Free theatre plays

I just found out you can see many plays for free. Just go here and sign up, and they are giving away some interesting theatre tickets for free to enhance going to see the arts in your community.

 I found this out because the Sacramento City College is putting on "Goldilocks and the Three Bears" play for children. It sounds like fun for kids who are at the age they can sit through a short play and see some cute costumes. This play is $5 for kids 3 and older (free for kids 2 and under), but tomorow (oct. 11th) it is opening day, so it is half off. For more info call go here.

California State Capitol

10th and L Streets Sacramento, CA 95814
Directions: Off I-80 Capital City Freeway exit J Street. Turn on 29th Street and then L St. Park anywhere you see parking in garages or street vending. From I-80 N exit N Street. Turn on 30th Street and park near L Street.

You can walk through the building for free during bulding hours: Weekdays: 8 - 5 Weekends: 9 - 5
Admission: Free
Tours daily from:9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Call for more info: (916) 324-0333
See this website for more info:http://www.capitolmuseum.ca.gov/

The State Capitol building is hard to miss. It is a wonderful sight and an awe inspiring piece of architecture. Once you go through security you can walk around and see the different shadow boxes of each county in California, find your favorite Senator's office door, or walk by the enormous door of the Governor himself, Arnold! It is a huge door. If you are lucky you might see him in the building. You can walk in the rotunda and hear your echo. The museums throughout the first floor and basement are neat to look and see the history of Sacramento and California.
Outside on the large lawns are beautiful trees in the spring and lots of great shade for a picnic lunch.

Bertha Henschel Park!

Located on 45th Street between A and B streets in Sacramento. Take the I-80 Capital City Fwy. Take the E Street exit. Follow E Street (it will change to Mckinley Blvd) and turn right on Meister Wy and then turn right on Aiken Way. It will dead into the park. Parking is on the street.

This is a wonderful and popular neighborhood park. It is a little out of the way and hard to find, if you weren’t looking for it but it is well worth your trip. The playground is very cute with lots of slides and a great roller slide (with 43 rolling dowels) that gives you a massage if you want it or not. There are big and small kid swings, along with a chair swing (very comfy), and a tire swing. There is a sand area as well. The best and most popular feature (during the summer of course) is the wading pool with a mushroom fountain! The wading pool is 12 inches, and has a gate around it. There are bathroom facilities, basketball courts, benches, and lots of grassy open space.

Fairytale Town

901 Land Park Drive Sacramento. It’s directly across from the Sacramento Zoo.
www.fairytaletown.org
Hours: Nov-Feb. Tues-Saturday 10am-4pm.
March-Oct. Open everyday 9am-4pm.
Fees: Adults and Children 3-12 years: $4.25 weekends. $3.75 weekdays.
Kids 2 and under: Free.
Directions: Take I-80 west. Get on I-5 towards LA. Take I-5 to Sutterville Road. Turn left onto Land Park Drive. Fairytale Town is on your right. The Sacramento Zoo is on the left. Parking is all around both places.

Fairytale Town is a 2.5 acre children’s park that brings fairytales and nursery rhymes to life. It has over 25 colorful sets to give children the opportunity to learn about their favorite stories and to interact with them. There is “The woman who lived in a shoe” slide, “Mother Goose” slide, “Jack and the Beanstalk” slide and tunnels, and “Peter Rabbit” rabbits and garden where you can water the plants with real water. This is a nonprofit organization that helps the children explore and have fun. The cute “Humpty Dumpty” entrance is just the beginning to a delightful afternoon with your children.

Sacramento Zoo

Sacramento Zoo
3930 West Land Park Drive Sacramento, CA 95822 Phone: (916) 808-5888
www.saczoo.com
Hours: Winter Hours (Nov-Jan):10am-4pm daily. Feb-Oct. 9am-4pm daily.
Fees: Adults $7.50/$8 weekends. Seniors: $6.75/$7.25 weekends. Child 3-12 $5.00/$5.50 weekends. Kids 0-2: Free.
Free days: Feb. 3, 2007, Nov. 23, 2007, Dec. 24, 2007.
Take I-5. Exit Sutterville Road. Go to Land Park Drive. Follow signs to Zoo parking.

