Denis Tangney Jr from Getty Images Signature via Canva
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Senior Staff Writer
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March 14, 2026
The small city of Petaluma, California sits on a bend in the Petaluma River in Sonoma County, maintaining an air of its Gold Rush past with historic Victorian storefronts, brick warehouses, and classic cars.
Visitors from San Francisco can reach Petaluma via a 1.5-hour Golden Gate Transit bus, making this a simple weekend or day trip with public transit.
Victorian buildings, classic movies, and quirky attractions
John Martinez Pavliga, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Once a Coast Miwok village called Péta Lúuma, Petaluma eventually became one of the first official cities in California when it was chartered in 1858. After the Gold Rush, American settlers grew it into a prosperous river port with a thriving poultry and egg industry, resulting in its nickname as the “World’s Egg Basket.”
Many of the historic Victorian storefronts along Petaluma Boulevard and Kentucky Street survived the 1906 earthquake and were later used as a ready-made movie set for George Lucas’s 1973 film, American Graffiti. The cruising strip from the movie comes to life every May during the city’s annual Salute to American Graffiti event, a multi-day car show showcasing hundreds of historic vehicles.
Robby McCullough / Pexels
Petaluma’s unique city culture persists at the Phoenix Theater, a 1905 opera house-turned-rock club that’s hosted major bands over the years including Green Day and Arcade Fire. Rancho Obi-Wan is another quirky attraction where fans can pre-book a tour to see the world’s largest collection of Star Wars memorabilia.
Whether you spend the rest of your day paddleboarding down the Petaluma River to solving a self-guided Murdery Mystery tour, you’ll find Petaluma hides endless ways to round out a weekend visit.
Visiting Petaluma
While the drive to Petaluma takes only an hour on the the 101, you can also reach the city via public transit from SF.
The easiest way is via Golden Gate Transit, with bus route 101 departing from Downtown SF once or twice an hour. It takes about 1.5 hours to reach the Copeland Street Transit Mall stop in Petaluma, with one-way fares from SF starting at $7.25.
Once you’re there, you can enjoy free rides on Petaluma Transit and the on-demand LumaGo shuttle.