Skip to content
Napa Picnic Guide
All picnic spotsNapa ValleySonoma CountyMapPlan a dayGuidesWineries that allow picnicsPicnic parksSuggest a spot

Park · Santa Rosa, Sonoma County

Franklin Community Park picnic guide

Picnics welcomeWine allowedFree entryGroup sites

Can you picnic at Franklin Community Park?

Yes — Franklin Community Park has picnic areas open to the public. No reservation is needed for the picnic area. Fee: Free for first-come tables. Wine and other alcohol are allowed (see the rules below).

Checked September 2026 from srcity.orgStated on the venue's own website

Aerial view of Franklin Community Park and its surroundings
From above: circled is where directions lead. USDA aerial imagery, public domain.

Picnic rules at a glance

Picnicking
Picnics welcome
Bring your own food
Allowed
Alcohol
Allowed, with limits (see house rules)
Purchase required
No
Reservation
Not required
Fee
Free for first-come tables; the reservable site is $60 ($85 non-residents).
Groups
One reservable picnic site (about 24 seats, up to 50 people); other tables first-come.
Dogs
Leashed dogs allowed (6-foot maximum leash); owners must clean up after them.
Hours
Daily sunrise to sunset
Season
Open year-round.
House rules
  • Alcohol: allowed at set times, never in glass.
  • Santa Rosa's park rules (City Code 13-24.050) allow alcohol in community parks on weekdays from 5pm to sunset and all day (sunrise to sunset) on weekends and City-observed holidays; other times need a permit.
  • Glass beverage containers are banned in city parks (13-24.070), so bring wine in a can, box or plastic.
  • Also: no smoking; amplified sound (including Bluetooth speakers) needs a permit; no camping.

What the picnic area is like

A 13-acre neighborhood-built park on Franklin Avenue in northeast Santa Rosa with a lawn, picnic tables and barbecues, a playground, a clubhouse, ball fields and restrooms.

  • Picnic tables
  • Lawn
  • BBQ grills
  • Playground
  • Restrooms
  • Parking

Good for: Families · Budget-friendly

Picnicked here recently?Tell the next visitor how it went.
Could you picnic at Franklin Community Park? *
Were you allowed to bring your own food? *

No email needed. We read every report before it appears.

Share a photo of the picnic areaHelp others see the spot before they go. We'll credit you by name.

We review every photo before it appears. How we use it

About Franklin Community Park

Franklin Community Park is a compact, well-used neighborhood park with barbecues, a reservable picnic site and a playground, built by its neighbors in the 1950s on the site of an old sawmill.

  • Picnic tables and barbecues
  • Reservable site for up to 50 ($60)
  • Playground and restrooms
  • Alcohol OK weekends and after 5pm weekdays (no glass)

More dog-friendly spots in Sonoma CountyMore family-friendly spots in Sonoma CountyMore free spots in Sonoma CountyMore parks that allow wine spots in Sonoma County

Make a day of it

Stock up at a deli nearby, then picnic close by — a short, easy loop.

  1. Canevari's Deli

    Deli & market · Santa Rosa · about 0.3 mi away

  2. Franklin Community Park (this park)

    Park · Santa Rosa

  3. Nagasawa Community Park

    Park · Santa Rosa · about 2.1 mi away

Pick up picnic food nearby

More picnic spots nearby

From above
Park

Nagasawa Community Park

Santa Rosa· 2 mi

Bring your own foodNo reservationWine allowedDogs OK

Nagasawa Community Park wraps around Fountaingrove Lake, with first-come picnic tables, trails, fishing and a boat ramp. As a Santa Rosa community park it allows alcohol on weekday evenings and all day on weekends, as long as it isn't in glass.

