Charles M. Schulz Museum and Research Center — Attraction in Santa Rosa

This was my second time here today, and it’s become my happy place now. Charles M. Schulz was a genius, and this place is a testament to that. The museum celebrates the life of Schulz and his legacy.

There’s a small gift shop right next to the reception(where you can both buy the tickets for entrance and pay for the things bought at the gift shop). While this gift shop has a small selection of items(T-shirts, badges, cups and magnets among other things), there’s another larger gift shop on the other side of the street. It’s called Snoopy gift shop.

The museum itself is well-organised, with the auditorium, the famous mural(made out of Peanuts strips), a nook that plays an introductory video(quite informative) about Schulz and Peanuts and a gallery(which I presume has rotating content on Schulz and Peanuts) being on the first floor. On the day we went(a Saturday in October), they had the ‘Drawn from Life’ on, which showcased the inspiration for each of Peanuts characters, and other miscellaneous facts about the history of Peanuts. The ‘Girl Power in Peanuts’ showed the growing prominence of girls in Schulz’s cartoons, which was quite amazing to see and know about.

On the first floor, there’s also a courtyard which has a huge redwood, and an education building called Othmar Hall. Othmar Hall was closed on the day we visited. There are some seats in the courtyard where you can sit and relax for a bit. The Peanuts strips on the walls were quite funny, and we had a hearty laugh reading many of them.

On the second floor, in the upstairs changing gallery, there was another exhibition called ‘Adults by Schulz’ on display, which showed Schulz’s cartoons with adults in them. I always thought Schulz only drew kids, with Peanuts being his most prominent work. But to know and learn about his cartoons with adults in them gave me joy. There’s also a room which serves as the recreation of Schulz’s art studio with tools, gifts from family and friends, memorabilia and his personal library. On the mini-TV, they were showing a video of Schulz drawing cartoons. To see him in action, and make each stroke so effortlessly, left me in a trance. Sheer genius.

There’s an education room as well on the second floor where you can enjoy colouring, drawing and cartooning activities. They’ve restrooms on the second floor as well.

Just across the street, there’s the Warm Puppy cafe, Snoopy ice rink, and the Snoopy gift shop, all of which are worth visiting too.

There are ample parking spaces outside both the museum and across the street where the cafe is. The staff was very polite and gave us directions on what to see and do within the museum.

Charles M. Schulz was one of a kind, and this museum, in all its glory and splendor, pays tribute to him, befittingly so. I’ll keep visiting this place in the time to come. To the staff and everyone else who helped establish this place and helps to continue running it,...

This is an amazing place filled with Charles Schultz history. When you first arrive you are greeted by a Charlie Brown statue and a little bit later you will come across snoopy taking a nap on his dog house. The museum itself is architecturally beautiful. When you go inside it is even more amazing. There are several fun attractions and shows that you can partake in as well as comics to read and historical displays.

Once I checked in with the ladies at the front desk, I was given a map and brief synopsis of what the museum has to offer. Since it was my first trip, they escorted me under the stairs and showed me some peep holes that I could look through with my son to see cartoon scenes. I went down the great hallway and was amazed at the carved wood picture hanging showing the metamorphosis of snoopy. I also took in every metal art piece depicting each character and a quote that signifies their character. Straight ahead was a great mural of two iconic peanuts characters that were comprised of comic strips. Around the corner was a video nook showing a documentary of schultz's life and development of the museum. Behind that was a photo opportunity where you can take a picture with snoopy, equipped with props and all. Upstairs included a view of his office and other mementos.

Long story short, this place is amazing and you must see it at least once. They have a craft area for kids where you can color and watch snoopy. Or you can participate in magic tricks and make your own comic strip. They even have head phones for kids who have sensory overload.

The outdoors were equally attractive. There is a snoopy labyrinth that seemed like fun. I did not participate because it was hot when I went. They also have a place where you can sit and relax and enjoy water from a kaleidoscope bird bath. Or enjoy the shade from a great redwood with peanuts characters all around it.

All in all, it is a great place for kids and adults alike. I read peanuts growing up and had no idea that it was so engrained in American culture. I remember seeing it in MetLife ads but I didn't know it was so active in the NASA programs. It is a fun place for kids and has a little to offset for all. My only complaint is that ir didn't have much to offer in thr gift shop. They had some books and magnets, shirts, dogs and other pigs and ends but it was a small gift shop with...

This museum has been on my bucket list for over a decade and it did not disappoint. I highly recommend visiting if you like anything about the Peanuts gang. The museum recommends about 90 minutes for a good visit but I read everything in the museum so I'd say minimum 2 hours, and make time for the Warm Puppy Cafe and gift shop/art gallery next door. If you've read every single strip Shulz created you're in for a treat because there are some things that only those who know will recognize. There are also a number of unique drawings and other things that were never published, early works in other forms and even his children's mural wall removed from one of his houses in Santa Rosa. Seeing original animation cells and full sized comic strips drawn in Shulz's own pen and hand was a real treat. Also, seeing the recreated office where Shulz created the strips was amazing, fun and emotional experience. Also make time for the creative center upstairs where you and the kids can draw your own comic strips, color pre-drawn ones or make origami Snoopy and his dog house. I can't wait to visit again someday.

The entrance fee is pretty reasonable considering how much enjoyment you'll get out of your visit. There is also a small gift shop in the museum where we found quite a few things to buy that aren't in the bigger gift shop across the street. The tickets are good for the entire day once you enter so you can go grab food or whatever and come back for more. They also have a penny flattening machine right at the entrance that takes $1 and provides the penny for that price so bring $1 bills or use your...