Best museums in Sacramento
The United States is home to more than 35,000 museums, according to data from the Institute of Museum and Library Services. These cultural strongholds run the gamut of natural history, world wars, art, and even children's books.
While some fancy a trip to the Smithsonian Museum in Washington D.C. or the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, others like to cozy up in a corner and read the Very Hungry Caterpillar at the Eric Carle Museum in Amherst, Mass. How does one define a museum?
Early museums housed private collections curated by individuals, while today's museums—many of them major tourist attractions—are filled with art, history, science, artifacts, fossils, historical documents, and some curious collections. Along with exhibitions of art, history, and science, Stacker unearthed museums filled with bananas, popcorn, and some very odd stuff.
All across the U.S., visitors can find museums to explore any subject that piques the imagination. A trip to Washington D.C. provides an opportunity to visit a number of iconic museums for free. A visit to Boston means getting to enjoy the Museum of Fine Arts or learn about the Boston Tea Party ships. In California, travelers can tour the International Museum of Bananas before popping by the Wyandot Popcorn Museum in Ohio or The Museum of Bad Art in Massachusetts.
Have you ever checked out the museums in your area? To determine the best museums in Sacramento, Stacker turned to data from Foursquare (data current as of April 19, 2019). All museums were ranked by Foursquare's algorithm, which predicts the "best" museums based on combined factors of the number of check-ins, rating signals, category matches, tips, and photo trends. Click through this gallery to find out which are the best museums Sacramento has to offer.
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#10. Wells Fargo History Museum
- Address: 1000 2nd St. (at J St.), Sacramento
- Foursquare rating: 6.1
- See more on Wells Fargo History Museum
#9. Powerhouse Science Center - Discovery Campus
- Address: 3615 Auburn Blvd, Sacramento
- Foursquare rating: 7.4
- See more on Powerhouse Science Center - Discovery Campus
#8. State Indian Museum
- Address: 2618 K St. (at 26th St.), Sacramento
- Foursquare rating: 5.2
- See more on State Indian Museum
#7. Old Sacramento Schoolhouse Museum
- Address: 1200 Front St. (Old Sacramento), Sacramento
- Foursquare rating: 7.5
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#6. Sacramento History Museum
- Address: 101 I St., Sacramento
- Foursquare rating: 7.7
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#5. California State Capitol Museum
- Address: 1315 10th St. (at L St.), Sacramento
- Foursquare rating: 8.0
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#4. California Auto Museum
- Address: 2200 Front St., Sacramento
- Foursquare rating: 8.1
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#3. The California Museum
- Address: 1020 O St. (at 10th St.), Sacramento
- Foursquare rating: 8.1
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#2. California State Railroad Museum
- Address: 125 I St. (at 2nd St.), Sacramento
- Foursquare rating: 9.1
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#1. Crocker Art Museum
- Address: 216 O St. (at 2nd St.), Sacramento
- Foursquare rating: 9.3
- See more on Crocker Art Museum