Nagasawa Community Park

Bring your own foodChecked Sep 2026
Own food
yes
Wine allowed
yes
Reservation
Not needed
Dogs
Yes
Fee
Free entry

Nearest picnic food: Canevari's Deli · 1.5 mi

Details: Nagasawa Community Park
From above
Park

Doyle Community Park

Santa Rosa· 2 mi

Bring your own foodNo reservationWine allowedDogs OK

Doyle is one of Santa Rosa's classic community parks: shady lawns, barbecues, horseshoes and a playground a few minutes from downtown. Picnic reservations are paused and one parking lot is closed, but the first-come tables are open, and beer or wine (not in glass) is legal on weekends and weekday evenings.

Doyle Community Park

Bring your own foodChecked Sep 2026
Own food
yes
Wine allowed
yes
Reservation
Not needed
Dogs
Yes
Fee
Free entry

Nearest picnic food: Criminal Cafe & Bakery · 1.5 mi

Details: Doyle Community Park
From above
Park

Juilliard Park

Santa Rosa· 2 mi

Bring your own foodNo reservationNo alcoholDogs OK

One of Santa Rosa's oldest parks, Juilliard occupies the former homestead of 19th-century winemaker Charles Juilliard, directly across the street from the Luther Burbank Home & Gardens. It is a handy free lunch stop downtown with lawn, tables and a playground, but it is alcohol-free unless you hold a permit.

Juilliard Park

Bring your own foodChecked Sep 2026
Own food
yes
Wine allowed
no
Reservation
Not needed
Dogs
Yes
Fee
Free entry

Nearest picnic food: Criminal Cafe & Bakery · 0.7 mi

Details: Juilliard Park
Lawn and flowering garden beds beside Luther Burbank's white house and glass greenhouse in Santa Rosa
Park

Luther Burbank Home & Gardens

Santa Rosa· 2 mi

Bring your own foodNo reservationNo alcohol

The home and gardens of pioneering plant breeder Luther Burbank are now a free, city-owned garden and museum in downtown Santa Rosa. A bench or one of the two small tables makes a pleasant spot for a quick lunch, but this is no place for a wine picnic: city ordinance bans both alcohol and glass on the grounds.

Luther Burbank Home & Gardens

Bring your own foodChecked Sep 2026
Own food
yes
Wine allowed
no
Reservation
Not needed
Dogs
No
Fee
Free entry

Nearest picnic food: Criminal Cafe & Bakery · 0.7 mi

Details: Luther Burbank Home & Gardens

All picnic spots in Santa Rosa & Bennett Valley →

Frequently asked questions

Can you picnic at Franklin Community Park?

Yes — Franklin Community Park has picnic areas open to the public. No reservation is needed for the picnic area. Fee: Free for first-come tables. Wine and other alcohol are allowed (see the rules below).

Can you bring your own food to Franklin Community Park?

Yes. Outside food is allowed at Franklin Community Park.

Can you drink wine at Franklin Community Park?

Yes, alcohol is allowed at Franklin Community Park. Alcohol: allowed at set times, never in glass. Santa Rosa's park rules (City Code 13-24.050) allow alcohol in community parks on weekdays from 5pm to sunset and all day (sunrise to sunset) on weekends and City-observed holidays; other times need a permit. Glass beverage containers are banned in city parks (13-24.070), so bring wine in a can, box or plastic. Also: no smoking; amplified sound (including Bluetooth speakers) needs a permit; no camping.

Do you need a reservation to picnic at Franklin Community Park?

No reservation is needed to use the picnic area. One reservable picnic site (about 24 seats, up to 50 people); other tables first-come.

Is there a fee to picnic at Franklin Community Park?

Free for first-come tables; the reservable site is $60 ($85 non-residents).

Are dogs allowed at Franklin Community Park?

Leashed dogs allowed (6-foot maximum leash); owners must clean up after them.

Sources & accuracy

We last checked this listing in September 2026 (freshest source: City facility and picnic-reservation pages live Sept 2026 (undated)). Policies change — especially for groups and holidays — so confirm with Franklin Community Park before you go. How we verify.

Visited recently? Was this accurate?

Suggest an update to this listing