The Sacramento Zoo is a great community zoo. It has lots of animals and you can see them all without walking acres and acres. They have chimpanzees, lions, tigers, lemurs, zebras, giraffes, anteaters, kangaroos, and more! Plenty to see. There is a great playground for the kids to play on as well. Great places to eat and a gift stop to buy something for you to remember your trip to the Sacramento zoo!

Space & Science Center Museum

Space & Science Center
3615 Auburn Blvd
Sacramento, CA 95821
(916) 575-3941 www.thediscovery.org

Take the I-80 Fwy (NOT the Capital City Fwy). Exit Watt Ave. Go south over the I-80 Capital City Fwy. Turn left on Auburn Blvd. The Space & Science Discovery Museum will be on your left a 1/2 mile or less.

Hours: 10-5pm most days depending on the season. Call to verify. $5 adult, $4 teens/seniors, $3 kids 4-12. Free 3 and under.

This Discovery Museum is home to Sacramento's only public planetarium. You can see the stars every weekend at 1:00 and 3:00pm. They also have animal shows, and free kids crafts every weekend. Every year is a different interactive theme. This year is Bone Zone and Tree Life, the animals that live in them. See the Dr's office to see bones, and learn about skeletons and your body. See the kitchen and fake food to learn what to eat to stay healthy. This museum also has the Challenger Learning Center where you can come with your school, birthday party or office to learn to succeed. Go outside along the trails and learn about trees, habitats and the outdoor ampitheatre. It is great fun in the fall to rustle through the leaves! Don't forget to look in the parking lot to see the life size of a whale and other animals! There is Renfree Park next to this museum if you still have energy you need to burn off.

Gold Rush History Discovery Museum

Gold Rush History Center
101 I Street, Sacramento, CA 95814
(916) 264-7057 www.thediscovery.org

From the I-5, Exit I or J streets. Follow the signs to Old Downtown Sacramento. It will lead you to the old town area. Park in the parking structures or the metered spaces anywhere around the old town shops. The Gold Rush History museum is past the Railroad Museum to the north of all the shops.

The Gold Rush History Museum is part of the Discovery Museums (Space & Science Discovery Museum). One ticket in either one will get you a free ticket to the other one within 90 days. ($5 adult, $4teens/seniors, $3 kids 4-12, Free 3 and under. Open 10am-5pm. Open everyday July-August. Open Tuesday-Sunday and holiday Mondays in September-June.)

The Gold Rush History Museum is about the days when gold was being discovered and became discovered and the impact on the Sacramento region and people. Right in the entrance (after you pay) is a glass floor where you can see treasures excavated from the streets of Sacramento. It is really cool to look down through the floor. Upstairs are articfacts about clothes, rooms, and treasures from people of this time. Don't forget to try on clothes from this area and take old pictures! Downstairs is agriculture tools and canned food they used in this time period. The 1928 kitchen is really modern (for its time!). Kids will love the puzzles, fake food, and tractor and animal toys here. Lots of history in this museum.

Glen Hall Park in Sacramento by Sac. State

Glen Hall Park is by Sac State
Take the Cal Expo exit. On Exposition Blvd turn right on Howe Ave. Then Right on Fair Oaks Blvd. Turn right on Camellia Ave and then a right on Carlson Dr that will lead directly to the middle of the park.

This is a lovely neighborhood park by Sac. State. Many community donors help construct the cute fenced playground that is very accessible for the handicapped as well. It has lots of slides, swings, and play tractor that shovels and scoups. It also has many shade trees that will make it a great playground for the summer. A swimming pool, tennis coursts, and great open space to practice your frisbee throwing skill. And many fields used for soccer games on Saturdays makes this a wonderful park in a great community. There are bathroom facilities next to the playground and swimming pool.

McKinley Park in Downtown Sacramento

McKinley Park

This park is downtown Sacramento. Off of I-80 (Capital City Freeway), it is on the corners of E St through H St and Alhambra through 35th St.

This is a huge park has many great features for the whole family. A huge wooden playground that has many secret places to hide and explore. The playground has cool slides and swings for all ages. There is a pond right next to the playground that has many hungry (or not so hungry) but chubby, ducks, swans, and geese who would love to eat your stale bread. There are many benches that go around the pond that make a great setting to view. There is a swimming pool open during spring and summer, tennis courts, an art center, and a beautiful community garden to go through. There is also a library in the park.