Sonoma CASA strives to be a resource for our volunteers, and this includes providing ideas and suggestions for activities for you to share with your youth. Please also check our events page for a monthly calendar. Some of these suggestions came from our very own CASAs. As each case is different, remember to gain proper permissions from CASA and the child’s legal guardian and/or social worker, if applicable. Please read warning/disclaimer at the bottom of this page.
We try to keep this page up to date, but please be sure to call or check organization’s websites to confirm dates, times, locations for any activities.
Have an idea? Send it to info@sonomacasa.org
- Armstrong Redwoods State Natural Reserve; Hike & commune with nature. Dates & Times: Open daily until dusk; Location: 17000 Armstrong Woods Road, Guerneville, CA; Contact: 707-869-2015;Cost: Free, except $8 Parking: $7 Senior Parking;
Boys & Girls Club of Santa Rosa: (707) 542-3249
Boys & Girls Club Valley of The Moon: (707) 938-8544
Boys & Girls Club of Cloverdale: (707) 894-5063
Boys & Girls Club of Windsor: (707) 838-1959
Boys & Girls Club of Healdsburg: (707) 433-4479
Boys & Girls Club of Rohnert Park: (707) 769-4750
Boys & Girls Club of Petaluma-Lucchesi Park: (707) 769-5322
- Bowling: Double Decker Lanes, 300 Golf Course Drive, Rohnert Park, CA. Contact: 707.585.0226; Facebook Page;
- Camp: Summer Day Camps
- Camp: YMCA Day Camp
- Card Games or Board Games
- Ceramic/Pottery shops are creative ways to have fun making a project together.
- CHOP’S Teen Center: 509 Adams Street, Santa Rosa (707) 284-CHOPS;
- Crafts / Art
- Exploratorium (San Francisco)
- Fairs: Local School or City/County Fairs
- Fairs: Marin County Fair: Location: Marin Civic Center, 10 Avenue of the Flags, San Rafael, CA 94903;Facebook Page; Please consult their website for detailed/updated info;
- Fairs: Go to the Sonoma County Fair during the summer (usually July-Aug) or the Sonoma-Marin Fair in Petaluma (usually in June); Please consult their website for detailed/updated info;
- Farmer’s Markets; General Guide to Most Farmer’s Markets in Sonoma County. Alternate Guide to some Sonoma & Marin Farmer’s Markets.
- Farmer’s Market: Cloverdale; Alternate Website; Dates: Fridays; Times: 5:30 p.m. – Dusk; Location: Downtown, between 1st & 2nd Streets, Cloverdale, CA; Cost: Free; Cloverdale Facebook Page; Please consult their websites for detailed/updated info;
- Farmer’s Market: Guerneville Farmer’s Market (General Russian River Guide Website) & (Calender of Events); Dates & Times: Year-Round, Thursdays. Location: 1st Street, Guerneville, CA (next to the Guerneville Plaza); Cost: Free;Russian River Facebook Page; Please consult websites for detailed/updated info;
- Farmer’s Market: Healdsburg Farmer’s Markets; Dates: Saturdays(first Saturday in May through November); Times: 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon; Location: North and Vine Streets, One block west of the Plaza;Dates: Wednesdays (first Wednesday in June through October);Times: 3:30 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.; Location: Purity/Cherie Lot on North Street between Grove Street and Foss Street (Across the street from the parking lot where the Saturday Market is held); Cost: Free;Facebook Page; Please consult their websites for more information.
