Where Are You Charlie Brown?
Find Snoopy and the Peanuts Gang in Santa Rosa and Sonoma County in this 2-days Itinerary
Celebrate the funny, touching, and loveable Peanuts cartoon characters by visiting their "hometown" - Santa Rosa, California.
Created by the late cartoonist Charles Schulz (aka "Sparky"), the Peanuts gang is engrained in American pop culture of the late ’60s and ’70s. Charlie Brown working up the courage to talk to the red-haired girl. Lucy pulling away the football at the last possible moment, or just being her crabby self. Linus philosophizing while clutching his security blanket. Snoopy flying his doghouse in a battle against the Red Baron, dancing with wild abandon, or simply being cool.
Schulz passed away in 2000, but his characters continue to charm us and make us laugh. Nowhere is their presence felt more than in Sonoma County, which Schulz called home for more than 40 years. He moved to the town of Sebastopol in 1958 and settled in Santa Rosa in the early 70s.
A modest man, Schulz nixed the idea of sculptures of himself. However, he approved statues of his characters. In tribute, the City of Santa Rosa sponsored "Peanuts on Parade" art projects, in which local artists decorated five-foot-tall fiberglass statues of a single character.
Charlie Brown figures were decorated in the summer of 2005, Woodstock in 2006, Snoopy in 2007, and Lucy in 2010. In all, the program distributed more than 200 statues and raised more than $500,000 for art scholarships and to install permanent bronze Peanuts sculptures at three sites in town.
Day One
Charles M. Schulz Museum and Snoopy's Home Ice
Whether you fly or drive to Sonoma County, the best place to start your Peanuts adventure is at the Charles M. Schulz Sonoma County Airport (2290 Airport Blvd., Santa Rosa, 707-565-7240; designated as STS). The fact that the airport is named for Schulz illustrates the affection local people felt for this quiet and unassuming cartoonist. The airport terminal makes it clear that Sonoma County is Peanuts country.
Out front, large bronze sculptures of Charlie and Linus lean against a stone wall, watching visitors come and go. Inside, one wall is highlighted by a painting of the airport's logo, which features Snoopy on his doghouse, jauntily flying by a control tower. On another wall a narrow-painted banner also features fighter pilot Snoopy and his doghouse, and proclaims, "Thank you for flying STS."
And five-foot fiberglass images of Charlie and the gang are everywhere. Wearing his distinctive zigzag shirt, Charlie Brown directs visitors to the self-check-in computers. A camera-toting-tourist Lucy holds up a world map. Snoopy poses in his fighter pilot's helmet and goggles, leaning against an airport control tower. And Woodstock perches on his nest while around him small birds attempt to fly.
Have a question or need assistance? The airport information booth looks just like Lucy's psychiatric booth, complete with signs saying "Airport Help 5¢" and "The Helper is In."
Hungry? The airport's Sky Lounge Steakhouse and Sushi Bar offers fresh, organic menu items for breakfast, lunch, and dinner; and its front wall of windows overlooks the runway where you can watch the planes take off and land.
For your next stop, head east away from the airport on Airport Boulevard; after crossing Highway 101, turn right on Old Redwood Highway. In about two miles you'll reach the Kaiser Permanente medical offices (3925 Old Redwood Highway). Just to the left of the building's front door, Woodstock reads "The Life of a Bird" to small birds.
Behind the building, three characters are scattered along a nicely landscaped concrete patio. Snoopy holds a measuring stick, to see how tall Woodstock is; Charlie Brown wears sunglasses and carries a satchel; and Lucy sits at her psychiatric booth, waiting for the next person willing to pay 5¢ for her advice. Comfortable wooden benches are a nice place to sit and appreciate the statues, before moving on to the next Peanuts location.
Continue south on Old Redwood Highway, going straight where it becomes Mendocino Avenue; then head west (right) on Steele Lane. After driving under the Highway 101 overpass, watch on the right for signs to the Charles M. Schulz Museum (2301 Hardies Lane, Santa Rosa, 707-579-4452).
You'll be visiting three buildings on the Schulz campus — Snoopy's Gallery and Gift Shop; Snoopy's Home Ice Redwood Ice Arena, which includes the Warm Puppy Café and the Charles M. Schulz Museum. Essentially, this is Peanuts Central, where Schulz spent most of his time, and where you can get a real feel for the cartoonist and his creations. Plan to stay here awhile, to be able to see and take in everything.
The gift shop sells all things Peanuts, from fuzzy Snoopy dolls to Charlie Brown's trademark zigzag shirt in sizes ranging from toddler to 2XL adult. This is the place to get your official Peanuts souvenirs. In addition to clothing and toys, you'll find books, music, figurines, home décor, and more.
