Sacramento Free Museum Day- TODAY- Saturday 2/7!

Today is Free Museum Day! Get out and see some of our local museums. Nearly all museums in Sacramento are open for free today from 10am to 4pm, including the Railroad museum, Fairytale Town, the Crocker and the Zoo. Or check out some lesser known museums like the Towe Auto Museum, the Museum of Medical History or the Military Museum.

Free shuttle buses are available from many locations. The most popular places fill up fast so be sure to get an early start. If you have a few extra dollars in your pocket, be sure to drop it in the donation buckets inside the museums. Many of our best assets are struggling and this is a great way to ensure there will be a Free Museum Day next year!

It's hot- you need ice cream!

It's supposed to be as hot as 103 this weekend- what a way to celebrate the beginning of summer in Sacramento! The coolest place to be in town tonight is the Crystal Midsummer Night's Dream and Ice Cream Fantasy at Fairytale Town. Head over there tonight from 6 to 9pm for all you can eat ice cream, food, beverages, crafts, entertainment and more.

Love the idea of all you can eat ice cream and want to do it again? The Sacramento Zoo's Ice Cream Safari is Saturday, July 26th from 4 to 8pm. This feast features all you can eat Baskin Robbins ice cream and Coke products, live entertainment and great bands, face painting and more fun for the whole family. Our favorite part of the Ice Cream Safari is the Giraffle- you can win some amazing and fun prizes all while supporting the zoo.

While we're on the all you can eat theme, adults will also enjoy the King of Feasts at the Zoo. Enjoy live music while dining on exquisite samples of delicious Sacramento food, dessert, wine and beer. Tickets are $50 for non-members and children are allowed but discouraged.

Great things to do around town this weekend

A big storm is coming late Saturday and early Sunday so what should you do? First tie down all the stuff in your backyard that is likely to hit the neighbor's house. Make sure you have candles and flashlights available. Then get ready to get out of the house and do something fun!

* Bodies Revealed *
If you haven't checked out Bodies Revealed yet, now is your chance. It's a bizarre assortment of over 200 bodies on display. Learn more about human anatomy then you ever wanted to know. Open through the end of April.

* California Museum for History, Women & The Arts *
Check out Maria Shriver's pet project this weekend. You can see the California Hall of Fame, including original prints by Ansel Adams, Tiger Woods' golf clubs and more. The museum also features several other exhibits about California history. Open Saturday 10am-5pm and Sunday 12pm-5pm.

* Watch the Oscars *
Do something amazing and spend Sunday with the Capital City AIDS Fund in their Oscar Night party at the Hyatt. Enjoy a great party, check out the Oscar fashions and do something good for the city all at the same time.

* Visit a new Sacramento area restaurant (or new to you) *
Have you been to Ella Dining Room or Paul Martin's American Bistro? Perhaps a more casual joint serves you better like Suzie Burger, Hot Rod or Chicago Fire Pizza. Looking for dessert? Try Sweeties, Babycakes or for a more exotic flavor try Mochii.


Want to get out of town for the weekend? Copia is featuring Death by Chocolate: The Ultimate Chocolate Tasting. Saturday from 1pm to 4pm. Tickets are $45 general admission, $35 Copia members.

Museum Day is coming, plan your attack!

Saturday, February 2nd is Museum Day. If you're new to town or have been here forever, now's your chance to check out some of the lesser-known museums in town for free. The event runs from 10am to 4pm and if you're organized you may be able to get in two or three museums in that time.

My advice for enjoying Museum Day? Skip the biggies. This is not a good day to go to the Zoo or Fairytale Town. The lines will be long, parking will be terrible and you'll be very cranky. It's the perfect day to visit The Aerospace Museum of California or the Towe Auto Museum. Perhaps take a stroll through the historic city cemetery and visit the Governor's Mansion.

For more information and a map of museums, visit the Museum Day website. Go green and use the free shuttle buses for an even more festive experience! RT will run 5 free shuttle loops around town to get you where you need to go without the hassle and traffic.

Things to do in and around town this weekend

Sacramento in June is never this nice to enjoy it! So what should you be doing this weekend to celebrate the beautiful temperatures? 10 things to do in no particular order:

*Hit the NASCAR All-American Speedway at the Placer County Fairgrounds

*Visit a local farm and pick berries or apricots. My favorite is Impossible Acres but there are other choices like Pacific Star Gardens and Boa Vista Orchards.

*Take your hot dog out to a new dog park for a run in the sun. Then hit our favorite doggy wash The Wagger Day Spa for a bath.

*If you love animals but don't want to hit the dog park, visit the SPCA Doggy Dash in Land Park instead.

*Do you need your faith in education renewed? Take the kids to the Westlake Charter School International Festival. Believe in our education system again.

*Before it is unbearably hot, take a train ride on a steam engine.

*Visit the animals and the nature sanctuary at Effie Yeaw.

*Enjoy dining on a patio downtown. Choose one of the many new restaurants that suits your foodstyle and go for it. Zocalo, Mikuni, Lucca, Tapa the World and many others have great patios.

*If you like big planes, jets, airshows, tricks and worst of all, traffic, visit the Capital Airshow. If not (especially the traffic), stay far, far away from Mather.

*Last but not least, have a toast for my parents who are celebrating their 200th anniversary or something like that.