Peña Adobe Historical Society

Visit the Pena Adobe Historical Society at the Vacaville Farmers’ Market on Saturday May 30th at Creekwalk Plaza at Andrews Park for the Vacaville Farmers’ Market! It all happens every Saturday morning from 8am to 12pm, year-round and admission is FREE!

Join us at the Peña Adobe Historical Society booth on Saturday, May 30th at Creekwalk Plaza and learn of Vacaville’s rich heritage!

Peña Adobe Historical Society welcomes back the Buffalo Soldiers and the Solano County Sheriff’s Posse, Saturday, June 13, 2026 from 11:00am to 2:00pm!

From Sacramento, Company G of the 10th Cavalry, better known to history as the Buffalo Soldiers, will be riding out of western history and into Peña Adobe Park again this year. The Buffalo Soldiers are a living history group that recreates the black cavalry units that served in the Old West from 1866 to 1891. The Soldiers will be available to chat with park visitors and display artifacts of the Buffalo Soldiers’ history while dressed in the uniform of that time period.

In addition to the Buffalo Soldiers, the Solano County Sheriffs’ Posse will be at Peña Adobe! The Sheriffs’ Posse has been part of the Solano County Sheriffs’ Office for more than 70 years! The Posse volunteers who use their horses and equipment to help the department with public relations, education, search & rescue, emergency and disaster services as needed.

Come to the Peña Adobe Park, bring a picnic lunch and meet Robin Turner and the Sheriffs’ Posse and see their amazing horses! Learn the important role horses played when the Peña and Vaca families were raising cattle back in the mid 1800’s on their ranch which later became the city of Vacaville.

The Silverado Handweavers and Spinners Guild from Napa Valley will be on hand. Established in 1973, the guild's volunteers bring together people who share a love for fiber arts and creative expression. Meet Jody Lane, President of the Guild and stop by to watch Guild members spin yarn and weave cloth. In addition to the demonstrations, they have a variety of looms and tools available to educate our visitors.

Meet Ron J. Jackson, Jr., bestselling author, historian, speaker, and former award-winning journalist who has been writing professionally for 38 years. He is the author of numerous books, including the ground-breaking “Joe, the Slave Who Became an Alamo Legend”, winner of the prestigious Award of Merit for nonfiction from The Philosophical Society of Texas. Ron’s book traces Joe’s story from his birth in Kentucky through his life in slavery to the Texans’ battle for independence to his eventual escape and disappearance into the shadows of history. Ron will bring his newest book “The Ride”, the improbable life of Freckles Brown, a bull named Tornado, and the most historic eight seconds in rodeo!

Joining the fun will be the Vacaville Acoustic Jammers! The Jammers will provide music during the event! Under the direction of Terry and Leslie Cloper, the Jammers offer musicians of all styles and abilities the opportunity to play acoustic instruments and sing together and meet for open jam sessions at Vacaville’s McBride Senior Center on the 1st and 3rd Wednesday every month.

Park docents will be available to lead tours of the Peña Adobe, California historical landmark #534 built by the Peña family in 1842 and the adjacent Mowers-Goheen Museum. This event is free!

A great big thank you to you and the Pleasants Valley 4H!

Visiting with us at Peña Adobe were Zane Brown with his rabbit Hersheys and his pygmy goat Biscuit, along with Celina Truijilo and her two cavy's, Jaime and Carlos!

Thank you for sharing your animals and knowledge with our 144 park visitors on Saturday April 4th for our annual "Kids' Day at the Adobe"!

The Pena Adobe Historical Society will celebrate Hispanic Heritage on Saturday, May 2nd from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Pena Adobe Park

The Peña Adobe Historical Society welcomes from Vallejo, the dancers of “Ballet Folklorico Canela” to Peña Adobe Park. Dancing since the young age of five, Founder Abigail Hernandez, has led these talented dancers for over 13 years. Sharing their talent, and heritage Abigail Hernandez's students from ages 5 and up can be seen performing in Solano, Napa and Contra Costa Counties.

