State Indian Museum

I found street parking just outside of the park. I paid $5 for admission into this Museum. It is very small and will take you less than 30 minutes. The bathrooms are located outside and are open to the public. There is another Museum nearby but that is a separate fee. The staff are friendly and amicable enough in their efforts to answer any questions.

Great museum. Only $5. Check at counter for upcoming events. Great gift shop. Cannot take photos inside. They have great artifacts.

Everytime I come near the State Indian Museum or Sutter's Fort I always try to stop in. They have amazing items and gifts for everyone!

Beautifully preserved historical items and pictures are very well organized. Very affordable fee to enter. A museum docent would really make the experience 5 stars. 🌟

The Native American Museum is a wonderful place to take people of all ages. Small but the exhibits are well maintained and the staff is very helpful and friendly The Annual Craft Event after Thanksgiving is definitely worth going to. Try the fry bread at the food trucks

I had a truly wonderful visit to the State Indian Museum, made even more special thanks to Park Ranger Shyanne. From the moment I arrived, she was welcoming, knowledgeable, and clearly passionate about sharing the rich history and cultures of California Native peoples. Ranger Shyanne went above and beyond to answer questions and provide thoughtful, respectful insights that brought the exhibits to life. Her storytelling, cultural sensitivity, and genuine care made the experience not only educational but also deeply meaningful. If you're visiting the museum, I highly recommend taking the time to speak with her—you won’t regret it. She's a true asset to the museum and to the California State Parks team!

My family and I had a wonderful experience here! The staff was so knowledgeable and helpful in showing our kids some things. The museum is small, but has a lot of information to read about. They plan to add more hands on experiences for kids in the near future. We had been learning about Indigenous populations prior to coming and it really helped to make some connections during our visit. I recommend PBS American Experience videos as well as Honest History journals for kids. These resources are helpful for different levels of understanding of our Native populations as well as the historical effects on their way of life.

Basically a one room museum. Wish they had more videos or a guide to make the experience come alive. Will have to return for acorn days. My favorite part was the map showing what tribes were where. The Fort Sutter next door has more information on how the natives built the fort.

Very nice small Native American museum. No photography allowed inside. Amazing baskets and daily living items.

Wonderful for tourists and educating those not knowing. Unfortunately, not very good nor welcoming customer service by Maria. Other than that, not bad of a stop. I'd recommend coming by and learning.

Great and informative place to learn about our native American culture and the kids will like it also. It's not big but it's packed full of historical artifacts which are very cool. www.billmahonphoto.com

I highly recommend checking out this museum, it's located right next to Sutter's Fort and has a great gift shop as well. It's only $5 to enter and has a lot of information and collections. It specifically covers Native American tribes that lived in what is now known as northern California.

The State Indian Museum is really modest. (For now), it is in a smaller building adjacent to Sutter's Fort State Historic Park. Entry is $5 for adults, $3 for those aged 6 to 17; children enter for free. Metered automobile parking is available on 26th and K Streets. This museum presents a lot of information on the many native peoples that populated what is now California. The artifacts that are on display are sufficient to help tell the story--but number of items available isn't "robust". This raises a really interesting question: In 2018, Gov. Jerry Brown allocated state funding for the construction of the (new) California Indian Heritage Center in West Sacramento, which will replace the (this) existing State Indian Museum. Completion of the new museum is estimated to be 2032. It will be interesting to see what exhibits and programing the future facility might have. Does the State have a lot of artifacts in storage being readied for display? Are individual tribes or private collectors going to loan artifacts for viewing? I also wonder if the new museum will be "looking back" or "looking forward". Nevertheless, if you are visiting Sutter's Fort--in its current iteration, this museum is worth a viewing.

Admission of $5 for adult, $3 for kid. It is a small room with artifacts. Lots of readings necessary. No photography inside the museum allowed. They have a 10 items identification activity where you can win a price when you submit your completed form. Metered street parking. Staffs are accommodating. We enjoyed the whole experience.

Michael one of the docents was fantastic. He taught us so much. We felt bad we had to run out for the parking meter. Definitely go! I will be back. Both him and the gal at the counter were very nice.

