By James Drake, Service Planner, Sacramento Regional Transit
No less of an authority on public affairs than our 37th President Richard M. Nixon once suggested that for aspiring young leaders, the best course of study was not political science, but history.
Whether you love history or you're more stirred by the arts and sciences, on February 1, 2014, you can experience the region’s best offerings without even opening your wallet thanks to the 16th Annual Sacramento Museum Day. 28 local museums will offer free admission from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. including the popular Crocker Art Museum, the California Museum, and the Discovery Museum Science and Space Center. The Sacramento Zoo and Fairytale town will offer half-price admission.
Although the California State Railroad Museum, the Sacramento History Museum and others are deservedly popular, given the crowds that often come out for this event, museum day may be a good occasion to explore one of Sacramento’s lesser-known museums. A complete list of participating museums is available at the link below.
Edge members with some disposable income may also want to consider putting the money saved on admission toward a dues-paying membership in one of these deserving institutions. Member contributions help keep free admission days like this possible for folks who might be unable to visit these museums any other way.
While history lessons may not have helped Nixon in his race against Pat Brown for California governor in 1962, I suspect one thing the two might have agreed upon is that trivia nights at your local pub are not won on an intellectual diet of Buzzfeed alone.
Finally, if Track 7, Ruhstaller, and New Helvetia have taught us anything, it’s that if you want to start a cool brewery, you better know your local culture! The names reference Sacramento’s rich history in rail, brewing and colonial legacy, respectively.
Look it up, you will be tested on this material. Just kidding.
Sacramento Museum Day
http://sacmuseums.org/news-events/museum-day/.
See you at the museums!
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James Drake is a Service Planner for Sacramento Regional Transit, a volunteer at the Western Railway Museum in Suisun City, and a member of the Sacramento County Historical Society. He joined Metro Edge in January 2014.
