Free Museum Day

With 25+ museums and local destinations participating, Sacramento Museum Day will take place, Saturday, February 1, 2020. To the delight of the greater Sacramento area community, the participating local museums will open their doors to offer free or reduced admission to the community from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. 

The popular day is also the kick-off to Sacramento Museum Week (February 2-9, 2020) filled with special events, activities and activations at various museums. While admission is complimentary to everyone on Free Museum Day only, regular admission applies at all museums during Sacramento Museum Week.

“We are thrilled to present the 22^nd Annual Free Museum Day and the extended experience of a fun-filled Sacramento Museum Week again this year,” said Sacramento Area Museums Chair Delta Pick Mello. “We also have one new museum joining the fold this year – the Sacramento Regional Fire Museum – and we hope all of these museums serve to remind the community about the wealth of enriching experiences our regional museums have to offer all year long.”

Free Museum Day is a popular cultural tradition designed to provide all members of the community access to experience the region’s incredible wealth of art, history, science and wildlife. Many of the museums are within walking distance of each other and easily accessible via public transportation. 

The Sacramento History Museum will offer their always-popular gold panning activities for kids outside in front of the Museum as well as FREE admission.

More detailed information about participating museums, addresses, limitations, suggested parking and public transit options is available at www.sacmuseums.org (click on “News & Events”), or by calling Visit California at (916) 808-7777.

Participating Museums for Sacramento Museum Day 2020*

Local museums participating in the 2020 Free Museum Day include the following*: California Agriculture Museum – California Automobile Museum – California Museum  – California State Capitol Museum – California State Library – California State Railroad Museum – California Pharmacy Museum – Folsom History Museum & Pioneer Village – Leland Stanford Mansion State Historic Park – Locke Boarding House Museum – Maidu Museum & Historic Site – Museum of Medical History – Old Sacramento Schoolhouse Museum – Powerhouse Science Center – Roseville Utility Exploration Center – Sacramento Children’s Museum – Sacramento Historic City Cemetery – Sacramento History Museum – Sacramento Regional Fire Museum (new this year!) – Sojourner Truth African American Museum – State Indian Museum – Sutter’s Fort State Historic Park – Verge Center for the Arts – Wells Fargo Museum (Capitol Mall) – Wells Fargo Museum (Old Sacramento).

To help easily and conveniently transport guests who wish to visit multiple museums in Sacramento’s urban core, the Sacramento Regional Transit District (SacRT) is offering free rides on all buses and light rail trains on Saturday, February 1, 2020 for attendees traveling with a printed SacRT Museum Day flyer (only one flyer needed per family or group). A screen shot of the flyer from a smartphone is also acceptable. To print or display the flyer, please visit www.sacrt.com. For more information, specifically about SacRT’s free park-and-ride stations and schedules, visit www.sacrt.com/services. Also, for individuals who live outside the Sacramento region and want to participate in Free Museum Day, Amtrak San Joaquins are offering the Share Fare discount. Riders on February 1 can save up to 45 percent off tickets by using promo code V291; please visit https://amtraksanjoaquins.com/.

On Free Museum Day, event coordinators suggest that guests plan to visit no more than two or three different museums on this day in order to allow adequate time to enjoy the experience and to travel between individual sites. Due to the popularity of Free Museum Day, some locations must limit the number of admissions for safety reasons. The event is scheduled from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. but note that last guests will be admitted at 4 p.m.  

To extend the fun, a number of local restaurants and eateries will offer discounts and/or special deals for Free Museum Day participants who wear or show an “I Love Sac Museums” sticker available at the event. Plus, Free Museum Day is the kick-off to a week filled with special activities presented by various museums and popular destinations (a comprehensive and continually updated listing will be available on the SAM website).

Free Museum Day & Sacramento Museum Week are proudly supported by active and engaged media partners including FOX40 & Studio40 Live, KSEG 96.9 FM, 106.5FM The End, Outword Media and Sacramento365.com. More detailed information about museums participating in Free Museum Day, addresses, limitations, suggested parking and public transit options, participating restaurants and Sacramento Museum Week special activities is available at www.sacmuseums.org/museumday.

*Not all SAM member museums will be able to officially participate in Free Museum Day on February 1, 2020, by offering complimentary admission so please review the participant list carefully and/or contact them directly with any museum-specific questions.