It’s as if the ghosts of all those who have traveled through these halls before us can still be heard... I find myself yet again walking through empty rooms that echo not only my footsteps, but the seeming sounds of the past The Sacramento Valley Station finds itself as a hub of transportation for the Sacramento area. Currently serving as an intermodal complex, the facility includes Amtrak, light rail, regional bus services and taxi amenities. The public portions of the building are those that many are familiar with such as the main hall, or passenger waiting area, where customers purchase tickets or pass through to the facilities outside to the north. Outside are the bus berths, passeng

Darkness lends a bit of mystery to the Fort and an evening’s romantic aura can often disguise the harsh reality of both early pioneer life and today’s urban concerns.  See the Sutter’s Fort in a new light—candlelight!  Providing an alluring new perspective for visitors, Sutter’s Fort offers just a once a year, evening tours by candle light on Saturday, November 19 from 6:30 - 9 p.m.  Guides will lead small groups of visitors into the Fort’s more intimate rooms for intriguing glimpses into the private lives of those who uprooted their families for a better life in early California.  Overhear conversations such as families discussing opportunity or possible devastation in their new homes, hu

The State Indian Museum is proud to host Anthony Platt, Author and Professor Emeritus at California State University, Sacramento, for a special lecture and book signing event on Saturday, November 19, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.  In his engaging and informative style, Platt will thoughtfully explain the history and long-term consequences of more than 200 years of collecting and looting the sacred grave sites of California Indians.  In addition, Platt will be on-hand to sign copies of his recently released book titled Grave Matters: Excavating California’s Buried Past, that will also be available for purchase on-site that day.  There is no cost for this special lecture and book signing although

To the delight of rail enthusiasts of all ages, the California State Railroad Museum will debut a new exhibit titled “Common Diversions: Toy Trains and Scale Model Railroads” on November 3, 2011.  While the items on special display will all be miniature in size, the goal of the exhibit is to clearly distinguish the big differences between scale models and toy trains, both of which have unique characteristics and avid collectors.  In addition to the Railroad Museum’s popular “Small Wonders: The Magic of Toy Trains” exhibit and in contrast to the impressive collection of 21 full-size meticulously restored locomotives and cars on display throughout the Museum, visitors will soon have a uniqu

Check it out! In addition to its fascinating Gold Rush past, the Sacramento area is rich with an amazing array of state-of-the-art museums and historic sites that offer visitors the chance to explore California’s fine art, history, science, and wildlife treasures all year long.  With 28 active partners, the Sacramento Association of Museums (SAM) is proud to showcase a diverse sampling of upcoming events and activities happening in November, including: Sweet Exchange at the (new) Sacramento Children’s Museum - November 1-5 The first-ever Sweet Exchange activity gives kids plenty of incentives to surrender their sugar-saturated Halloween candy in exchange for a fun-filled goodie bag that a

A 100-year-old building on the border of downtown and Midtown Sacramento officially reopened Wednesday after about a year of renovation work in what proponents said is an example of redevelopment at its best. More than 100 businesspeople, developers, city staff and government officials were present at the opening of the Maydestone building as Mayor Kevin Johnson cut a chain with bolt cutters in a twist on the traditional ribbon-cutting ceremony. “This is something that we’re very proud of in Sacramento,” Johnson said. “(In 1912, the building) had people that lived upstairs who were architects, it had small businesses, there were waiters and waitresses – it was affordable. You fast-forwar

In conjunction with a compelling new exhibit titled We Won the Vote! 100 Years of Equal Suffrage in California on display inside the State Capitol Museum (Room 105), docents in period attire will present engaging Living History performances on Saturday, October 15, throughout the State Capitol specially designed to commemorate the 100-year anniversary of when women gained full voting rights in California.   Interested guests should meet in the First Floor Rotunda to view the series of performances (guided by docents) that leave every 15 minutes between 10 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.   Visitors of all ages will encounter politicians and key women suffragists from an earlier time as docents re-enact

Due to continued public interest in “above ground” walking tours, the Historic Old Sacramento Foundation has extended the touring season to include two educational yet entertaining tours each weekend through October.   On Saturday at 1 p.m., the Sacramento City: California’s Gold Rush Legacy Tour is offered.  Then on Sunday at 1 p.m., the From Canvas to Brick: Old Sacramento Architectural Tour is available. For the Gold Rush Legacy Tours, docents in historically appropriate attire take guests on a journey back to the 1850s using original and reconstructed Gold Rush-era buildings as a compelling backdrop to describe what the town was like during that fascinating period in California’s hist

Come one, come all!  In celebration of National Archives Month, archives and special collections libraries from throughout the region will showcase their rarely seen holdings for the public in the first ever “Explore History: Sacramento Archives Crawl” this Saturday, October 1.  Historic treasures from twenty-one Northern California institutions will be on display at four downtown host locations – the California State Archives, the California State Library, the Center for Sacramento History, and the Sacramento Public Library.  The event runs from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., and is free and open to the public. Participants will “crawl” between four host locations, all located within downtown Sacram

Some of Sacramento’s most popular historic sites and museums are daring to get into the Halloween spirit with unique walking tours this October.  In the spirit of Halloween fun, the special activities feature spooky ghosts from the past, animated storytellers with lively tales of California’s early governors and even docents relating creepy details of unusual deaths of early pioneers.  Entertaining, but with a focus on interpreting California’s rich history,  all of the Halloween-related activities are family-friendly with age recommendations noted below. Living History “Ghost Tours” offered by Historic Old Sacramento Foundation - October 14, 15, 21, 22, 28 & 29 Visitors are invited to j

