing the town library, now a great local history hot-spot. My family has donated artifacts for display and despite being a treasure trove of items from the town's past, it is always easily accessible. read more

Great history of the area. The employees at the facility are very pleasant and welcoming. Enjoyed my visit.