My very favorite event in Petaluma happens twice each year—the semi-annual Petaluma Antique Faire is coming up this weekend. And, if you haven’t been before, plan on it this Sunday, September 27. You won’t be sorry. I truly believe this is why I ended up moving to Petaluma nine years ago. After casually stumbling on the Antique Faire, I fell in love with the town that supports exactly this type of event and many others throughout the year.

10 years ago, my husband and I were living in San Francisco and needed to get out of dodge for the weekend. We hopped in the car – once we located it – If you’ve ever lived in SF with no parking, you’ll know just what I mean by that! – and headed over the Golden Gate Bridge towards Sonoma County.

Crossing the bridge is refreshing in and of itself after weeks in the city, but driving up 101 you truly get the sense that the city is behind you when you finally reach the two-lane highway in Novato. There’s an 11 mile stretch between Novato and Petaluma where large expanses of land, parks, no homes to speak of, and the San Pablo Bay wetlands spread out before you while cows appear on both sides of the road. You automatically take a deep breath and relax. And sometimes you get the equivalent of a scratch and sniff cow with that deep breath, which only adds to the charm.

The first exit on the two-lane highway portion of 101 is to Petaluma’s Historic Downtown. Petaluma, founded in 1858, is just 38 miles from San Francisco’s Russian Hill. Who could resist this? Besides, it was time to grab a bite and a beer. Having just come from the city, we snagged the first parking space we could find, which of course put us about 4 blocks from the action, but it seemed so close to us! As we wandered around the quaint town, we noticed that some of the streets were closed to traffic and then it happened – we stumbled on the most amazing array of antique dealers I’ve ever seen. Amid the beautiful historic buildings (Petaluma was miraculously spared from damage during the 1906 earthquake), Historic Downtown Petaluma was transformed into an antique marketplace. We wandered for hours enjoying the people watching, the antiques, the tranquil river backdrop, the gorgeous weather and the ample free parking! The people were so friendly, the day was a perfect escape, and twelve months later we moved to Petaluma and we couldn’t be happier.

This weekend you can expect over 180 dealers spread throughout 4 blocks of downtown Petaluma beginning at 8AM and running till 4PM. Wear your hat and sunscreen and don’t forget to bring a sweatshirt just in case. For more information go to www.Petalumadowntown.com or for a complete list of Petaluma events go to www.visitpetaluma.com. And if you attend or have other insights you’d like to share, please email me at mohayer@fhallen.com or comment below. I’d love to hear about your experiences. And if you can’t make it this weekend, the Spring Faire will be coming around in April.

Enjoy! I know I will.

Posted by:Martha O’Hayer