- Farmer’s Market: Oakmont Farmer’s Market; Dates: Saturdays, Open all year; Times: 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon; Location: Oakmont Drive & White Oak, Santa Rosa, CA; Cost: Free; Telephone: (707) 538-7023; Facebook Page tbd; Please call or consult their website for detailed/updated info;
- Farmer’s Market: Occidental Bohemian Farmer’s Market; Dates: Fridays; Times: 4:00 p.m. – Dusk; Location: Main & 2nd Streets, Occidental, CA; Cost: Free; Call or email for more information: (707) 874-8478; Email; Please call or consult their website for detailed/updated info;
- Farmer’s Market: Petaluma’s East Side Farmer’s Market; Year-Round, Tuesdays 10:00 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.; Please consult their website for detailed/updated info; Location:Petaluma Community Center, Lucchesi Park, 320 N. McDowell Blvd., Petaluma, CA.; Cost: Free; Contact: City of Petaluma.Facebook Page; Please consult their websites for detailed/updated info;
- Farmer’s Market: Redwood Empire Farmer’s Market;Dates/Times: Year-round, Saturdays, 8:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.; Wednesdays, 8:30 a.m. – 12:00 noon; Location: Santa Rosa Veteran’s Memorial Building, 1352 Maple Ave., Santa Rosa; Cost: Free; Facebook Page; Please consult their website for detailed/updated info;
- Farmer’s Market: Rohnert Park Farmer’s Market & Party on the Plaza: Location: Library Parking Lot and Adjoining City Center Plaza; Cost: Free; Facebook Page; Please consult their website for detailed/updated info;
- Farmer’s Market: Santa Rosa Original Certified Farmer’s Marketheld at the Wells Fargo Center in Santa Rosa; Cost: Free;Facebook Page; Please consult their website for detailed/updated info;
- Farmer’s Market: Santa Rosa’s Downtown Market is typically held May-August); CASA often has information booths at this events.Cost: Free; See events schedule for dates CASA will be there;Facebook Page; Alternate Website; Please consult their website for detailed/updated info;
- Farmer’s Market: Sebastopol Farmer’s Market ; Dates/Times: Market is held year-round on Sundays, 10:00 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.;Location: Sebastopol Downtown Plaza across from Whole Foods;Cost: Free; Facebook Page; Please consult their website for detailed/updated info;
- Farmer’s Market: Sonoma Valley Certified Farmer’s Market;Dates: Fridays; Open all year; Times: 9:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.;Location: Arnold Field, 241 First Street West, Sonoma, CA; Cost: Free; Facebook Page; Please consult their website for detailed/updated info;
- Farmer’s Market: Valley of the Moon Farmer’s Market is held year-round; Dates: 1st Tuesday in May to
Last Tuesday in October; Times: 5:30 p.m. – Dusk; Check website for updated info; Location: Sonoma Plaza
near City Hall; Facebook Page; Please consult their website for detailed/updated info;
- Farmer’s Market: Windsor Farmer’s Market; Dates: Year-round, rain or shine, Thursdays: Location: Market Street (Old Downtown), Windsor, CA; Directions: From Highway 101, take the central Windsor exit; Go west on Old Redwood Highway; Stay straight on Windsor River Rd.; Go right on Bell Rd./Market St. (Bell Rd. has been changed to Market Street); Cost: Free; Facebook Page; Please consult their websites for detailed/updated info.
- Fort Ross Festival: This year’s weekend-long celebration brings together artists & performers from around the world covering the breadth of historic Settlement Ross’s multicultural community, all performing in an outdoor amphitheater with the Pacific ocean as our backdrop. Events include music, arts, crafts, food, historic re-enactments, cannon firing, windmill, live performances, etc…; Location: Fort Ross, 19005 Coast Highway One, Jenner, CA; Cost Range: $10- $30; Facebook Page;
- Hallberg Butterfly Gardens in Sebastopol
- Howarth Park Rides & Attractions; Train, carousel, jump house, animal barn, pony rides, dig zone; Location: 630 Summerfield Road, Santa Rosa; Facebook Page for Santa Rosa Recreation & Parks; Please consult their website for detailed/updated info.
- Library: Visit a Sonoma County Library branch or be up to date all their programming and events by using their online calendar.
- Movie Theatres– Go see a movie!
- Movies: Petaluma Movies in the Park; Bring chairs and blankets to enjoy family movies projected on 30′ screen. Dates: Fridays through Summer; Time: Dusk; Location: Lucchesi Park, 320 N. McDowell Blvd., Petaluma, CA; Cost: Free; Facebook Page; Please consult their website for detailed/updated info;
- Museum: Bodega Marine Laboratory Tours
- Museum: Luther Burbank Gardens
- Museum: Sonoma County Museum
- Museum: Grace Hudson Museum in Ukiah. Contact White Wolf, Native American Educator;
- Museum: Museum Monday for Little Ones (ages 1-5) at The Schulz Museum in Santa Rosa.
- Museum: Bay Area Discovery Museum in Sausalito
- Parks: Take a walk around Spring Lake. They also offer occasional Family Hikes with a Naturalist at the Environmental Discovery Center in Santa Rosa.
- Parks in Santa Rosa (PDF Guide)
- Parks: Visit the Tule Elk at Pt. Reyes National Seashore and catch a glimpse of the Elk and see the beautiful seashore.
- Parks: Old Adobe Park in Petaluma
- Parks: Jack London State Park
- Parks: City (check your city’s parks and recreation department online to see lists of city parks), County & State Parks in Sonoma County
- Parks: City of Santa Rosa Parks
- Parks: Sonoma County Parks Site
- Parks: The Petrified Forest in Calistoga.
