Schulz Museum
Fans of the Peanuts Comic Strip head to Santa Rosa for a Bit of Nostalgia
For most people who grew up in the 60s, 70s and 80s, Charlie Brown and the rest of the Peanuts gang are much more than characters in a daily comic strip or holiday TV special. They are the kids they played with from down the block, the ones they went trick-or-treating and played sandlot football with and much more. Even though the strip’s creator, Charles M. Schulz, passed away in 2000, the strip, the characters and the TV specials that became touchstones of many childhoods still resonate quite strongly with many people today.
Peanuts fans in the Bay Area are fortunate, as those touchstones are nearby and on display at the Charles M. Schulz Museum and Research Center in Santa Rosa. Just 50 miles north of San Francisco, Santa Rosa is a fun and easy day trip from the Bay Area and right in the heart of California wine country. The Museum is located quite close to the drawing studio where Schulz created his ageless characters and longtime fans will be able to see, experience and even skate on many nearby facilities that became fixtures of the strip and TV specials. In addition to countless Peanuts strip originals, an open, comfortable museum campus, the drawing board where his characters came to life every day, changing exhibits and many other cool exhibits and features, the Museum also features:
- A Museum Theater
The theater schedule changes often, but guests can count on seeing all the different Peanuts TV specials, rare interview footage with Schulz, biographical films about his life and the development of his craft and other interesting films. - An Education Room
This room is actually a creative classroom, where budding cartoonists and other artists of all levels of accomplishment can learn to draw, animate, or simply have fun in a comfortable, learn-at-your-own-pace atmosphere. - Schulz’ Entire Drawing Studio
Located on the second floor, this exhibit is a re-creation of the artist’s workspace in his studio at One Snoopy Place in Santa Rosa, including his desk, drawing board, pictures, books and other memorabilia. - A Bedroom Wall Schulz Painted for his Daughter in their Home
A must-see for Peanuts fans, this exhibit is the nursery wall from a home in Colorado Springs, where the artist and his family lived for a short time. Schulz painted the wall for his daughter Meredith, which features Snoopy when he still got around on four legs, Charlie Brown and other characters long before they became household names. - Much More!
The Museum and the surrounding campus are a great and fairly inexpensive way to spend a day having fun with the family and introducing the next generation of Peanuts fans to characters that most of us have known all our lives. Admission is $10 for adults and $5 for seniors and kids aged 3 to 18. Hours of operation differ somewhat depending on the time of year and the facility is closed on most major holidays. To check out the schedule and plan your trip, be sure to check out the officials website at http://schulzmuseum.org.