Tours at Sonoma County Wildlife Rescue

Our tours focus on native wildlife species and their natural instincts including diet, behavior and habitat. We hope to diminish any fear of wildlife and encourage wildlife appreciation through knowledge of native species and how they contribute to our local ecosystem.

Education Ambassadors are all non-releasable native wildlife. Species of our current education ambassadors include: Swainson's Hawk, Turkey Vulture, Coyote, Northern Raccoon, Mountain Lion, Bobcat, Stripped Skunk.

We also tour our Predator Prevention Educational Barnyard where you can meet our ambassador goats, chickens, and cats, and learn about the structures that keep them safe from predators! Enter the Wildlife Education Garden to learn ways to protect your garden from unwanted wildlife and attract wanted wildlife.

Please note that we are not a zoo and that our education ambassadors may not be out during your visit. Our tour largely focuses on our work as a wildlife rehabilitation center and educates our community on how to best protect and conserve wildlife.

Please select from the tour options below and call us at 707-992-0274 to schedule. We look forward to seeing you on one of our tours soon!

Public Tours - Saturdays Only

Sonoma County Wildlife Rescue offers a special opportunity to tour the educational exhibit and meet our wildlife ambassadors. Public guided tours of our facilities are held on Saturdays only. If you wish to arrange a private tour, please see below for more information.

*Unfortunately SCWR tours are not wheelchair accessible. If you have creative ideas about how to make our facility more accessible, and the time to volunteer to make these changes happen, please contact us.

For health, safety, and legal reasons, no one is permitted in our exhibits without a guide.

Tour Times:

Summer: May- September 12:00 and 2:00

Winter: October- April 2:00 only

Tour Location: 403 Mecham Rd. Petaluma, CA 94952

Tour Prices:

  Adults and Teens $25
    Children 4-12 $10
    Children under 4 Free

Please call to make an appointment (707) 992-0274. Tours are often full, if you show up without a reservation, we may not be able to accommodate you.

Please know that our WIFI capabilities are limited and because of this, sometimes it is difficult to process credit card payments. Cash and checks are always easiest and most convenient.

Tours start on time!!! Please arrive ten minutes early to sign in. If you are more than five minutes late, we will ask you to come back another time. Be aware that if you are coming from the south, traffic is always bad around Petaluma. Plan an extra fifteen minutes if you're coming from the south.

Tours are always cancelled in cases of high wind, heavy rain or smoke.

Private Tours

We offer private tours for groups and individuals wishing a more individual experience. Private tours can be scheduled Tuesday through Friday between 10 AM and 4 PM. We ask that private tours are scheduled at least two weeks in advance and availability is subject to staff and volunteer availability.

Standard Private Tour

Sonoma County Wildlife Rescue offers a special opportunity to tour the educational exhibit and meet our wildlife ambassadors with a private group.

Private Tour: $175 for up to 25 people (Additional people are $5 per person, max 30 per tour group)

Larger groups are welcome with at least a month's advance notice. If you have a larger group, you may need to allot more time at the center. Please call 707-992-0274 so we can make a plan for your larger group.

Enrichment Tour

It is important to us to provide our education ambassadors with enrichment. Enrichment is interesting objects or activities to create something new and fun for the animal to interact with in their enclosure. This stimulates the animals' minds and bodies so they are happier while they are with us. Now you can be a part of this very important SCWR activity. Come and create enrichment for the animals and watch their reactions when staff add the enrichment to the enclosures. (Which animals the enrichment is intended for and the available enrichment activity is at the discretion of the Animal Care Director.) You will see the same route as the Private Tour, but spend more time creating enrichment and watching the animals engage with the enrichment.

Enrichment Tour: $250 for up to ten people

Behind the Scenes Tour

For those who wish to establish a long term supporter relationship with SCWR, we offer an in-depth tour. In addition to our Educational Wildlife Community, we will visit our Rehabilitating Wildlife Community, the Raptor Recovery Center, the Aquatic Mammal Enclosure, the Wildlife Kitchen, and the Hospital. Entrance to the Hospital is dependent on the conditions of the animals currently in care and may not always be possible. Hospital patients are not on view and we do not allow peeking. We hope that this extensive tour will effectively demonstrate our wildlife rescue, rehabilitation, and release activities so that potential donors can see what their commitments create for our local wildlife.

Behind the Scenes Tour: $400 for up to ten people

VIP Private Tour

This intimate tour of our facility will take you everywhere the Behind the Scenes Tour goes with a special bonus. You'll be able to join the staff for a luncheon and can ask them anything you like. This a great way to really understand a working wildlife rehabilitation facility and the ways your donation will make a difference.

VIP Private Tour: $700 for up to six people