Rohnert Park sits on Highway 101 in Sonoma County, with Sonoma State University at its eastern edge and Cotati right at its southern line. It’s a planned town: wide streets, a lot of parks, and a commercial strip along Redwood Drive and Commerce Boulevard where most of the indoor fun lives. This list is grouped by the kind of day you want, and every entry says who it suits and what to check first.
Indoor fun and games
Nitro City Racing Rohnert Park
The building at 4601 Redwood Drive, right off Highway 101, holds an indoor go-kart track, axe-throwing lanes, an arcade, and a pool hall, with a cafe in the same building. Walk in for most of it, or book a race time at Rohnert Park so the track is ready when you are.
- Why go: one stop for kids, teens, and adults. Indoor go karting in Rohnert Park runs timed races on OTL karts; axe throwing takes ages 12 and up; Amped Arcade has air hockey, VR, and ticket games; and the pool hall is where the adults end up between races.
- Who it suits: families with mixed ages, groups, and anyone who wants to be indoors and moving.
- What to verify: racers need closed-toe shoes and a signed waiver, and the junior and adult karts have height minimums. Prices are on the Rohnert Park pricing page, and the Rohnert Park store page has the hours.
Cal Skate of Rohnert Park
Cal Skate on Commerce Boulevard is the roller rink, running public sessions on a posted schedule with skate rental at the door.
- Why go: it’s the kind of place a whole birthday group can do together without anyone being left on a bench.
- Who it suits: kids and teens for the daytime sessions; some evening sessions are adults only.
- What to verify: sessions run on a schedule rather than open hours, Mondays are generally closed, and rental is charged on top of admission. Read the schedule page before you load the car.
Double Decker Lanes
Double Decker on Golf Course Drive is the bowling alley, with lanes, an arcade, billiards, and a sports bar under one roof.
- Why go: bowling is the easy group night when nobody can agree on anything else.
- Who it suits: families, work groups, and league bowlers. The bar side skews adult in the evening.
- What to verify: lane availability and pricing by day and time on the Bowlero page. Weekend evenings fill, so booking a lane ahead is the safer play.
Scandia Family Fun Center
Scandia on Redwood Drive is an outdoor family park with mini golf, batting cages, rides, and an arcade.
- Why go: young kids get a full afternoon of small, low-stakes fun, and the mini golf works for the whole group.
- Who it suits: families with young kids and tweens.
- What to verify: attractions are priced individually, with passes available, and most of it is outdoors, so weather matters. Check the site for hours and current pricing.
Performing arts and live music
Green Music Center
The Green Music Center on the Sonoma State University campus is a concert hall, with the 1,400-seat Weill Hall and the smaller Schroeder Hall hosting classical, jazz, popular, and family performances through the year.
- Why go: a serious concert hall in a small town. Summer shows open the back wall of Weill Hall onto the lawn.
- Who it suits: adults, couples, and families when a kids’ or holiday program is on the calendar.
- What to verify: everything is ticketed and the calendar changes constantly. Check what’s on before you plan an evening around it, and confirm campus parking rules for the date.
Spreckels Performing Arts Center
The city-owned Spreckels Performing Arts Center stages musicals and plays from Spreckels Theatre Company along with touring and community performances.
- Why go: full-scale musical theater without driving to San Francisco.
- Who it suits: adults and older kids. Some shows are family-friendly; the season listing says which.
- What to verify: shows are ticketed, run limited dates, and sell out for popular titles. Check the current season on the center’s site.
Parks and outdoors
Crane Creek Regional Park
Crane Creek Regional Park on Pressley Road, east of the university, is a 128-acre Sonoma County park with rolling grassland trails, picnic areas, and an 18-hole disc-golf course.
- Why go: open hills, big views, and a disc-golf round that costs nothing beyond parking.
- Who it suits: families, dog walkers, runners, and disc golfers.
- What to verify: the park is open from 7 a.m. to sunset and charges a parking fee; cattle graze seasonally and parts of the trails and disc-golf course close from time to time. The county page lists current alerts.
Foxtail Golf Club
Foxtail Golf Club is Rohnert Park’s public golf course, open to public tee times.
- Why go: a round of golf without a membership, close to the hotels along the highway.
- Who it suits: golfers of any level.
- What to verify: tee times, rates, and course conditions on the club’s site.
SOMO Village
SOMO Village on Valley House Drive runs a calendar of outdoor concerts and community events through the warmer months.
- Why go: an outdoor show on a summer evening, close to town.
- Who it suits: adults and families, depending on the event.
- What to verify: the events calendar runs roughly spring through fall and admission varies by event, so check the listing for dates, tickets, and age rules.
Just over the line in Cotati
La Plaza Park is Cotati’s downtown green, a short hop south of Rohnert Park, with a lawn, a bandstand, and the city’s events calendar built around it. It’s a good lunch stop between a morning at Crane Creek and an afternoon indoors.
Putting a day together
With kids, I’d do Crane Creek or Scandia in the morning, lunch, and then Nitro or Cal Skate in the afternoon so the second half of the day is indoors and nobody runs out of steam in the sun. For an adults’ evening, race at Nitro before dinner, then a show at the Green Music Center or Spreckels.
Headed to the Fairfield side as well? Things to Do in Fairfield covers the other Nitro town, and when the weather turns, Rainy Day Activities in Sonoma County is the indoor list for the whole county.