Joining the day’s activities is Whip Master Francisco Pulido of Dixon performing his roping skills! Francisco is from Rancho El Zapotillo in Dixon, California and has been roping for over 40 years. Meet Francisco and his horse Brownie.

Listen to El Mariachi Los Jaguares de Willis Jepson, the only academic mariachi ensemble in Solano County! Featuring violins, viola, trumpets, guitarrón, vihuela, and guitar, Mariachi Los Jaguares presents an energetic setlist of traditional Mexican music and other styles to delight everyone! Led by local musicians and educators Sergio Cabada and Justin Au, the musicians of Mariachi Los Jaguares are extremely dedicated and talented 7th and 8th grade students at Willis Jepson Middle School in Vacaville.

Welcome back to Peña Adobe, Alex and Paula Santurio, who have been rescuing animals for over 10 years! Visit Alex and Paula, meet their recently rescued bunnies and help this local couple find the loving homes these bunnies deserve!

Join a docent-led tour of the Peña Adobe and Museum, make a corn husk doll to take home, or practice calf roping as the Vaqueros did in the 1800's, all while enjoying a delicious churro from the “Churro My Heart” booth at this historic 6.4-acre park. This event is free!

The Peña Adobe is one of the oldest existing structures in Solano County, dating back to 1842, when the Juan Felipe Peña and Manuel Vaca families settled in Vacaville. The park is located in the picturesque Lagoon Valley off Interstate 80 at 4699 Peña Adobe Road. For more information, the Peña Adobe Historical Society can be reached at (707)470-9975 or at [email protected].

36th Rush Ranch Open House. Saturday, April 18, 2026 10:00AM - 3:00PM

Join Suisun City RPM and Solano Land Trust at Rush Ranch Open Space on Saturday, April 18, 2026, for the first-ever Infinity Fun Run, the official kick-off to the Rush Ranch Annual Open House event! Created in honor of Autism Acceptance Month, this event celebrates community, inclusion, and nature while showcasing Rush Ranch as an accessible natural treasure. Start your day with a timed 5K or an untimed 1-mile walk/run, then stay to enjoy all the family-friendly activities, demos, and experiences offered at the Rush Ranch Open House.

Solano Land Trust presents its largest community event of the year: the Rush Ranch Open House! The Rush Ranch Open House is free to all and packed with fun for all ages. Visitors can shop from local vendors and at the Rush Ranch Outfitters Shop for art, food from local farms, jewelry, and more. Kids and adults can learn about the natural and cultural history of Rush Ranch, play games, and do engaging science and engineering activities.

Guests will also get to meet the horses that live at Rush Ranch, see grazing cows, and take horse-drawn wagon rides with Access Adventure (including accessible options). There will also be guided walks of Suisun Marsh, which is part of Rush Ranch and home to many endangered species, going out throughout the day.

Stop by the Peña Adobe Historical Society's booth, make a corn husk doll or a shell necklace using a Native American hand pump drill! Meet Native American docents Armando and James and discover how the Patwin people lived here long before the Vaca and Peña families settled in the VacaValley back in 1841!

Vacaville En Plein Air 2026 A Multicultural Arts Weekend April 17-18

The 2nd Annual Arts Weekend will be held Friday April 17th & Saturday 18th, 2026 in Downtown Vacaville and at Vacaville's Andrews Park.

Visit Vacaville and Vacaville Parks and Recreation present this two-day festival that captures the spirit of both Vacaville's gorgeous landscapes and its art and culture scene. Featuring local arts organizations, landscape painting demonstrations, artist craft talks, painting workshops, artwork for sale, live music and dance performances, face painting, and an extended Farmer's Market.

Visit the Peña Adobe Historical Society's booth on Friday, April 17 from 2:00pm to 6:30pm and learn how to make shell necklaces with Native American Pump drills. The pump drill was developed during the prehistoric periods. With it's winding rope around the top of a spindle, a rhythm would develop when pushed down on the handle allowing the user to drill continuously through shells and beads.

