Charles Schulz Museum: Sacramento Day Trip
Any other Peanuts fans out there? You need to visit the Charles Schulz Museum! Located in beautiful Santa Rosa, California, the Charles M. Schulz Museum is an easy day trip from Sacramento and well worth the drive. It is full of interactive exhibits and beautiful displays about Schulz’s life, the develop of Peanuts, and its effect on other artists.
Charles Schulz Museum: Sacramento Day Trip
Who was Charles Schulz?
Charles M. Schulz is the legendary creator of Peanuts, with such beloved characters as Snoopy and Charlie Brown. What I learned at the museum is that he was also a kind and generous mentor of many other cartoonists, whose tributes to him can be found throughout the museum. Did you know that Schulz grew up in Minnesota? No wonder they are always ice skating in Peanuts!
To me, one of the most fascinating stories is the creation of Franklin, one of the first Black characters in a mainstream cartoon. Schulz added him after a letter from a concerned teacher in the wake of the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr.
What to Expect: Charles Schulz Museum
The Charles M. Schulz Museum is the perfect size for families: There is plenty to keep their children’s interest, but the size is not so overwhelming, making it easy to cover in an afternoon. There is even a special museum guide just for families.
Visitors can practice their lettering in reprints of Peanuts comics, leave their own artwork behind for others to discover, and pose in Lucy’s famous psychiatrist’s booth! There are also Peanuts movies playing all day long in the theater. My kids favorite was the Education Room upstairs, where they could do artwork to their hearts’ content, including making their own miniature Snoopy houses, tracing comics on a light table, and even making real animation with use of a zoetrope. (Keep in mind the Education Room may be closed for a class, so check the schedule).
And of course you can’t miss the two story gift shop, with its beautiful displays. Be sure to save enough time for the ice skating rink and café.
Plan Your Visit
Visiting the Charles Schulz Museum is an easy day trip from Sacramento, but it is an approx. 2 hour drive each way, so you need to plan accordingly, especially since the museum closes at 5 pm. Note that the museum is closed on Tuesdays.
Admission prices are reasonable, with discounts for seniors, students, and military. Children ages 3 and under are free.
You may also want to check out the calendar of events. They offer classes for kids, workshops, and talks by well-known cartoonists, though these often are booked up well in advance.
Have Extra Time?
We chose to spend most of our time at the Charles M. Schulz Museum, but it would also be easy to include the Children’s Museum of Sonoma County in your itinerary, since it is right next door. So close, in fact, that at first we got the parking lots confused!
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