{"id":16,"date":"2016-09-04T23:41:41","date_gmt":"2016-09-05T06:41:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/forallevents.info\/calistoga\/?p=16"},"modified":"2025-08-01T09:19:52","modified_gmt":"2025-08-01T16:19:52","slug":"about","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.funoftravel.com\/petaluma\/about\/","title":{"rendered":"About"},"content":{"rendered":"

Location, Location, Location!<\/span><\/strong>
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Petaluma’s perfect locus location makes it a triple-treat travel and tourist destination:<\/p>\n

1. Perfect for a visit focused totally on the enjoyments available solely in old river town Petaluma on the river.<\/p>\n

2. A base for explorations of the world famous Napa and Sonoma wine regions.<\/p>\n

3. Totally carless travel via SMART train, bicycle, and on foot.<\/p>\n

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How Petaluma became the \u2018it\u2019 town of\u00a0Sonoma County<\/span><\/strong>
\nMeg McConahey \/\u00a0The Press Democrat<\/p>\n

On a warm late summer Saturday night, downtown Petaluma is buzzing like a European paseo, where it seems\u00a0like half the town is out and about. There are hipster brew pub crawlers, well-dressed couples out for a dinner\u00a0and young parents pushing strollers in search of ice cream.<\/p>\n

A long line of Baby Boomers is snaking down \u201cThe Boulevard\u201d outside The Mystic, waiting to hear The Zombies\u00a0play their 1964 hit, \u201cShe\u2019s Not There,\u201d while across the street and along the Petaluma River nearly all of the 350\u00a0seats in Brewster\u2019s Beer Garden are taken up by revelers straining to talk over live music. Many are making a\u00a0stop after hitting the Lagunitas Beer Circus at the Fairgrounds, still wearing crazy wigs and costumes.<\/p>\n

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Petaluma, long considered a homespun farm town and pit stop for travelers bound for the coast or the wineries\u00a0to the north, is waking up. The onetime drive-by Chicken Capital is now emerging as a destination for nightlife,\u00a0weekend festivals and tourists who come to dine, stroll shops of curated bespoke goods, taste wine or visit a\u00a0thriving brew pub scene.<\/p>\n

