The people at Sixt rent a car of Santa Rosa say The Peanuts Movie is bringing more attention to Sonoma County. The creator of Peanuts lived in Sonoma County for 57 years, and was so beloved by the community that after his death they named the Sonoma County Airport (STS) after him.
If you visit Sonoma County for its beautiful outdoor scenery, award winning wines, and California lifestyle, make sure to fly into STS and rent a car from Sixt rental cars of Santa Rosa and the Sonoma County Airport, so you can take in all the Peanuts attractions.
“A Chinese tourist told me they saw the Peanuts Movie and when I told them that the creator Charles Schulz was from Sonoma County they said they would plan a trip,” said Steve Schneider, owner of the Sixt rental car franchise for Sonoma County. “The Peanuts characters are now the hottest stickers on China’s most popular text message site WeChat. A half a billion people have now discovered the Peanuts characters, and as a result, Sixt and the Peanuts characters are developing interest by association.”
If you visit, your first stop on the tour should be Snoopy’s Home Ice. Charles “Sparky” Schulz was born in Minneapolis, and when he moved to Sonoma County he brought his love for ice hockey with him. All those ice skating scenes from the Peanuts comic strip were dreamt up right in Santa Rosa. Sparky was a common sight when I was young, usually as a referee for youth hockey.
Enjoy ice skating and Zamboni watching at the ice rink, and if you are planning a visit around the holidays make sure to purchase tickets to the annual Christmas Tree Lighting. If you play hockey, you may want to book at trip to the annual Snoopy Classic, the 41st Annual Snoopy’s Senior World Hockey Tournament, is a week-long celebration of sportsmanship, camaraderie and seriously competitive hockey. The 2016 Tournament happens July 16 – 23 and has two division, over 40 years old and over 70.
Sparky lived to a ripe old age of 78 years old, and after he passed away in 2000, the community came together with his family to build the Charles Schulz Museum. Established in 2002, the mission of the Charles M. Schulz Museum and Research Center is to preserve, display, and interpret the art of Charles M. Schulz. I’ve been there and it truly is a fitting homage to Sparky, preserving everything right down to his office and drawing table where he created the most famous daily comic strip in history.
Over the years, a couple statues of Peanuts characters started popping up around town, like Old Railroad Square and the front of the Schulz Airport. A community fundraiser also built hundreds of Peanuts Statues that were purchased by local donors and businesses, decorating them with interesting motifs.
I haven’t seen the movie yet, but I’m planning on taking the whole family. View the trailer below and let us know what you think.