Join Peña Adobe docents in making corn husk dolls and learn the story of why corn husk dolls do not have faces. Legend passed down from the Northeastern Native Americans more than a thousand years ago, tells the story of the Spirit of Corn, one of the Three Sisters, made a doll out of her husks to entertain children. The doll had a beautiful face, and began to spend less time with children and more time admiring her beautiful reflection in a nearby stream. As a result of her vanity, the doll's face was taken away.

Come join the fun!

Kids’ Day at the Adobe! Saturday, April 4, 2026 11AM-2PM

The Peña Adobe Historical Society will kick off their 2026 season with Kid’s Day at the Adobe at the Peña Adobe Park in Vacaville, on Saturday, April 4, 2026 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Bring the kids and come see the historic Peña Adobe, one of the oldest structures in Solano County. The Peña Adobe was once the home of the Juan Felipe Peña family who, with the Vacas, settled in Vacaville over one hundred seventy-five years ago. Meet Peña family descendants! Visit the Mowers-Goheen Museum and see local artifacts that include a woolly mammoth bone!

There will be lots of fun activities, including face painting! Make a corn husk doll to take home! Our Native American Park Docents Armando Perez and James Tunstall will be speaking with park visitors of the Native Americans who lived here before the Peñas and Vacas arrived in the Lagoon Valley.
Visit with the outreach team from the Solano County Library and sign up for a library card, spin the prize wheel for a chance to win awesome surprises, and check out your next favorite read! Whether you're a book lover or just curious about what the library has to offer, come for the fun, stay for the knowledge!

Solano County 4-H program has been helping young people, ages 5-19, reach their fullest potential as competent, confident individuals who contribute to their communities for over 100 years. Chat with the Pleasants Valley 4-H Community Leaders about the 4 H’s, Head, Heart, Hands, and Health, which are the four core values of this youth development organization designed to help members grow through hands-on learning.

NorCal Royals Elite Cheer and Tumbling Sports Club believe in the power of sports to bring people together and foster a sense of community. This Vacaville club offers a wide range of activities, including Gymnastics, Cheerleading and Tumbling. Their youngest cheerleading squad took first place at the recent Jamz Youth National cheer and dance competition in Las Vegas! Come meet Addy, Anabelle, Elianna, Kali, Lilyanna and Makenzie as they share how they learned to cartwheel and handspring to success!

Alex and Paula Santurio have been rescuing animals for over 10 years! Recently they rescued 124 rabbits, both male and female and a host of different breeds. Visit Alex and Paula, meet their bunnies (just in time for Easter!) and help this local couple find the loving homes these bunnies deserve!

This event is free! There is no charge for admission to the park, adobe or museum. For questions call (707) 447-0518 or e-mail us at [email protected].

Visit the Pena Adobe Historical Society
at the Vacaville Farmers' Market this Saturday!


Grab your market basket and head down to Creekwalk Plaza at Andrews Park for the Vacaville Farmers' Market! It all happens every Saturday morning from 9am to 1pm, year-round and admission is FREE!

Visit the Peña Adobe Historical Society booth on Saturday, March 28th as we kick off our 2026 season!

We open the Peña Adobe, the oldest fully restored building in Solano County, designated as California Historical Landmark No. 534 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, every 1st Saturday of the month April through November beginning Saturday, April 4th when we will celebrate "Kids' Day at the Adobe!"

The Adobe was the home of the Peña family, who together with the Vaca family, arrived in 1841 in what was to become Vacaville. Today the park includes the Peña Adobe, the Mowers-Goheen Museum, the Willis Linn Jepson Memorial Garden, Indian Council Ground, and picnic & recreation facilities.

Join us at the Peña Adobe Historical Society booth on Saturday, March 28th at Creekwalk Plaza and learn of Vacaville’s rich heritage!