Learn about the history of letterpress printing, the role the newspaper played in spreading the news of gold in California leading to the Gold Rush, and see what an 1850s newspaper office would have looked like in Sacramento City all while seeing the printing presses operate.

Join our printers Dave and Lou, for these 30 minute session which are included with your Museum admission.

The Sacramento History Museum presents an all-new Play Ball! Sacramento in the National Pastime! Located in the R. Burnett & Mimi Glide Miller Gallery in the Museum, the exhibition is filled with historical baseball uniforms, bats, balls, and gloves and more. Plus, if you are heading out to a game at Sutter Health Park, show us your same day game ticket and you’ll receive half off Museum admission! Play Ball! is presented by SMUD and runs through October 2026.

Under the musical direction of Harley White Jr., this series highlights the incredible talent being cultivated in Sacramento while connecting audiences to the stories and sounds that have shaped our city. Support local youth musicians, celebrate Sacramento’s vibrant music community, and enjoy an evening where history and music come alive.

Attention Girl Scouts! Detective Badge, Saturday, September 19, 2026

Join the Sacramento History Museum and Girl Scouts Heart of Central California for a Junior Badge in a Day on Saturday, September 19th! Earn your Detective Badge while cracking clues, solving mysteries, and exploring history in a whole new way.

It’s July! It’s time to do a bit of time traveling… in the Underground. Go Underground seven days a week and learn how Sacramento lifted itself up out of the flood waters during the 1860s and 1870s! Your tour ticket includes museum admission! 

Is Old Sacramento haunted? Take one of our Old Sac Paranormal Investigations. Visit historic buildings and spooky spots, to learn their unsettling history. Using our paranormal equipment, you decide whether spirits of the past still linger in the present.

As the nights draw near, the denizens of Sacramento City are raring to show fine citizens the seedier side of the Gold Rush…in a whole new way. Just as in our regular Underground tours, our guides divulge matters they just can’t discuss on the daytime tours: Murder, mischief, madness, mayhem – and madams! Meet swindlers, soiled doves and sneaky speculators!

As a Blue Star Museum, we are proud to welcome the nation’s active-duty military personnel and their families (maximum 6 admissions), including National Guard and Reserve to visit the Museum for free this summer. Show your Military ID at the Front Desk through Labor Day, September 7 and enjoy a day of learning about the history of early Sacramento. Offer also extends to veterans. Does not include public tours or ticketed events.

Support local businesses when you purchase gift cards through Shop 916! The City of Sacramento is making it easy for you to support more than 100 local businesses year-round, including the Sacramento History Museum Store. 

Plus, when you purchase a Shop 916 gift card you will receive a bonus card (must use by August 31, 2026) to stretch your buying budget.