Museums of Sacramento
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Description
This tour connects residents and visitors to museums throughout the heart of Sacramento that are within a short drive of one another.
1. PG&E Powerhouse Building (1912-1957); Museum of Science and Curiosity
Constructed in 1912, the Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) Powerhouse Building was designed in the Classical Revival style by the well-known Bay Area architect Willis Polk. Built a quarter of a mile from Sacramento's downtown business district, the building was similar to many other public utility buildings in the region. PG&E Powerhouse was upgraded in 1924, becoming the largest steam turbine power plant in the region. It produced high-voltage electricity for more than four decades, until the mid-1950s. The powerhouse and surrounding land were sold in 2002 to the City of Sacramento, which converted the site into the Powerhouse Science Center, later renamed the Museum of Science and Curiosity. The museum offers over a hundred exhibits along with programs and shows.
2. Sacramento History Museum
On the exterior, the Sacramento City Museum is an exact replica of the city’s original City Hall, constructed in 1854 as a municipal catch-all that held the mayor’s office, city council, police department, and the city’s waterworks. The original was torn down in 1913 due to structural problems, but the new Sacramento History Museum was constructed on the precise spot in 1985, presiding over the renewed Old Sacramento historic district just as it once did. Today the museum commemorates the history of the first inhabitants of the city of Sacramento through a wide variety of permanent and temporary exhibits, special programs, and tours of Old Town Sacramento, including the Sacramento Underground.
3. California State Railroad Museum
The California State Railroad Museum is one of Sacramento's largest and most popular visitor destinations. Opening in 1976, the museum complex has grown steadily over the decades and now consists of six original, reconstructed, and new buildings completed at a cost of $30 million and located at the heart of Old Sacramento. The museum’s exhibits, knowledgeable guides, and restored railroad cars and locomotives illustrate railroad history in California and the West--and include training programs for steam locomotive engineers and rides for museum patrons along the Sacramento Southern Railroad.
4. Wells Fargo History Museum & B.F. Hastings Building
Located in the oldest original building in Old Sacramento, itself a National Historic Landmark, the Wells Fargo History Museum has more than a passing relationship to the B.F. Hastings Building in which it’s housed. In fact, Wells Fargo Bank maintained a branch in the building for several years during the first decade of California’s statehood. Today, the Museum features interactive exhibits about communication and transportation technologies of the late 19th century that increased westward expansion and development--including the stagecoach, railroad, telegraph, and Pony Express (for which the B.F. Hastings Building was the western terminus). Visitors can also use a working telegraph to communicate with other Wells Fargo History museums.
5. Old Sacramento Schoolhouse Museum (1978-2022)
Located near the Tower Bridge, this replica schoolhouse opened as a living museum site in 1978, adjacent to the Old Sacramento waterfront. The museum is a replica of a traditional one-room schoolhouse from the 1800s, with rows of desks, chalkboards, and a wood-burning stove. Although the historic replica was constructed around the time of the U.S. Bicentennial in 1976, traditional one-room schoolhouses were established in 19th-century Sacramento to the south of X Street and in the northern part of Sacramento County. In 2022, the city decided to close the Old Schoolhouse Museum after forty-four consecutive years in operation.
6. Crocker Art Museum
The oldest public art museum west of the Mississippi River, the Crocker Art Museum in Sacramento was established in 1885 and is now one of the leading art museums in California. The Crocker boasts noteworthy architecture, works of art by regional artists, pieces by renowned and yet-to-be-discovered artists from around the world, and exhibitions varied mediums including paintings, drawings, metal, ceramics, and photography. The museum consists of two neighboring buildings: the Crocker family mansion, purchased in 1868 and now on the National Register of Historic Places, and the contemporary Teel Family Pavilion opened in 2010.
7. California Automobile Museum
The first car museum in the West that was established in perpetuity, the California Automobile Museum is, according to its mission, “an every-person auto museum.” Founded in 1983, the museum has a permanent collection of more than 150 vehicles, temporary displays, and even its Exhibits on the Go, a program that sends its vehicles out into the community.
8. The California Museum
Opened in 1998, the California Museum preserves, interprets, and engages the public with the history of California. A private non-profit institution in partnership with the State Archives, the California Museum offers a variety of exhibits and educational programs for residents and visitors alike. The Museum emphasizes the state's diverse history and culture. With the support of former First Lady Maria Shriver and Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, the California Museum celebrates individuals who have made notable contributions to the state with the California Hall of Fame located in the museum. Exhibits also introduce visitors to more unknown figures in state history along with cultural movements, technological innovations, civic engagement, and health. Together, these exhibits explore what it means to be Californian.
9. California State Capitol Museum
The California State Capitol Museum interprets the history California, the city of Sacramento, and the State Legislature. Housed in the historic Capitol building, the Museum includes two exhibit galleries and restored offices of the Governor, Secretary of State, and Treasurer, along with a tour office that offers guided or self-guided tours, a theater that screens an introductory film, and a gift shop. Visitors can explore museum exhibits along with art, architecture, and legislative proceedings throughout the Capitol building and the memorials and monuments in Capitol Park.
10. California State Indian Museum
Since opening in 1940, the California State Indian Museum has given thousands of visitors a glimpse of three primary themes of California Indian life: Nature, Spirit, and Family. Honoring the indigenous peoples who have been living on the land that became California for thousands of years, the museum presents its exhibitions in a manner that respects the Native Americans who have already passed and those who are still part of California today.
