Exploring the Rich Arts and Cultural Heritage of Sacramento

Situated in a serene valley of scenic rivers, with leafy canopies of trees, present Sacramento has become a cosmopolitan aggregation of charming cafes and restaurants, high-rise buildings, affable Victorians, a vibrant and dynamic arts culture, and a kaleidoscope of modern facilities. Home to the last few remnants of the Wild West and the Gold Rush days, Sacramento is a city that displays its diverse cultural influences. With its abundance of first-class art galleries and other cultural attractions, Sacramento now serves as an influential art destination for art lovers from around the world.

Loads of people with artistic inclinations converge here to mingle with art connoisseurs and get engulfed in the pandemonium of art frenzy. From the Artists Collaborative Gallery to the Doiron Gallery, and the Ventana Art Gallery to the W Gallery and Studios, the art scene in Sacramento is world-renowned.

Sacramento is also known for its theater and is home to biggest nonprofit musical theater of California, the California Musical Theatre, formerly called the Sacramento Light Opera Association. This theater has staged several productions of musicals including classics like Oklahoma, The King and I, and Show Boat. It also offers Broadway hits performed by national stars.

The 24th Street Theatre is home to the Light Opera Theatre of Sacramento, which offers light opera works of Gilbert and Sullivan. The Sacramento Theatre Company has its own resident company, which offers classical as well as modern plays. The B Street Theatre, which happens to be Sacramento Professional New Works Theatre Company, produces excellent contemporary theatrical works. The Garbeau Dinner Theatre is housed in a renovated winery. In all, there are more than 80 groups that present live theatrical performances in Sacramento.

The Camellia Symphony season starts in October and goes on till mid-May. It includes 6 different concerts and many other special fundraising concerts. The Sacramento Opera has produced and performed over 40 operas, and the opera season starts in September and goes on till March. The Sacramento Philharmonic features 5 concerts from November to May. The Sacramento Ballet is made up of 22 artists, 4 trainees and 8 apprentices, who perform classical as well as contemporary ballet.

When visiting Sacramento you must not forget that it is home to one of the oldest art museums in the West. The Crocker Art Museum has a permanent collection of European paintings by masters like Bruegel and Rembrandt. It also includes a famous collection of drawings, along with Persian and Indian paintings. From American paintings to decorative arts, to ceramics and photography, the museum has it all. The California State Railroad Museum showcases the history of the railroads in its premises. The museum displays over 21 railroad cars and locomotives, as well as roughly 46 exhibits. The Discovery Museum features science, technology and interactive history exhibits. The Towe Auto Museum features the history of the car and automotive culture, and has over 150 vintage models on display. The State Indian Museum showcases jewelry, clothing, baskets, art and other artifacts of the Native Americans.

The Sacramento Jazz Jubilee, which is also the largest gathering of jazz bands in the world, starts during the Memorial Day weekend and features over 100 bands. The Bridge to Bridge Waterfront Festival is in July and features boating, boat races, wakeboard and coast guard demonstrations. The California State Fair starts in August and goes on till September and is one of the largest fairs in the whole country. The four-day long Gold Rush Days Festival starts over Labor Day weekend, and the Gold Rush era is recreated in Old Sacramento. The California International Marathon is in December, and the starting point is at Folsom and it ends at the Sacramento State Capitol building.

From the Chinese to the Japanese, the Koreans to the Philippines, the Europeans to the African Americans and even the Native Americans, Sacramento has now become a cultural hot spot. The Chinese came to Sacramento in the Gold Rush days of the 1800s, and once the gold ran out, most of them stayed back to work as cooks, laborers, merchants and farmers. In the West End, lies Sacramento small but important Japantown. A strong sense of Japanese heritage survives here and there is an annual Japanese Food and Cultural Bazaar that starts in August.

So, come visit Sacramento and explore and discover its rich arts and cultural heritage.