Crocker Art Museum — Attraction in Sacramento

I live in Sacramento for about 12 years and this is the first time I've ever gone to the museum! I can't believe this is my first time, just now going! My wife and I are getting ready to celebrate our 9-year anniversary on the 31st. We planned a day out together to just go around Sacramento and enjoy some of the attractions and activities right here at home for the day. This was one of them. For me, I absolutely love the original museum because I enjoy historic buildings. The stairwell and the tile work, everything about it was just really amazing to me. I absolutely loved it. When we went over to the newer building where there was actually more art to be seen, that was enjoyable as well. Some of the pieces were very are inspiring. There are three that really stood out. The giant mural of the old man, the father, was really amazing. Also the AI exhibit turned out to be one of the most fun components of the museum. Stating a phrase, thought or an idea and that it coming up with a drawing that represents that was fun to see. Very interesting indeed. There is even a time that my wife was trying to push the button and I wasn't ready yet and so we kind of had a little bicker with her trying to get me to go and I wasn't ready, so I bickered back and it actually captured a little bit of our Tiff and drew a picture of a man and wife arm wrestling - lol. I thought that was actually pretty amazing. We ended up printing that one out and keeping it. Smiling the whole time. In total we spent 3 hours there. If a person doesn't engage in the AI portion and, goes through everything quickly without stopping to really take it in from time to time--I'm sure they can get through it in an hour and a half to 2 hours or so. But we took our time. I appreciate that they also recognize veterans and gave me a discount on the admission as a result. That's always a nice touch. Parking was nice and easy and the day was beautiful. As a matter of fact when we were done we just went for a little scooter ride around the area:-)

Also, the views from the upper levels of the new building are really incredible. Everything was just really well done. I didn't know if I would like it that much but I've never been and so we went. My wife went once way back in high school, she found that she enjoyed it too. She's an artist, she paints acrylic on canvas. I write music sing and dance. That's my art form. It was nice to see such a diverse collection of painted art as well as crafts. I definitely say get there late morning or early afternoon. The timing of that seems to work well. We went to a late breakfast prior, and then drove straight there. We got there around 10:50am or so, then by the time we were done at 1:50pm, we were ready for a light lunch.

Sacramento was filled with things to do right here at home. Oftentimes for anniversary celebrations, I book something out of town or some sort of a mini trip. This year we decided we wanted to stay close to home. We filled our day with breakfast, crocker Art museum, walking around downtown, riding scooters downtown, little clothes shopping, a movie, a fun hip place for dinner and dessert and then home. It was a lovely day. I think about it often. It was really just nice to be out with my wife like this. We have five kids, this felt good. Kind of like just dating again just being young and fun. I look forward to many more memories with her...

A shockingly good museum.

I wasn’t expecting a lot from a mid sized city museum, but I was blown away by the collection and exhibits.

The museum has two parts, a more modern building attached to a 19th century mansion. The modern building houses a great collection of contemporary artists (most of whom I didn’t know, but whose works are absolutely everything I like about contemporary art). Whoever is making acquisitions for the museum’s contemporary collection has an amazing eye.

The collection also includes a great representation of early California art and a varied collection of art nuveau pottery and household items.

In the liminal area between the mansion and the contemporary bu, there is a great collection of African art that’s worth a long look.

There is also a smattering of traditional European oils and random ancient art (Greek, Roman and Egyptian) which feel alike the remnants of the original family collection

The exhibition while I was there was David Černý. While I think the babies are overplayed in terms of message (how can it be an antiglobalization message when they’ve literally travelled the globe?) the rest of his collection displayed was a revelation.

In any case, if you are within range of this small, but excellent, museum spend a half day or more there and enjoy the place. Well...

The Crocker Museum is located just a few blocks from the state capitol, and really only one block off of I-5. Access is super easy. Once at the museum, you will find a lot a parking opportunities, though none of it is free. My wife and I went back to the museum for the 2nd time in one year. On a Saturday morning in August, we parked in a lot directly across the street from the museum. We paid with a credit card, but we also utilized a parking app so that we could extend our stay by adding time remotely. Entrance fees for a senior is just $8. The museum is three stories tall. We started on the top floor and never left. It really was that entertaining. Though we had been there earlier this year, many of the exhibits have been changed. There is an on-site facility from which you can purchase food. It seemed a little bit pricey and the choices somewhat limited. They have a large and very comfortable area where you can sit down and eat. There is also a very nice gift shop. The restrooms are clean. Plenty of places to get a drink of water. Overall, this is really a very fun and entertaining place to spend a few hours at. We will be...