Twenty-six greater Sacramento area museums will be offering free admission, all day long, during the 11th Annual Sacramento Museum Day. This event is presented by the Sacramento Association of Museums, and proudly supported by Umpqua Bank. Sacramento Museum Day takes place Saturday, February 7 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. All participating museums close at 5 p.m., with the last guests admitted at 4 p.m.

Museum Day, a Sacramento cultural tradition, invites all members of the community to experience the Capital City’s incredible wealth of art, history, science and wildlife at numerous participating museums at no cost. Twenty-six museums in all will be participating in Museum Day for 2009, the largest number ever! Several participating museums also offer special programming during Sacramento Museum Day, in addition to regular exhibitions.

“The Sacramento region boasts dozens of museums, many of them relatively unknown to local residents,” said Sacramento Association of Museums Chairman Paul Hammond. “Sacramento Museum Day is a great opportunity to sample these institutions and, in the process, to learn about our region, our state, and our world.” Nearly 55,000 people enjoyed the Capital City’s museums during Sacramento Museum Day 2008; since the event’s inception, well over one-half million people have enjoyed Sacramento Museum Day.

Event coordinators suggest that guests plan to see no more than two or three different museums this day, to allow adequate time to enjoy the experience and to travel between individual sites. Also, since some museums must limit the number of admissions this day for safety reasons, guests are asked to check out detailed Museum Day information online at sacmuseums.org, prior to February 7. “And whatever you do,” says Museum Day Coordinator Delta Pick Mello, “consider visiting museums that you’ve never been to—or perhaps have never even heard of. That’s what this event is all about: discovering the many different museums that are right here in our own backyard!”

Sacramento Museum Day 2009 is proudly supported by Umpqua Bank. Media sponsors include KVIE Public Television, Capital Public Radio, Outword magazine, and News10’s Sacramento & Co. Free shuttle buses will operate throughout the day with stopping points located adjacent to most—but not all—participating museums. The California Museum, at 10th and ‘O’ Streets, serves as the central transfer point for the five different shuttle routes in operation during Sacramento Museum Day. Volunteer “step-on” tour guides will be on-board to assist riders and narrate the route, courtesy of the Sacramento Convention & Visitors Bureau and California State University, Sacramento. Riders with special needs will be accommodated courtesy of Cerebral Palsy Transport.

Detailed information about participating museums, suggested parking, public transit options, and free event shuttle routes is available at sacmuseums.org (click on “Museum Day”), or by calling the Sacramento Convention & Visitors Bureau at (916) 808-7777.

PARTICIPATING MUSEUMS FOR SACRAMENTO MUSEUM DAY 2009:
Aerospace Museum of California – California Foundry History Museum – California State Military Museum – California State Capitol Museum – The California Museum – California State Indian Museum – California State Railroad Museum – Crocker Art Museum* – Discovery Museum Science and Space Center – Don and June Salvatori California Pharmacy Museum – Explorit Science Center (Davis) – Fairytale Town – Folsom History Museum – Governor’s Mansion State Historic Park – Heidrick Ag History Center (Woodland) – Leland Stanford Mansion State Historic Park – Museum of Medical History – Old Sacramento Schoolhouse Museum – Old Sacramento State Historic Park – Sacramento Zoo – Sacramento Historic City Cemetery – Sacramento History Museum (formerly Discovery Museum History Center) -- Sojourner Truth Multicultural Arts Museum – Sutter’s Fort State Historic Park – Towe Auto Museum – Wells Fargo History Museum (Old Sacramento location only).

*Please note that the Crocker Art Museum is under construction for its major expansion. Parking and gallery access will be limited, and shuttle service will not be offered to the Crocker Art Museum during Sacramento Museum Day 2009.

Comprised of 27 greater Sacramento area museums working in partnership with the Sacramento Convention & Visitors Bureau, the Sacramento Association of Museum's mission is to raise awareness of local museums by giving the community the opportunity to discover California’s fine art, history, science and wildlife treasures. SAM achieves its mission through implementing cooperative promotions and developing strategic marketing alliances, by encouraging sharing of knowledge and resources among its partner institutions, and by conducting Sacramento Museum Day each year.