Sonoma State Historic Park

Phone Number

(707) 938-9560

Park Hours

Sonoma State Historic Park an Adventure Pass Park- 

Open Daily 10am - 5pm

Closed Thanksgiving, Christmas, & New Years Days

Dogs Allowed?

Yes
Dogs allowed only in historic zone and developed areas. Dogs not allowed in the following areas: trails, dirt roads, backcountry areas, historic buildings, and historic gardens.

Driving Directions to Sonoma SHP

The park's main office address: 363 3rd Street West, Sonoma, California 95476-5632.

Online reservations are not available for this park.

DAY-USE ACTIVITIES & FACILITIES
Historical/Cultural Site
Picnic Areas
Env. Learning/Visitor Center
Exhibits and Programs
Guided Tours
Interpretive Exhibits
Museums
Family Programs
OTHER FACILITIES & VISITOR INFORMATION
Parking
Restrooms
Drinking Water Available

Park Information

Park Contacts
Administrative Office: 707-769-5652 |  Mission San Francisco Solano: 707-938-9560

Vallejo Home:  707-938-9559  |  Photo, Film & Special Event Permits: 707-939-6188 sonoma.events@parks.ca.gov


About Sonoma SHP

Rainbow over MissionUnlike most parks with a single plot of land and a continuous boundary, Sonoma State Historic Park is a scattering of historical sites consisting of six midtown locations near Sonoma's Plaza.  Off the Sonoma Plaza are: Mission San Francisco Solano, the Blue Wing Inn, Sonoma Barracks, the Toscano Hotel & Kitchen, and the Servants Quarters (the remains of La Casa Grande).  General Vallejo's Home, also called Lachryma Montis, is less than a mile west of the Plaza. It was the estate of General Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo, Military Commander and Director of Colonization of the Northern Frontier and founder of Pueblo de Sonoma.  The headquarters of Vallejo's Petaluma Adobe Rancho is also preserved as a separate unit of the State Park system and can be visited the same day with paid admission to Sonoma State Historic Park.

Facilities

Free Public parking is located behind the Sonoma Barracks off of First Street West.  Public restrooms are located in the Sonoma BarracksCourtyard.
The Sonoma Plaza offers a variety of restaurants, shops and the Sonoma Valley Visitor's Bureau.  Dogs are not allowed in historic buildings. Dogs on a leash are allowed on the bikepath between the Mission and the Vallejo Home. Collecting or destroying anything in the park, including mushrooms, is prohibited.

Barracks at Sonoma SHP

Exhibits
The Sonoma Mission houses historical exhibits, an art exhibition, museum chapel and courtyard while the Sonoma Barracks across the street houses additional historic exhibits among several museum rooms along with our association's bookstore and gift shop. The Vallejo Home has furnishings of the Vallejo family, historic and serene gardens, a resevoir and a Visitor Center and Museum in the adjacent "Chalet".

Visitors to the park can also stroll through the streets surrounding the town’s historic central plaza or travel via the city's hike and bike path on the west side.

Seasons/Climate/Recommended clothing

The weather in Sonoma is ever-changing; layered clothing is recommended.  Hot, dry summers with cool, wet winters.

March Events

Children's Day

Sonoma State Historic Park

March 2024 Events

Music In the Mission. The Golden State Revue in Concert. Thursday, March 7, 2024.

Mission San Francisco Solano. 7:00 pm. The Golden State Revue brings to the Mission Chapl it’s special blend of Old Time, Bluegrass and Gospel music. Admission: $10.00 at the door. SPParks members: $5.00. (Doors open @ 6:30pm)

Seasonal Marshlands of the Park. Saturday, March 2nd 11:00am-2:00pm

Explore the park’s open space as it turns into natural wetlands. Discover what plant and aquatic life exist in the vernal pond areas. Look for the State Park vehicle along the bike path off 3rd Street West. This roving program runs continuously between 11am and 2pm. Suggested: Rain boots or waterproof shoes. This is a free event program. No reservation required. Steady rain cancels. State Parks Junior Ranger Program.

Campfire Program Sonoma ~ Saturday, March 16th, 5:30pm-7:00pm

Come and enjoy an early Spring campfire along with songs, and marshmallow roast at our monthly program. This is an experience that’s fun for everyone! Enter through the wooden gates and proceed into the Sonoma Barracks Courtyard for a short educational talk, singing a few traditional tunes, and a tasty marshmallow/s’mores roast! All ages welcome, free of charge.  Note: We will hold the program in the AV room if raining

Lecture:   More Than a soldier’s Wife. Thursday, March 21st.

