If you love the Peanuts comic strips, movies, and those adorable characters like Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Lucy, Sally, Peppermint Patty, Schroeder, Linus, Pig Pen, Woodstock, Franklin, Marcie, and more, you have to visit the Charles Schulz Museum in Santa Rosa, CA. These characters are magically real to us all and we are captivated by the familiar quirks of their distinct personalities. As we come to know them, the comics come alive and we are forever fans. This museum is kid friendly and we loved learning more about Charles Schulz and the Peanuts characters he created.
We loved everything about this museum. On the car ride over we read Who Is Charles Schulz, which I HIGHLY recommend. That way you have an understanding of the remarkable man who created Peanuts. The book is a quick read and you will learn about his childhood, how he created the Peanuts characters we know and love, his personal life, and so much more.
The museum is two stories of wonderful facts, photos, comics, an educational center where children can create comics, color and play. My favorite room was seeing Charles Schulz's desk where he created his famous comics. We learned so much about Charles Schulz and how people called him Sparky, how he first made Snoopy to walk on all 4 legs and then decided he should walk on 2 legs. We learned about the characters and so much more. There is also an auditorium where you can watch Peanuts shorts all day long.
I recommend about 90 minutes for the museum, but the museum also includes a movie theater, Education Room with coloring pages and animation tools, and beautiful grounds. Beyond the Museum, there is also a much larger commercial gift shop (Snoopy’s Gallery and Gift Shop), ice arena (Snoopy’s Home Ice), and café (The Warm Puppy Café) on the Schulz campus. We did not ice skate, but we made sure to check it out and it looks so fun. FREE parking is available, photography is allowed, no pets are allowed, and the museum is completely kid friendly.
The museum is located in Santa Rosa, CA because it was Schulz's home from 1958 until his death in 2000. Charles's wife Jean is involved with the museum and still lives in Santa Rosa.
As a family we really love museums. We also really love reading the Who What Book Series. It is so much fun to find a book about someone you are interested in and read more about them. We loved reading the book about Charles Schulz on the way to the museum, because while walking through the museum we felt like we understood him and what he created. I highly suggest taking your family to this museum this summer. You can enjoy the museum, the education room, eat at the café, shop the gift shops, and ice skate! What a perfect day.
Just across the street from the Museum is Snoopy’s Home Ice, which was designed and built by Schulz and his first wife, Joyce. Visitors can ice skate or enjoy a hot chocolate by the fireplace in the Warm Puppy Café, which looks out onto the ice and was favorite of Schulz for breakfast and lunch. His table remains reserved. The Café features homemade soups, fresh salads and sandwiches.
Just beyond the Ice Arena is Snoopy’s Gallery and Gift Shop, a shopping mecca for Peanuts fans, with some must-see Peanuts features, including a stained glass rose window and carpeted wall murals featuring Snoopy and Woodstock.
Snoopy & Charlie Brown Sculpture located at Railroad Square in Santa Rosa, California. This is just a short drive from the museum.
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