Museums

The Cotati Historical Society is an independent 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation, founded in 2007, with the mission to preserve Cotati history through the acquisition and preservation of artifacts, photos, archives, and other historical materials.   

Located in Downtown Santa Rosa, the Museum of Sonoma County welcomes visitors to experience regional history and contemporary art. The Seventh Street campus includes two buildings, multiple galleries, and a sculpture garden. The Museum opened its doors in 1985 as the Sonoma County Museum, housed in the historic 1910 post office, a landmark on the National Register of Historic Places. With multiple changing exhibitions per year, there is always something new to experience at the Museum!

The Pacific Coast Air Museum, located near the Sonoma County Airport, was established to promote the acquisition, restoration, safe operation and display of historical aircraft, and also to promote local aviation history and foster interest in general aviation and aviation history.

The Petaluma Museum exhibits Petaluma poultry, dairy, and Miwok Indian history artifacts and records dating from the 1850s. Its research library collection includes books, early maps and files that can assist with historical, genealogical, and architectural research for Petaluma and the surrounding area.

The Santa Rosa Junior College Multicultural Museum houses collections of ethnographic art from throughout the Americas and parts of Africa, Asia, and the Pacific. Permanent exhibits include the renowned Elsie Allen Pomo Basketry Collection; Southwest pottery from world famous artists such as Nampeyo, Maria Martinez, and Lucy Lewis; diverse African sculptures and masks; original serigraphs from the Northwest Coast, and original artwork from across the globe.

The West County Museum is Sebastopol. Museum exhibits are changed 2 to 3 times a year and focus on west Sonoma County history. Past exhibits have explored movies filmed in Sonoma County, historical toys, eclectic collections from the community, the World War II experience on the home front, the apple industry and apple festivals and fairs, and early lighting devices.