Petaluma’s Historic Downtown is on the National Register of Historic Places and offers an interesting and informative historic tour. You’ll see the world’s only chicken pharmacy and an entire block of Iron Front buildings from the turn of the century. See the Clock Tower, Masonic Building, WCTU Water Fountain, the Balshaw Bridge, the Steiger Building, and a recently restored Iron Front from 1885 that had been covered by plywood and stucco. You’ll also see California Flour Mills, the Wickersham Building, the Chicken Pharmacy once featured in Ripley’s Believe It Or Not and National Geographic, a historical mural, Soberanes Statue, the Washington Hotel and former Sonoma County Bank, Penry Park and a number of other significant historical locations throughout the city.

You can also get a good sense of the city’s history with the Walking Tour of Trees which takes you through downtown streets and parks. Pick up a tour brochure at the Petaluma Visitor Center and find out whether the trees are native, extraordinary examples of a species, or heritage trees.

Another great way to learn about the history of the area is the self-guided 23-Mile-Driving Tour. Learn about downtown, various residential neighborhoods, industrial locations and shopping attractions. The short drive also takes you to the countryside for a peek at relics of a once-booming poultry industry that is part of Petaluma's past.

You can also stroll along the scenic grounds of the Petaluma Adobe State Historic Park to learn about the area’s Spanish history. Once known as Rancho Petaluma, the sprawling 66,000 acre, 100 square-mile agricultural empire was the hub of a vast land grant from 1834-1846. You’ll see authentic furniture and interpretive displays in the Petaluma Adobe, making it easier to visualize many aspects of 1840s life.