Sacramento History Museum, Sacramento

The Sacramento History Museum is dedicated to Sacramento and the California Gold Rush and is ideally situated in the middle of the old town. The collection is housed in a replica building built to represent the town's 1854 City Hall and Waterworks building.

The history museum opened in 1985 as the Sacramento History Center to house and exhibit artifacts and records from the city's historical collections. Exhibits cover the town's earliest years, from 1839 when settler John Sutter arrived. Old Sacramento sprang up fast after gold was discovered nearby in 1848, with hotels, saloons, and shops where would-be miners could outfit themselves for their mission. That part of town has been restored to evoke its Gold Rush-era appearance, with historic buildings, old-fashioned streetlights, and cobblestone streets.

Among the museum's most fascinating attractions are the Old Sacramento Underground Tours. Beginning in the 1860s, streets and many buildings in Sacramento's business district were raised to help protect the city from flooding. The tours allow visitors to get a glimpse of this incredible undertaking.