- Pick Fruit/ Vegetables (Pumpkin farms in October)
- Picnic
- Planetarium at Santa Rosa Junior College has shows all year round, open to the public. The Planetarium is in Lark Hall, Room 2001, Santa Rosa Campus. Shows are on Fridays and Saturdays at 7:00 PM and 8:30 PM and Sundays at 1:30 PM and 3:00 PM during the regular Fall and Spring semesters. No shows in the Summer. Admission is $5 General & $3 Students and Seniors. Free entrance on “First Friday Night Sky”; Tickets are sold at the door only – beginning 30 minutes before show time. No children under five, please. A parking permit is now required at SRJC and is included in the Planetarium show admission price. Pickup a parking permit, at the planetarium, when you pay admission. Please arrive early enough to place your permit on your vehicle’s dashboard before the show starts. For information phone Community Education at (707) 527-4372 or (707) 527-4465. Please call Planetarium for most current information.
- Santa Rosa Activity Guide is available for year-round activities and classes. It’s available in print or online.
- Santa Rosa Fire Department fire station tours are given the first Tuesday of each month at the SRFD Headquarters Station. If a group wishes to tour the Station, it is necessary to schedule one ahead of time by calling the Fire Department’s Business Office at (707) 543-3500. If you don’t have a whole group, maybe you can tag along to a group already booked.
- Santa Rosa Junior College, Tour of
- Santa Rosa Junior College for Kids: (707) 527-4372 (for kids grade 3-9; fun classes held in June.)
- Santa Rosa Parks & Recreation Department: Call to get their “Activity Guide”, which is also available online now;
- Santa Rosa Symphony’s Informal Discovery Rehearsal Series: Saturday Afternoon Open Rehearsals with the Santa Rosa Symphony. Witness how music is made and enjoy the unique interaction between conductor and orchestra in their final concert rehearsal. Saturdays at 2:00. Tickets required.
- Skating: Family Night at Cal-Skate Roller Rink (Inline/Quad Skates); Music, Fun, Games, Prizes..; Days: Saturdays; Times: 6:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.; Cost: $39 Family Pack for family of four includes Admission, 4 Quad Skates, 16″ Pizza; Or, Admission $6.00, Quad Rental $3.00; Inline Rental $5.00; Location: Cal-Skate, 6100 Commerce Blvd., Rohnert Park, CA; Telephone: (707) 585-0500; Facebook Page; Please call or visit venue’s websites for updated/current info;
- Sonoma Family Life Magazine’s Monthly Activity Guide has great activity ideas for each day of the month. The guide is available in print or online.
- Sonoma Plaza to feed ducks
- Sonoma State University, Tour of
- Sports (Soccer, Basketball, Bicycle Rides, Hiking, Walking, Football, Tennis, Fishing, Karate, Go Carts, Ice Skating, Roller Skating, Skateboarding/Bike Park, Fly a Kite, Gymnastics, Running…)
- Sports: Ice Skating Rink (Charles M. Schultz Redwood Empire Ice Arena):
- Sports: Rohnert Park Gymnastics
- Sports: Roller Skating at a Roller Rink (Cal Skate Blading & Skating Center (Rohnert Park)
- Sports: Run, Jump, Fly Indoor Adventure Park at Lawrence Hall of Science in Berkeley.
- Swimming: Swimming at Finley Aquatic Center; : Finley Aquatic Center, 2060 College Avenue, Santa Rosa, CA; Cost: $5 Adults, $4 Youth & Seniors; Note: Remember, all water activities with your CASA child(ren) require special permission from CASA. Please call CASA for more information.
- Theatre: Local School Theatre Productions
- Theatre & Cultural Events: Many of the children have never been introduced to anything musical, cultural, theatrical, or anything in the arts. Try the Wells Fargo Center for the Arts or Spreckels Performing Arts Center.
- Traintown (Sonoma)
- Volunteer together. You can make an appointment at the Sonoma County Volunteer Center and find some great and fun activities for both you the CASA and your child.”Last year my child and I did some face painting at the Christmas Holiday for the Gospel Mission at the Fairgrounds. There are lots of one time positions or ongoing [positions], such as: visiting [the] elderly at rest homes, or [being] a cat petter at the Humane Society, etc…”
- Whale Watching: Watch the yearly migration of Pacific Gray Whales on weekends January through April at Bodega Head.
- Young Eagles Flying Program
Note: Water sports and water-related activities are one of the most risky recreational activities in which we can engage our children. It is very important that all activities around water obtain prior approval and that the activity must be in approved areas where lifeguards are on duty. No exceptions please. Also, remember the guidelines of where and for how long the CASA youth may be taken, and if applicable, be sure to acquire the signed permissions from the CASA office and the youth’s guardian.