Sacramento: Free museum day lets you cash in on culture

Here’s a good excuse to visit Sacramento next month and cash in on a little culture in the capital. The city’s museums will open their doors for free in honor of the annual Sacramento Museum Day.

The deal: Twenty-six museums will offer free admission 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Feb. 4. Two other locations -- the Sacramento Zoo and Fairytale Town -- will feature half-off admission tickets on the same day. To take advantage of Museum Day, you really need to strategize on which two or three (if you push it) venues you want to see.

When: The offer is good Feb. 4 only.

Details: You don’t want to go crazy trying to see too many places (particularly if you are taking kids), so here are my picks that might make for nice and easy Museum Day stops. Note too, it’s likely to be among the busiest days of the year for most of these venues, so if you hit one that’s packed, like the California State Railroad Museum, have some other options to move on to.

--Two years ago, the Crocker Art Museum (216 O St., [916] 808-7000) underwent an expansion that added a 125,000-square-foot contemporary building to the grand Victorian home-turned-museum. It’s like walking through time to move from the new, airy galleries to the historic side. Current exhibition: 17th-century Baroque paintings from Florence. Usual admission is $10 for adults, $5 for children 7 to 17.

--The California Automobile Museum (220 Front St., [916] 442-6802) has been hosting a series of exhibits called “Wundercars!” that tell the history of cars and the companies that make them. During free admission day, Mercedes-Benz will be the featured automaker. Usual admission is $8 for adults, $4 for children.

Check out the Sacramento Museum Guide for a list of participating museums.