Open Daily 10am - 5pm
Closed Thanksgiving, Christmas, & New Years Days
Sonoma State Historic Park
Phone Number
(707) 938-9560
Park Hours
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.
Upcoming Park Events
No events scheduled at this moment.
DAY-USE ACTIVITIES & FACILITIES
Historical/Cultural Site
Picnic Areas
Env. Learning/Visitor Center
Exhibits and Programs
Guided Tours
Interpretive Exhibits
Museums
Family Programs
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
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
Unlike 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.
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.
December Events
Sonoma State Historic Park
December 2023 Events
“Promoting Our Parks” KSVY 91.3 FM Interview ~ Tuesday, December 5th, 9:40am
Listen in as a Park Interpretive Specialist shares information about the park’s upcoming programs, activities, special events, and interesting facts of our State’s wonderful parks.
Christmas at the Mission/Holidays on the Northern Frontier! Saturday, Dec. 9th, 5:00-8:00pm.
The Mission will have three shows at: 5PM, 6PM and 7PM featuring readings and choir music. Everyone will be given a small candle to hold during the show. Then, take a stroll through the decorated park buildings. The Toscano hotel will have the Pickle Creek Band performing some country holiday tunes! Across at the Blue Wing Inn, come in to see what life was like during the season in the 1800s! The Barracks will have a special holiday campfire and a little horse with a holiday wagon in tow. This is a free event asking for donations only. (A few tickets may be available at the Mission for the 6 and 7PM shows). The Gift Store will also be open for your Christmas shopping pleasure.
Campfire Program~ Saturday, December 16th, 5:30pm-7:00pm
“It was the two weeks before Christmas, and all through the park, the campfire was lit right before dark”! Come join us for our pre-Christmas program. Enter through the wooden gates and proceed into the Sonoma Barracks Courtyard. Share some holiday cheer with some Christmas songs and holiday marshmallow treats around a warm fire!
Living Nativity Scene. Sunday, December 24th, 1:00pm– 4:00pm
Join us for a special program community event on Christmas Eve afternoon. There will be live animals consisting of a: sheep, goat, donkey and maybe even a camel?! Also, live role players around the manger. The gathering will take place in the Casa Grande courtyard located at 20 East Spain Street in Sonoma. 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
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Curious 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