Get ready for the new autumn season by visiting the State Indian Museum during an educational and fun-filled “Acorn Day” on Saturday, October 15 (from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.) that celebrates the acorn, a traditional dietary staple of California Indians.  Part of the month-long ARTOBER effort that highlights the arts in Sacramento, guests to the State Indian Museum will enjoy learning about the time-honored tradition of preparing acorn for food and sampling traditional acorn mush and flat breads.  Children can participate in Native games, traditional arts & crafts, and hands-on table activities.  Then, as a special treat from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m, special guest and master basket weaver Dixie Roger

Well into its second full season, the popular Old Sacramento Underground tour program is now redefining “Date Night” with special adult-only evening tours being offered for a limited time.  In fact, six special “Date Night” underground tours are available on the following evenings departing at 6 p.m.:  9/29, 9/30, 10/6, 10/7, 10/13 and 10/14.  Available for guests ages 18 and over, the special “Date Night” Underground Tours last approximately 90 minutes and will include tales of devastation, perseverance, and determination that led to California’s only successful street-raising project, but will also include lots of shady stories and decidedly adult tales about colorful characters from Sac

Young women today may take their right to vote for granted but it took a major equal suffrage movement 100 years ago for women to gain full voting rights in California.  Not long after, and with the help of mounting political pressure and momentum from new voters in the West and in California, the 19th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution awarded women across America the right to vote in 1920.    And to chronicle this feat -- that was monumental in its place and time -- the State Capitol Museum will proudly display the exhibition titled We Won the Vote! 100 Years of Equal Suffrage in California for a full year beginnin on October 1, 2011.    Visitors of all ages will have the opportunity t

Calling all foodies and history enthusiasts!  After a successful inaugural effort in 2010, Friends of Sutter’s Fort in association with Slow Food Sacramento proudly present the second annual “A Taste of History” fundraising event this Saturday evening, September 24.  “A Taste of History” offers guests a unique culinary experience that includes a four-course, sit-down dinner amid a beautiful setting inside the walls of Sutter’s Fort State Historic Park (SHP).    The highlight of the memorable event is a specially designed menu designed to showcase meals reminiscent of those enjoyed when John Sutter founded Sutter’s Fort in 1839.  Many historic recipes will be re-invented with today’s innov

All aboard for Halloween fun!  For three weekends beginning in mid-October, the California State Railroad Museum will once again offer engaging and entertaining rides aboard its popular “Spookomotive” train this fall season. “Spookomotive” trains operate Saturdays and Sundays beginning the weekend of October 15-16 and continuing the weekends of October 22-23 and October 29-30. For these three weekends only, “Spookomotive” trains depart on-the-hour from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., departing at the Central Pacific Railroad Freight Depot at Front and “K” Streets in Old Sacramento. The diesel-powered “Spookomotive” pulls the whimsically decorated train, crawling with spiders, cobwebs and cornstalks an

A Watercolors and Hiking event will be held in Locke, Calif. on Thursday, September 15, 2011 starting at 10:00 a.m. The hike will be led by Martha Esch. Bring the kids and the grandparents; everyone is welcome!  Well-behaved dogs on leashes, okay. This is a mostly level 1.5 mile hike apart from one 20 foot long, somewhat steep, narrow path up a levee hill and some optional off-path routes along the way that are prickly and narrow. Locke artist and art teacher, Martha Esch, will demonstrate easy techniques to painting a quick, lovely, loose watercolor postcard of scenic spots along the hike. Next, participants will begin using watercolor kits, blank postcards and brushes that will be pas

The California State Railroad Museum and Old Sacramento State Historic Park (SHP) are now recruiting adults (18 or older) who are interested in volunteering this fall to help communicate the West’s fascinating heritage of railroading and the California Gold Rush. The volunteer orientation will begin on Saturday, September 24, but interested volunteers must apply and be interviewed in advance. Volunteer applications are being accepted now through Monday, September 12, and involved community members are encouraged to get involved in this worthwhile program.    Anyone who has ever visited the California State Railroad Museum and Old Sacramento SHP has undoubtedly crossed paths with a docent.

The California State Railroad Museum will debut a fascinating documentary-style exhibit titled “Wedlock’s Gift: California Railroad Depot Images in Ink” in two phases with the first set of 26 sketches beginning on September 1, 2011 and continuing through February 2012.  Then, in August 2012, the second set of 26 sketches will debut and continue through December 2012.  Following the completion of his quest to interpret many of California’s disappearing historic railroad depots in brush and ink, commercial artist Walter J. Wedlock gifted the complete set of 52 drawings and one watercolor to the California State Railroad Museum in 1985 after seeing the collection together for the first time d

For the upcoming fall season, the State Indian Museum needs positive and enthusiastic community volunteers to embark on an exciting and educational journey as State Park docents. The State Indian Museum is located on the grounds of Sutter’s Fort State Historic Park.  Applications are now being accepted for volunteer positions and comprehensive training is provided.  Interested volunteers must apply and be interviewed in advance. Once selected, the qualified applicants will participate in a seven-week training series that begins in October. A background in Native California culture is not required and a variety of volunteer positions are currently available, both on weekdays and weekends. 

In celebration of National Archives Month, archives and special collections libraries from throughout the region will showcase their rarely seen holdings for the public in the first ever “Explore History: Sacramento Archives Crawl” on Saturday, October 1.  Historic treasures from twenty-one Northern California institutions will be on display at four downtown host locations – the California State Archives, the California State Library, the Center for Sacramento History, and the Sacramento Public Library.  The event runs from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., and is free and open to the public. Participants will “crawl” between four host locations, all located within downtown Sacramento. At the four loca