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California State Capitol Museum
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- Good for Kids:
- Yes
17 reviews for California State Capitol Museum
The California State Capitol is beautiful...and a must-see for all that come to visit Sacramento. But even if you are not a tourist, this is an awesome place to take your kids!
Our adventure there started off just right with a picnic lunch in the gorgeous gardens on the east side of the building. We had a nice shady spot on that hot day and after eating, the kids ran around checking out the statues and monuments (which I never even knew were there!).
We walked around to the tall front doors of the building and quickly found out that you must now enter from the north side where you pass through security. This was easy and quick, even with a stroller, and the kids were hyped up with curiousity to see what was was inside this grand building! Once inside, we had fun looking at the 58 county shadow box displays that lined the halls. Our 5-year-olds got a kick out of seeing their own county's "cool" display.
Since we have younger children, we did not take one of the hourly tours, but I have heard that they are very informative and usually have a humorous guide. We chose to explore on our own and see the beautiful architecture, the historical rooms, and the art. We wandered the halls, the rotunda, the staircases, and rode the elevators. We had a ball!
In the basement there is a theater that shows films all day long. We ended up having the theater all to ourselves, which was great considering we didn't have to worry about our potentially loud, wandering children. The funny part is that with the exception of my one-year-old, the kids actually sat and watched some film about the design and building of the Capitol. Whether it was the dark and coolness of the theater after a long day or mere fascination with anything on a big screen...our kids learned something new about the history of our state. They do have one 12-minute film called "Capitol Visions" that is for kids and shows quite often throughout the day. It would be fun to catch that one on our next visit.
Although we went in not knowing whether or not the kids would have FUN, we came out tickled that they did! All in all, it truly was a worthwhile and memorable outing! When we are downtown and pass the Capitol now, my daughter points it out and excitedly rattles off what she remembers of our time there.
The Capitol is at its best if you visit early on a weekend morning when it almost feels like you have it to yourself, but still have access to the tours and the guides' expertise.
I too enjoyed the county displays, some of which feature places that seem a world away from Sacramento (LA, OC, SD). It just goes to show how big this state really is, and how amazing that it's all governed from here.
You can't freely wander around the U.S. Capitol building in D.C. anymore, but you can still do so here. It's a privilege every Californian should take advantage of at some point, even if this isn't the biggest or best "museum" around...it's still a symbol of OUR state.
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I love the California State Capitol. There is a very convenient parking garage at L and 10th and then it is just a short walk across the street to one of the side entrances. I could spend hours wandering around the building, examining all the beautiful, historic, political fun, and not just because I easily find myself lost in the building. Whoops. One of my favorite aspects of the capitol are the 58 county displays. It is very interesting how each county is summed up in a 4' x 6' shadowbox. The staff that work here are all very nice and helpful, directing you towards the rooms, offices, elevators, or bathrooms that you seek.
Minus one star for the Governor putting in a "smoking tent" on the Capitol grounds. I am extremely proud of the fact that our state is a leader and model for tobacco prevention and yet the Governor is allowed to take us ten steps back. Boo!
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I was very impressed with the State Capitol Building. The architecture is outrageously amazing.
The free guided tour was very good. Found out a lot of interesting facts about the capitol.
I would have giving it 5 stars had I not gotten a $30 parking ticket for being a couple minutes late getting back to the meter. Welcome to the state capitol.
All in all I would recommend visiting here if you have never been. Just be careful about where you park.
All in all
If you are studying California history and are in Sacramento, you have to visit. http://www.parks.ca.go...
Lots more info here: http://capitolmuseum.c.../
You sign up for the tour under the Rotunda.
You get to visit the galleries above the Senate and Assembly. However, they don't let you take pictures or video on that part of the tour.
Guys, you should visit here, it's pretty cool.
The surrounding area in Downtown Sacramento is really clean and gorgeous on a sunny day. Of course the cops need to get out and off your ass already. Jeez, okay, the parking meter needs to be watched we get it! But every tree has a sign on it telling you what it is and the lush "nature" all over really is pretty.
As I walked in the security gaurds were arguing as to what really makes a good actor. I paused for irony's sake, thought about where I live and who governs Ca, and continued on. Weird.
The ceiling is detailed and gaudy, the fixtures are all very ornate, and everyone is pretty nice. When you see the wall of counties you'll be like, what the? How are there THAT many counties in california?
The lady who wanted to show us a tour really badly was super nice and very informative. If you go make sure yout talk to Robin. The coolest part of the building was the senate hearings room. Youcan go in a watch anytime and if you close your eyes and plug your ears youmight think you're in D.C. or Oz.
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I never visited a Capitol before so I figured this would be a worthwhile visit. I didn't know what to expect so I'll take you through my experience from the beginning to the end. I went up to the Capitol and tried opening some huge wooden doors to get inside. I couldn't open them and then found that the entrance was at the other side.
After being slightly embarassed, I entered the Capitol and then had to pass through security. It was pretty quick, only a couple seconds. Then, I was on my own. I saw a bunch of displays that showed the different counties around California in a small montage. They were nice to look at. I went to look at my county (Santa Clara) and was slightly disappointed. The county right next to Santa Clara (they're in alphabetical order) was Shasta and that display looked really nice. Come on Santa Clara, we can do better than that!
Anyway, after that, I walked around the Capitol and saw some old rooms that had been left untouched. There was a treasury room, several Governor's rooms from different years, and some others. I walked upstairs and downstairs to and saw several more rooms. There are also pictures of Governors on the walls throughout the Capitol.