read full article here<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

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1.\u00a0Masonic Building | Clock Tower | WCTU Water Fountain\u00a0<\/span>Corner of Western Ave. & Petaluma Blvd. N.
\nConstructed at the height of Petaluma\u2019s river-centered prosperity in 1882, the building features cast-iron fa\u00e7ades designed in the Italianate style. The original clock atop the building was built in Connecticut, shipped around the Horn of Africa, and up Petaluma Creek. Get refreshed at the fountain placed by the Women\u2019s Christian Temperance Union at the height of their campaign against the bars and pubs in this frontier town.
\n<\/span>2. Balshaw Bridge<\/span>\u00a0Water St. & Western Ave.
\nBuilt in 1989 to connect the downtown district with the shops and restaurants east of the river, the Balshaw Bridge is a testament to Petaluma\u2019s forward-thinking city government. The name honors former city councilmember and dedicated river advocate John Balshaw.
\n<\/span>3. Steiger Building<\/span>\u00a0132 Petaluma Blvd. N.
\nThe site of the city\u2019s first general store, folklore recounts that it was\u00a0also the site of Petaluma\u2019s first Independence Day celebration in 1852.\u00a0And what a celebration it was! It reputedly lasted three days.
\n<\/span>4. Sienna Building<\/span>\u00a0119 Petaluma Blvd.
\nIt was a proud moment for the city when a 1950s plywood and stucco\u00a0slipcover was removed in 2006 revealing the ornate iron-front, circa 1885.\u00a0This location was the site of the town\u2019s first blacksmith shop owned by\u00a0Zartman and Fritsch, a company that went on to become buggy- makers famed\u00a0throughout the west.
\n<\/span>\"\"<\/a>5. California Flour Mills\u00a0<\/span>148 Petaluma Blvd. N.
\nAt the time this flourmill was built in 1878, Petaluma was a major\u00a0manufacturing center producing silk, shoes, buggies, beer, flour and other\u00a0items. One of several mills in town, grain was shipped here from as far\u00a0away as South America.
\n<\/span>6. Wickersham Building\u00a0<\/span>170 Petaluma Blvd. N.
\nBuilt in 1910, this building \u2013 and Wickersham Park at 4th and G Streets \u2013\u00a0honors Isaac Wickersham, a 19th century railroad financier, banker, and\u00a0entrepreneur. At one time, it housed a silent movie house featuring an\u00a0electric piano, and reputedly, Petaluma\u2019s first telephone.
\n<\/span>7. Chicken Pharmacy<\/span>\u00a0170 Petaluma Blvd. N.
\nWhen your chickens are under the weather, where do you go to help them\u00a0feel better? The chicken pharmacy, of course. Petaluma had the world\u2019s\u00a0first and only. The storefront that is now a part of Seared Restaurant\u00a0dispensed 50,000 pills and doses daily during its heyday in the\u00a01920s.
\n<\/span>8. Historical Mural<\/span>\u00a0170 Corner of Washington & Petaluma Blvd.
\nIt\u2019s Petaluma\u2019s history condensed. Painted by local artist Steve Della Maggiora, the mural depicts the development of Petaluma from the days of Mariano Vallejo to the early 20th century.
\n<\/span>9. Soberanes Bronze Statue<\/span>\u00a0Corner of Washington St. & Petaluma Blvd.
\nNewspaper columnist and \u201cPeopleologist\u201d Bill Soberanes was a\u00a0true Petaluma character and the founder of Petaluma- ma\u2019s World Wrist Wrestling\u00a0Championship. Installed in September 1988, this sculpture celebrates his contribution\u00a0to bringing international attention to Petaluma for almost 50 years.
\n<\/span>10. Sonoma County Bank Building<\/span>\u00a0199 Petaluma Blvd. N.
\nBuilt in 1926, this Roman Renaissance Revival building is clad in terracotta to simulate masonry. It has housed many businesses; its\u00a0current use is as an event venue and community hub.
\n<\/span>11. Penry Park | Byce\u2019s Incubator<\/span>\u00a0226 Kentucky St.
\nThe top of the park is the perfect vantage point to imagine\u00a0what the town might have looked like 150 years ago. Across from the park at 228\u00a0Petaluma Blvd. N. was the location of Lyman Byce\u2019s Petaluma Incubator, a\u00a0company that would have a lasting impact on the city. Byce perfected the\u00a0first practical chicken incubator in 1879 which allowed egg production to be\u00a0\u201cindustrialized\u201d leading to a boom in chicken farms and Petaluma\u2019s title as the \u201cWorld\u2019s\u00a0Egg Basket.\u201d
\n<\/span>12. Hillside Hospital<\/span>\u00a0223 Kentucky St.
\nThis address was once the location of the hospital built in\u00a01880. Nearby, is the site of the old Baptist Church where a bell was rung during the Civil War to celebrate each Union victory. Unlike\u00a0Santa Rosa, Petaluma\u2019s neighbor to the north which was rebel territory, Petaluma strongly\u00a0supported Lincoln and the Union.
\n<\/span>13. Hotel Petaluma<\/span>\u00a0205 Kentucky St.
\nDesigned by San Francisco architect Frederick Whitton, the\u00a0elegant 5-story, Mediterranean-style hotel was built in the early 1920s. It\u00a0has recently undergone a complete renovation to restore it to the glamour of a\u00a0bygone era. In the evening, settle into a comfy couch before a roaring fire\u00a0and enjoy a libation from the lobby bar.