Next door, rent skates and glide across the ice at the Redwood Empire Ice Arena, aka Snoopy's Home Ice. Or kick back at the Warm Puppy Café, enjoying a snack or meal while watching the skaters through the wall of windows facing the rink. Or curl up in front of the gas fireplace with a cup of Peppermint Patty hot chocolate. This café was one of Schulz' favorite hangouts, and he ate breakfast and lunch here almost every day. His favorite table by the front window is permanently reserved for him.
And just across a small side street from the ice rink, you'll find the Schulz museum — 8,000 square feet of world-class art and whimsy, designed with clean, modern lines and a definite spirit of fun. There's something to appeal to fans of every age, from the "kite-eating tree" and oversized birdbath in the courtyard to the mural a Japanese artist created using 3,588 comic strip tiles. There's also a re-creation of Schulz' studio, a timeline of his life, and an original wall that he painted in the nursery of his Colorado home in 1951.
The museum's 100-seat theater screens a variety of animated Peanuts specials and fascinating interviews with Schulz. It's a good idea to check the theater schedule in advance, so you can time your visit to watch the shows that interest you the most.
Schulz drew about 18,000 strips in his lifetime, and the museum owns about 7,000 of these original cartoons — the largest collection in the world. Changing exhibitions display this artwork 70 to 80 strips at a time, organized around themes.
For those traveling with children (or the young at heart), next door to the Schulz museum you'll find the Children's Museum of Sonoma County, with interactive, hands-on exhibits and experiences focused on art, nature, and science. Or, if you want to stretch your legs and explore the Schulz property a bit more, there's a baseball diamond and a cement slab for roller hockey just north of the Schulz museum's parking lot.
While Schulz spent a quite a bit of his time in his studio, the ice rink, and the Warm Puppy Café, he was also a frequent visitor to the nearby Coddingtown Shopping Mall, where he would spend hours in a bookstore. Unfortunately, the bookstore is gone now, but just inside the mall entrance next to Whole Foods, you'll find fiberglass statues of Charlie Brown and Snoopy keeping watch by a colorful play area designed for children under 42 inches tall, with padded benches where parents can sit and watch.
Now it's off to the Flamingo Conference Resort & Spa (2777 4th St., Santa Rosa, 707-545-8530), a landmark hotel that owns eight fiberglass Peanuts characters — the largest concentration in Santa Rosa. Among others, you'll find Charlie Brown and Snoopy decked out in Giants baseball uniforms and an Egyptian-style Snoopy with a King Tut-style headdress and golden staff.
If you're ready to call it a day, the Flamingo is a good lodging option for the night, giving you time to check out the other Peanuts figures there. The hotel's poolside Terrace Grille offers casual dining featuring Wine Country cuisine.
Or, if you want to get a head start on tomorrow's location, other options include Hyatt Regency Sonoma Wine Country (170 Railroad St., Santa Rosa, 707-284-1234), which has a fiberglass statue of Lucy, or the historic Hotel La Rose (308 Wilson St., Santa Rosa, 800-527-6738).
Day Two
Find the Peanuts Statues in Santa Rosa And Beyond
Start the day in Old Courthouse Square at the corner of Fourth and E Streets in Downtown Santa Rosa outside the Central Santa Rosa Library. A bronze statue of Marcie reads a book on a bench under shady trees. For a great photo, slide in next to her.
Next up is Santa Rosa's Historic Railroad Square district. Begin at the California Welcome Center (9 Fourth St., Santa Rosa, 707-577-8674 or 800-404-7673), in the old railroad depot. A fiberglass Lucy welcomes visitors, and in addition to offering free tips for visiting Sonoma County, the center sells a bit of Peanuts memorabilia. On the lawn near the depot, a bronze statue of a smiling Charlie Brown stands with his arm around his pal, Snoopy.
Several fiberglass statues are also in the neighborhood, where you'll also find antique stores, specialty shops, coffee houses, and restaurants.
It's a great opportunity to browse and shop as you locate the other Peanuts statues:
A dapper Snoopy with a handlebar mustache in front of A'roma Roasters (95 5th St., Santa Rosa, 707-576-7765)
Woodstock as a Beaver Scout in front of Omelette Express (112 4th St., Santa Rosa, 707-525-1690)
A sporty Snoopy in front of Chops teen center (509 Adams St., Santa Rosa)
After you've explored this historic neighborhood, head to the Finley Community Center (2060 W. College Ave., Santa Rosa, 543-3760). The center's central courtyard features an impressive bronze sculpture of Schroeder, Lucy, and Schroeder's toy piano.
And it takes just a few minutes to also go by 110 Stony Point Road. Local architect Larry Simons collected five fiberglass statues and had them bronzed. They're on display near his firm's office.
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