I spent about 45 minutes here, which was shorter than I had expected. I kinda wished I took the tour. It was amusing walking around the Capitol and it was very lavish, but I felt that I was missing something. I guess the tour would have informed me about some amusing facts and history of the place.
So if you visit, you'll probably enjoy it better by taking a tour as well.
The kindest security that I have ever come across in my experience of entering a federal facility.
Not only is this place people-friendly... it is majestic, historic and impressive. California State Capitol Museum makes me proud to be a Californian. This place is a must.
***** SEE PICS OF MY EXPERIENCE AT THE PICS SECTION *****
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Open, accessible, and free. It's what your government should be! It's not, but at the very least, I'm happy to know that the State Capitol building is all of those things. I went on a random Saturday afternoon in January.
It was open. Pass through a metal detector and bang! You're in the capitol building. It was accessible - easy street parking all around for like $1/hr or something. It was free - no admission, no random fines, none of that. You get to wander the halls, the rotunda, the staircases, everything. There are exhibits on display, and Old Governor's office preserved from the 19th century, and you can view both chambers of the legislature from the balcony area.
Lastly, of course, you can view the...gigantic front doors...of the Governator's office. I love Arnold politically but I didn't get his autograph or anything...it was still worth it!
When in Sacramento, go and visit! You don't really remember it that well from your 4th-grade field trip anyways...
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If only I had visited the Capitol in elementary school, I might have remembered more about our state government. I highly suggest taking the free hourly tours located in the basement. You sign up in the office, and wait in the rotunda. Our guide was terrific - enthusiastic and knowledgeable. One-hour tour is a bit of history combined with architecture.
Tour doesn't cover the newer wings, but that only has the displays for each county (with regret I say Orange County maintains the O.C. moniker) and the governor's office.
It's a living museum -- both a museum and California's government's working seat! The museum is open daily from 9-5 and has hourly tours (take it, totally worth it!). You should sneak away at your lunch hour to visit.
Here history permeates every corner. The building is majestic and picturesque. Visitors start off at the rotunda, surrounded by marble floors, sculpture and murals, swirling foliage motifs, stylized urns, grizzly bears, and mythical animals. Further exploration will unearth former governors' portraiture and lots of state troopers. If you are lucky, you can even sneak into a hearing or snap a picture with the Governator.
Even given the more upscale segments of the museum, my favorite part of the tour was the picture boxes that lined the halls. There was a box dedicated to each one of the state's counties and each featured "best of" local selections. Viewing them was was like going to Disney's California Adventure without the line. That was pretty cool.
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The Capitol is a must-see if you are in Sacramento. It's free and you can hang out and watch the state senators and representatives--none of whom you know--yap or just mill around on their respective floors.
You can take a tour or just wander the numerous floors and rooms yourself. Or hang outside of Arnie's office with the mob in the hope of getting a sight of the Governator.
Definitely worth checking out. The grounds leading up to the Capitol Building, with the statues and monuments and gardens are also impressive and serene.
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We visited here on a recent visit to Sacramento. Thought it would be a good idea to visit our state capitol and see if we can get a glimpse of Governor Arnold. :)
Parking structures are available right down the street from here. We parked at the Capitol Garage for $1.50 per 1/2 hour. Free guided tours are available by the hour. We just walked in and booked one. Surprisingly, there were about 40 people in our tour. The building was beautiful inside, especially the ceilings of the historic rooms and the rotunda. The outside is all white, but it was a clean bright white color, almost new-looking. We got to see the Assembly Gallery where all the legislatures meet and the Senate Gallery where all the senators meet. Nobody was using those rooms that day. Our tour guide was humorous and kept all of our attention. The tour was interesting and lasted about 45 minutes long. At the end, we got to visit the entrance to Governor Schwarzeneggar's office. We took pictures next to the sign. There's a CHP that lets a few people in at a time, but don't get too excited as you're not really going into the governor's office, you're just getting into the lobby which is where his secretary is. Outside of his office, there are collages of all the various counties in California with a little history/background of each. Those were pretty interesting to look at. I learned some new counties.
Around the Capitol building, there is a park with different memorials. There was a whole bunch of orange trees with oranges growing that anyone can pretty much pick them. Nice place for a walk.
Take the tour! It is very impressive and highly memorable. You will learn everything about California that you both wanted to know and did not want to know.
I just had one question really, "Where is Arnold?" Guess he was too busy to socialize with lil me!
Too bad, Ah-nold was way too busy to chit-chat with my Brazilian girlfriend, Dani Campos! Dani's father is a Brazilian politician. I would have loved to have Dani pick Ah-nold's brain for a few minutes with intense political debates!
Still, I took Dani skulking through the hallways, back staircases, and secret passages at the State Capitol and Museum. A very cool, educational place to skulk and explore.
Dani was thoroughly impressed with all the CA State Countys' individualistic shadow box displays. One man from Japan took individual pics of EVERY CA County's shadow boxes! LOL!
This is a very beautiful building inside and out. The classical architecture is well done and it's nice to just explore the whole thing. I enjoyed watching a bunch of Austrian tourists who were excitedly exclaiming in German and snapping pictures of the big sign over a door that reads "Arnold Schwarzenegger." Don't expect to see the Gov though, because he does not enter his office by that door, which does not lead directly to his private office anyhow.
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The capitol is an awesome place for every Californian. They have a hall with a display from every county. Beautiful rotunda and just a really cool place to creep around. Some of it is historical and some are still working offices. A must-see in Sacramento for sure!