\n<\/span>14. Volpi\u2019s Restaurant<\/span>\u00a0124 Washington St.
\nOriginally an Italian market with a small tavern in the back,\u00a0little has changed since Prohibition. Step back in time for a cold one and\u00a0enjoy the accordion collection and yellowed dollar bills stuck to the ceiling\u00a0in the former speakeasy. If those walls could talk..|
\n<\/span>15. Hill Opera House | Phoenix Theater<\/span>\u00a0201 Washington St.
\nThe one-time Hill Opera House was built in 1904 and served as the city\u2019s opera house, theater, and vaudeville palace. It has found new life as the Phoenix Theater, a music venue and teen center.
\n<\/span>16. The Herold Building<\/span>\u00a0Corner of Washington and Kentucky St.
\nBuilt in 1899, its corner cupola is a favorite architectural\u00a0detail. It\u2019s one of many buildings on Kentucky Street that\u00a0owes its existence to the chicken. The flourishing poultry\u00a0industry spurred a building boom here between 1905 and\u00a01915.
\n<\/span>17. Old Opera House<\/span>\u00a0149 Kentucky St.
\nBuilt in 1870 to replace the Music Hall on Main Street\u00a0(now Petaluma Boulevard N.) as the city\u2019s cultural center,\u00a0the location now features an eclectic mix of shops and\u00a0restaurants.
\n<\/span>18. Putnam Plaza Park<\/span>\u00a0129 Petaluma Blvd. N.
\nAlways a focal point for the city, this location was the site\u00a0of the American Hotel built in 1852. Next door was the\u00a0Wells Fargo office where the arrival of the stagecoach\u00a0down the dust-filled streets was a momentous event. The\u00a0mini-park was dedicated as Putnam Plaza in 1987 in honor of Mayor Helen Putnam (1965-79).
\n<\/span>19. Odd Fellows Hall<\/span>\u00a0107-113 Petaluma Blvd. N.
\nThe hall is one of the city\u2019s oldest buildings, built between\u00a01871-1878. It replaced the Petaluma House, a hotel built at the location in 1852, that was constructed with the provision that no Chinese labor could be used.\"\"<\/a>
\n<\/span>20. Linch Building<\/span>\u00a010 Western Ave.
\nDesigned by architect Brainerd Jones, the \u201cman who built\u00a0Petaluma,\u201d it was completed in 1910 as Baldwin\u2019s Bakery\u00a0and Restaurant and was the first steel-framed building\u00a0north of San Francisco. The building is unique from others of the same period due to its vertical design.
\n<\/span>21. Iron Front Row<\/span>\u00a0Western Ave. between Kentucky St. & Petaluma Blvd.
\nThis is one of the largest blocks of iron-fronts located\u00a0west of the Mississippi River. Thought to provide protection against fire, the facades were composed of multiple\u00a0parts, cast separately at one of San Francisco\u2019s many\u00a0ironworks. Covering brick construction with an iron-front\u00a0offered an affordable way to create elaborate detailing.
\n<\/span>22. Prince Building<\/span>\u00a024 Western Ave.
\nThe building features a glazed-brick exterior with terra-\u00a0cotta trim and housed a pharmacy from the time of its\u00a0construction in 1915 until 1983.
\n<\/span>23. Coca-Cola sign on the Mutual Relief Building\u00a0<\/span>25 Western Ave.
\nThe south wall displays a restored classic 1920-era\u00a0Coca-Cola sign featuring a uniquely Petaluma chicken\u00a0and egg motif.
\n<\/span>24. American Graffiti\u00a0Filming Location<\/span>\u00a0Adjacent to 23 Petaluma Blvd. N.
\nMany of the iconic movie\u2019s most memorable scenes\u00a0where filmed in Petaluma in 1972. Once the site of the\u00a0Cosmopolitan Hotel, today the lot it is best known as\u00a0the \u201ctie the chain to the cop\u2019s axle\u201d stunt location. A\u00a0brochure with a full list of\u00a0American Graffiti\u2019s\u00a0Petaluma\u00a0filming locations is available at the Visitor Center, 210 Lakeville St.
\n<\/span>25. Post Office Building<\/span>\u00a022-34 Petaluma Blvd. N.
\nOnce again, the talents of architect Brainerd Jones, who\u00a0by some estimates designed 75 percent of the buildings\u00a0within the downtown area, are apparent. The Post Office Building was built in 1926, combining neoclassical\u00a0elements with Gothic Revival-style detailing. The site\u00a0was originally the location of the Pioneer Hotel, favored\u00a0by the women of the era because\u00a0they could step directly\u00a0from the ships on the river onto the hotel\u2019s walkway.
\n<\/span>26. McNear\u2019s Mystic Theatre<\/span>\u00a015-23 Petaluma Blvd. N.
\nThe building to the north was built in 1886 and housed\u00a0a National Guard armory on its upper floors. The Mystic\u00a0Theatre built in 1911, featured silent movies accompanied\u00a0by organ music.\u00a0The McNear family was a mercantile dynasty, starting\u00a0with John A. McNear, who came to Petaluma in 1856 and\u00a0moved from real estate to the grain business, to flour milling, to shipping, banking and railroads. His son George\u00a0continued the family tradition with a feed mill empire to serve the emerging egg industry. McNear Park and\u00a0Cypress Hill Cemetery are two McNear family legacies.
\n<\/span>27. Tomasini Rex Ace Hardware and Country Store<\/span>\u00a0313 B St.
\nIn 1917, this was the site of McNally\u2019s Blacksmith shop.\u00a0Note the blacksmith tools imprinted in sidewalk in front.
\n<\/span>28. The Great Petaluma Mill\u00a0<\/span>6 Petaluma Blvd. N.