The Chapel Mission San Francisco Solano. Our own April Farnham will focus on the stories of less prominent an/or landless Californio women who married Spanish and Mexican soldiers during the mission era. Admission: $10.00 at the door. (Doors open @ 6:30pm)

Bat Night! ~ Saturday, March 23rd, 4:30pm– 7:30pm Barracks Courtyard/AV room.

Come out and learn about and explore bats in the area. Our special guest: Nor Cal Bats will lead a program featuring live bats! Learn about these animals and their importance as insect control. Inform others and help protect our natural world. Dispel misconceptions and save these highly valuable mammals with education and rescue. All ages, free of charge, no reservation needed.

School Tours and Education

Environmental Studies Program and Guided School Tours 

Guided School Tours are avalible at Mission San francisco Solano and the Vallejo Home. For information on these 45 minute tours please contact Reserve California at 1 (866) 240- 4655.

 

the Environmental Studies Program (ESP) at Sonoma State Historic Park will be on hiatus for the 2023-2024 school year. This is due in part to State Parks' Reexamining Our Past Initiative, which is a comprehensive review of the department's history and programs. As part of this initiative, State Parks is taking stock of and critically reexamining its past, looking specifically at contested place names, monuments, and interpretative programs in California's State Park System.

Sonoma State Historic Park is home to a number of sites that are associated with the state's history of colonialism. In recent years, there has been a growing movement to reexamine these sites and to develop new interpretive programs that more accurately reflect the experiences of Native Americans and other marginalized communities.

State Parks is committed to this work, and we believe that it is important to take the time to do it right. As a result, we have decided to put ESP on hiatus for the 2023-2024 school year. We will use this time to develop new interpretive programs that are grounded in contemporary research methodology and that fully contextualize California's history in parks.

We understand that this may be disappointing news for some of you, and we apologize for any inconvenience. We are committed to providing high-quality educational experiences for students, and we believe that this hiatus is necessary to ensure that ESP is able to meet those standards in the future.

We will continue to provide public updates on the Reexamining Our Past Initiative, and we will let you know as soon as we have more information about the future of ESP at SSHP. In the meantime, we encourage you to visit the State Parks website to learn more about this important work.

We will still be offering ESP at the Petaluma Adobe State Historic Park (3325 Adobe Road, Petaluma, CA 94954) for the 23/24 school year. For more information about that program, please email petaluma.adobe@parks.ca.gov

For school tour information, please contact Reserve California at 1 (866) 240- 4655.

Volunteer in Parks Program

visitors touring toscano kitchen with docentCurious about volunteer opportunities? Sonoma State Historic Park and Petaluma Adobe State Historic Park are closely related cultural history sites that thrive witih activity through a variety of volunteer roles.   

Opportunities exist in docent tours, museum curation, bookstore sales, landscape maintenance, demonstrations, period clothing program and special events. Visit Sonoma Petaluma Parks, Inc. for events to attend and introduce yourself.  We want to meet you!

To express your interest in the Volunteers in Parks Program (VIPP) with California State Parks, choose a link below to apply and specify your park of interest. Send application or additional inquiry to the VIPP Lead at tyler.markley@parks.ca.gov

 

 

Docents are avaliable for both public and private tours. 

For private tours please call ahead or email tyler.markley@parks.ca.gov to check for prices and avaliability.

We always suggest to call ahead to confirm if a docent is scheduled if you hope to catch a public tour of one of our historic locations.

 Self-guided tour sheets are always available.

Mission San Francisco Solano: 707-938-9560        Vallejo Home:  707-938-9559

 

Site

Day of the Week

Time

 
Sonoma Mission Tours Friday, Saturday and Sunday 11am to 3pm  
Sonoma Barracks Tours Saturday and Sunday 11am to 3pm  
Vallejo's Home Tours Saturday and Sunday 1pm to 3pm  
Toscano Hotel & Kitchen Tours Saturday and Sunday  1pm to 3pm  

 

Private Group Tours are available by reservation in advance through Sonoma Petaluma Parks, Inc. (SPParks)
Private Group Tour Reservation