Great selection of artifacts and tons of great information. Everything from women's lives to colonization to trade goods and daily life. There is a scavenger hunt kids can do, too.

this place has more artifacts and stories of native peoples than any other museum I've ever been to that features native Americans. I highly recommend it! I can't say enough good things about it. it's small but packs a huge punch

Okay, I'm a history nerd and very interested in Native Americans. This museum is situated next to Sutter's Fort (kind of ironic) in a park like setting. The displays are dated, and in some areas, poorly lit. But the purpose and message is clear. The baskets are amazing and the explanation of the cultures, well done. What happened to these people when the Europeans showed up is beyond any excuse. The alliance with their environment is clearly spelled out and deserves more attention. The museum is moving to new quarters in South Sacramento and I'm sure many of the aforementioned issues will have been addressed.

Quaint museum. $5 per adult entrance fee. A lot of the artifacts weren't in the display case for "preservation purposes." Which should be disclosed to patrons prior to paying the fee. Nonetheless, there were still quite a few artifact to see, even touch. They have a nice sized gift shop (arrowheads, rabbit fur, postcards, coffee mugs, etc). They have signs posted everywhere inside asking patrons to NOT take pictures. The museum is on the same property as Sutter's Fort, which means the walking area to and from the museum and fort is dirt- when it rains it's mud and puddle's.

Learn all about the New Mexico tribes and get some sobering history on the not-so-great stuff that went down. It's a small but good museum. They have an attached restaurant that serves native food - I liked the fry bread and Chile.

It's a small building. They do have a lot of cool stuff here. There is information and regalia from their dances. It was cool because one of my classes had a unit about Native Americans dances. They have a lot of baskets on display. There is information on the different types of arrows used for hunting. There aren't any pictures allowed inside the museum.

Lots of nice artifacts and information. A bit small but a good area to learn about our history.

It's a small museum but worth checking out. They're open now and admission is $5. They have a map of where tribes used to be located in the USA before...well let's be real here, European settlers took over their nation. They have a small store with books, Native American jewelry, and other tourists trinkets. The museum might be small but it packs a lot of history in that small space. Check it out if you're ever in that area. Parking shouldn't be an issue since there are street and metered parking all around that area.

State Indian Museum is a really nice museum. I have been here a couple of times and I have enjoyed it both times. It may be small but it's informative about the tribes in California.

This review is solely about the staff's behavior and ADA compliance not the amazing exhibits. I don't know what his name is but he is a tour guide and has medium length hair and is miserable. First of all someone needs to come check and see if this place is ADA compliant and train the staff. Be very careful if you need ADA assistance here because they will scold you for sitting down on a bench that is clearly there for people to sit on in the entrance. How DARE you tell kids on a class field trip not to sit down during your lecture in that mean ass tone, especially when one has a disability and they have been on their feet for HOURS. Calling people out like that whether you know about the physical disability or not is absolutely unforgivable. You should not do that to anyone and they do not need to reveal their disability in a room full of people just to make you shut your mouth. You are not royalty we don't need to stand for you. Also WTF why would you have a class field trip there if you're going to threaten them all and not make it a feel good experience. Either make the place bigger or at least create some sensory tables for the kids to interact. This history is absolutely amazing and vital to the history of California but the facility is NOT kid friendly or ADA friendly to disabled people. The place is a very tight squeeze, a wheelchair would fit but barely. Also do not threaten the kids and say if you lean on the glass cases your parents will have to pay $3,500. That's not a good way to start a tour when you want anyone to pay attention, let alone kids. Add one or two more places to sit and train your staff on ADA compliance and kindness. There are no excuses! The artifacts are extraordinary, the history is rich, the culture is beautiful and our children deserve to know the real history. Please move this to a bigger more kid friendly building.

My niece, her friend, and I loved it. Very educational and I can't wait for the new museum to be built in Old Town

So the staff need educated on autistic children and dyslexic children. When a child tells you they have dyslexia and can't read the labeling take their word for it instead of making them feel like liars. Anyone suffering from dyslexia I tutor with the Dyslexic Barton reading and spelling system. The lady at the desk was nice. The star is for her.

