Urban Adventures

Some of the Bay Area’s most vibrant big cities are less than an hour away from Petaluma.

Big City Energy: Sightsee San Francisco

A day trip to the City by the Bay is always a good idea. Rather than pay city hotel prices and parking fees, check in to your Petaluma hotel before embarking on your San Francisco sightseeing.

Whether you drive across the Golden Gate Bridge or ferry across the bay, getting to San Francisco from Petaluma is half the fun. If you choose to drive, make sure to stop at the Golden Gate View Point or Golden Gate Observation Deck in Mill Valley for a snapshot of the famed bridge.

Or, leave the driving to someone else and take the SMART train to Larkspur. The train runs daily between downtown Petaluma (located next to the Petaluma Visitors Center) and Larkspur, and is timed to coordinate with the ferry.

When you arrive in Larkspur, make the short walk to the ferry terminal. Once aboard, sit back and relax as views of the Marin County wetlands and San Francisco Bay sweep into view. It’s smooth sailing to the landmark Ferry Building in San Francisco, a vibrant marketplace of artisan goods and diverse eateries. (Pro tip: Ferry Plaza, immediately outside the Ferry Building, hosts a fun farmers market every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. Catch a cooking demo, spot a local celebrity chef, or pick up some fresh produce.) Enjoy lunch while watching seagulls swoop above the pier.

From the Ferry Building, it’s a half-mile stroll to the Exploratorium on Pier 15. Designed to see where curiosity takes you, the museum will make everyone feel like a child again. From there, the city’s classic sights, including Pier 39, Fisherman’s Wharf, and Alcatraz, await.

Walt Disney Family Museum

Experience the story of one of the 20th century’s greatest visionaries and creative geniuses.

GOLDEN GATE PARK

This 1,000+ acre park hosts an art museum, Japanese tea garden, botanical garden and flower conservatory, natural history and science museum, and more.

Palace Of Fine Arts

Built for the 1915 world’s fair, the Palace of Fine Arts is an iconic complex complete with a Roman-Greco rotunda.

CABLE CAR MUSEUM

At this Nob Hill-located museum, learn about the inventor, technologies, builders, and system expansion of the city’s iconic cable cars.