Cruise the museums of Sacramento, join a powwow in San Francisco, and welcome the Year of the Dog in Oakland. Try a new cultural experience along the Capitol Corridor!
Museum Day: 2/3, Sacramento
Art lovers rejoice! Thirty of the top museums in the Sacramento region will offer free or half-priced admission this Saturday for the 20th Annual Sacramento Museum Day. Between 10am and 5pm, museums and local destinations encourage the community to experience the Capital City’s incredible wealth of art, history, science, and wildlife – at little or no cost. Our suggested stop is the California State Rail Museum, which is just steps from the Sacramento Station, but other highlights include the California State Library’s Haiku and Japanese Art exhibit, retired physicians answering questions at the Museum of Medical History, and gold panning activities at the Sacramento History Museum! Many of the museums are within walking distance of each other and easily accessible via public transportation. Please check online for the list of participating museums and events.
Getting there: Take the train to the Sacramento Station. From there check Google maps for directions to participating museums. Some are within walking distance, like the California State Railroad Museum, and others can be reached on SacRT with a free Transit Transfer.
American Indian Two-Spirit Powwow Dance and Drum Festival: 2/3, San Francisco
Participate in the world’s only Two Spirit powwow this Saturday at the Festival Pavilion at Fort Mason. The 7th Annual American Indian Two Spirits Powwow will take place from 10am to 6pm, where the public, dancers, and drummers are invited to join this celebration of diversity and inclusion. Two-Spirit refers to the commonly shared notion among many Native American tribes that some individuals naturally possess and manifest both masculine and feminine spiritual qualities. There will be activities for the whole family and artisans will be selling a variety of wares that are often only sold at powwows. Food vendors will be offering Native American style tacos, tamales, frybread, and buffalo burgers. Last year, they welcomed more than 4,000 attendees and hope the powwows will continue to promote inter-tribal community, healing, and wellness.
Getting there: Depending on your station of origin, take the Capitol Corridor’s dedicated connecting bus from the Emeryville Station to one of our San Francisco stops. You can also connect to BART at the Richmond Station or Oakland Coliseum Station. From downtown San Francisco you can take public transit using Google Maps, catch a cab, or take Lyft or Uber.
Lunar New Year Celebration: 2/3, Oakland
Head over to Oakland this Saturday to ring in the Year of the Dog at the Annual Chinese Lunar New Year Celebration in Chinatown. At the Pacific Renaissance Plaza (388 9th St.), from 11am to 4pm, enjoy performances of Chinese and Mongolian folk dancing, Tai Chi and lion dancing. There will also be traditional music performers, vendors, lantern-making, and more. Hosted by the Oakland Asian Cultural Center families can participate in interactive activities inside the center as well.
Getting there: Take the Capitol Corridor to Oakland Jack London Station. From there, you can hop on the free Broadway Shuttle, and the Plaza is a few blocks off of Broadway.
Written by Sylvia Sheehan
Photo courtesy BAAIT