\nThe Mill complex is actually four different buildings. In\u00a0the 1850s, the oldest section was used as a meat ware-\u00a0house for the hunters who came to Petaluma. The stone\u00a0walls of the building were 1.5 feet thick. Owners of the\u00a0mill included business tycoons Isaac Wickersham and\u00a0G.P. McNear who added more warehouses in the 1920s.
\n<\/span>29. Water Street Trestle<\/span>\u00a0West side of the Petaluma River
\nThe trains that once ran along this spur track from Petaluma to Santa Rosa, Sebastopol and Forestville made this\u00a0one of the busiest railroads in America. At its peak, the\u00a0railroad hauled 10,000 carloads of produce and products\u00a0and a quarter of a million passengers each year.
\n<\/span>30. Petaluma River Turning Basin\u00a0<\/span>Weller St. south of E. Washington St.
\nCreated in 1921, Petaluma\u2019s second turning basin was created to provide boats with enough room to turn around\u00a0and head south toward the San Francisco Bay.
\n<\/span>31. Petaluma Yacht Club<\/span>\u00a010 C St.
\nYacht Club members can dock and be within steps of excellent restaurants, dining, entertainment and shopping.
\n<\/span>32. Historic D Street Drawbridge | Petaluma\u00a0River<\/span>
\nD St. east of Weller St.
\nInstalled in 1933, the drawbridge was designed by the\u00a0company of Joseph Strauss, famous for designing the\u00a0Golden Gate Bridge. It is a Bascule bridge, which is movable with a counterweight that continually balances the\u00a0span. This is the second bridge in this location since 1883.
\n<\/span>33. Boulevard Cinemas<\/span>\u00a0200 C St.
\nThe cornerstone of Petaluma\u2019s Theatre District, the multiplex is the result of seven teenage girls who in the early\u00a02000s, rallied community support around their vision of\u00a0a movie theater in downtown. The 7 stars in front of\u00a0the theater honors their lasting contribution to the city.
\n<\/span>34. Theatre Square Fountain<\/span>\u00a02nd and C Streets
\nAt the center of Theatre Square is the Faces of Petaluma\u00a0Fountain, featuring sculptures created by children and\u00a0adults as an artistic link between Petaluma\u2019s past and\u00a0future. Completed in 2007, the dining, shopping and entertainment district was the first multi-building addition\u00a0to the downtown area since John McNear built the Mystic\u00a0Theater in 1911
\n<\/span>35. 4th Street Post Office<\/span>\u00a0120 4th St.
\nListed on the National Register of Historic Places, the\u00a0Spanish Revival-style downtown post office was built in\u00a01933 to replace the original Brainerd Jones designed post\u00a0office (see #25) which is still standing on Petaluma Blvd.
\n<\/span>36. Petaluma Historical Library & Museum<\/span>\u00a020 4th St.
\nBuilt with funding from a Carnegie Foundation grant,\u00a0the neoclassical-style building was designed by Brainerd\u00a0Jones and opened in 1906. It served as the Petaluma Library until 1976 and became the city\u2019s historical museum\u00a0in 1978. The building is listed on the National Register of\u00a0Historic Places. Visit the Museum Thursday through Sunday and enjoy\u00a0the permanent collection rich in local history. Or enjoy\u00a0a free guided walking tour led by a costumed docent on\u00a0most Saturdays, May through October. Tours meet on the\u00a0museum steps at 10:30 a.m.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

courtesy:
\nPetaluma Visitors Program
\n210 Lakeville St \u2022 Petaluma California 94952 \u2022 (707) 769-0429
\nVisitPetaluma.com<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Location, Location, Location! Petaluma’s perfect locus location makes it a triple-treat travel and tourist destination: 1. Perfect for a visit focused totally on the enjoyments available solely in old river town Petaluma on the river. 2. A base for explorations of the world famous Napa and Sonoma wine regions. 3. Totally carless travel via SMART […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5010,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-16","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-about"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.funoftravel.com\/petaluma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.funoftravel.com\/petaluma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.funoftravel.com\/petaluma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.funoftravel.com\/petaluma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.funoftravel.com\/petaluma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/www.funoftravel.com\/petaluma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5790,"href":"http:\/\/www.funoftravel.com\/petaluma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16\/revisions\/5790"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.funoftravel.com\/petaluma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5010"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.funoftravel.com\/petaluma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.funoftravel.com\/petaluma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.funoftravel.com\/petaluma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}