The E. B. Crocker Art Museum, the oldest art museum in the West, opened in Sacramento in 1885. It houses many paintings by European masters. The Old Sacramento area features the California State Historic Railroad Museum and the reconstructed Central Pacific Passenger Station. There, visitors can see railroad cars from the past. A fort that was built in 1839 by the pioneer settler John A. Sutter has been restored in east-central Sacramento.
Cultural groups sponsor ballet, opera, symphony orchestra, and theater programs.
The California State Fair is held in Sacramento every August and September. The city has 80 parks. It includes a golf course and a zoo with over 450 animals and birds. The Sacramento Kings of the National Basketball Association play in the ARCO Arena. The city has a daily newspaper, The Sacramento Bee.