This is, just like it says in the name, a museum focused on native americans (just 'cause some italian got lost and decided that he was in india does not make the people of north america indians) what were originally local to the area. Parking is whatever you find for sutters fort-on the grounds of which is where this musueam is located in. For most this will be the street facing lots around the square. If you are looking for the indian museum and all you can find is sutter's fort, keep walking around the outside walls. It's on the capitol facing side outside the walls of the fort. Inside it's a reasonably comprehensive if smaller space what tries to detail what the native american population was all about. The highlight is just inside the front entrance and consists of massive ocean going canoe from just a bit up the coast. Of course the bay area native americans used reed boats, but since the culture was comprehensively destroyed no one knows how they did it (Thanks Spain!). This is a recurring theme, and a handicap to the museum- it details what is known, which leaves a lot of blank spots. On my visit this was literal as well as allegorical as some of the exhibits were blank or empty. The casual visitor can cover this space in about fifteen minutes, the history obsessed about 30 to 45 minutes and of course if you have the bandwidth it complements the sutter's fort exhibits. If you do not have the bandwidth this spot while interesting is perfectly skippable. Four stars as there is never enough coverage of native american history/culture. Very much worth the five buck or so entrance fee.

This was a very nice museum about all kinds of aspects of the lives of Native Americans. Tools, ceremonial costumes, weapons, baskets, weaving, and on and on and on...so MUCH information all very nicely presented! My only con was that there was a nice man in the museum talking to people that might have questions. He was with a woman for 45 minutes, I had heard her several times trying to say thank you and excuse herself but he kept her kinda of captive to share his mountain of information with her. When she did manage to get away, she walked past me saying that she was fighting tears about trying to get away from him to just see the museum. He then approached me and asked if I had any questions about anything to which I politely said, 'No, I'm just fine but thank you.'. He then walked up to me and began telling me about the things I was standing and reading about. I had to thank him for sharing and leave the room. I get it, he's excited to share and there is a lot to share but these volunteers should wait to be asked questions and be respectful of the time they are taking as we try to enjoy the museum. All in all, it was well worth the time and the $5, loved it!

Very informative and a good way to learn about California's Indigenous people. Recommend to anyone and everyone!

This one lady was just mean...not sure why we have state parks people serving the public with such demeanor. The museum is small and not worth the admission price. I already pay taxes already, and this museum still charge entrance fees?

The State Indian Museum (Native American) is very good with informative & easy to understand descriptions of what is on display. The canoe is wonderful! The baskets & bead work are amazing. There is the smallest basket on display, used by a medicine healer. The staff was extremely helpful in answering my questions & very knowledgeable. This museum is a "not to miss" site.

Such a beautiful collection of artifacts. The staff was very knowledgeable and friendly.

The Calif. State Indian Museum is right behind the Sutter's Fort State Historic Park so you can see both in a day. I went on the Sacramento Museum Day - it was my 3rd museum that day. Tons of stuff on Calif. State Native Indians. Mostly baskets, dances: jump dance, brush dance, rabbit blanket, Washo, Yokuts, European beads. Cool stuff: the teeny tiny basket you need a magnifying glass to see & friend liked the Featherbaskets - he found them really unique. Worth checking out if in the area & want to learn more about Calif. State Native Indians. No photos allowed inside. No bathrooms inside, supposedly some restrooms outside..I didn't look for them. This is on the Governor's list of parks to Close - let's fight to keep it OPEN!

I am glad that the museum is working to develop a newer and better facility in West Sacramento. The current version of the State Indian Museum is a good attempt to honor the history of Native Americans in California, but the current facility near Sutter's Fort in midtown Sacramento needs a facelift. The museum houses a small, but interesting collection of historic and modern Native artifacts and art. To their credit, they have crammed a lot of nice displays and exhibits in the small and dark space. I really enjoy the baskets display including the background on the importance of baskets to native society. There is also an interesting exhibit on historic gambling which always help in showing that we are all more similar than we think, even in our vices! It is hard to recommend going out of your way for this museum, especially since the Maidu facility in Roseville does a much better job in a much nicer facility. Kids will get bored in the small and dark exhibits. However, if you are touring Sutter's Fort, this is a natural extension to balance the historic significance of the area.

Excellent place. Came here to show my daughter some history about the native Americans and this place was perfect! Met with Alan and he was very insightful and explained some ceremonies and dances the native Americans perform. We ended up buying a book, some jewelry and a flute! The flute comes with a complimentary hour lesson! Loved this place and will be returning this Friday to see the Native American vendors that come annually Nov 24th and 25th.

I'm torn about this site. Went today with my family for the festival and while it was enjoyable, the building was small, dark, and didn't seem to represent the diversity and history of the various tribes in CA. I did see a sign that the building is going to move and I wish them all the success as it could be a much more interactive and joyous place then it currently is. Also seems odd that it's located next to Sutter Fort, just based on size, content, and the relationship between the two.

I am a teacher of students with unique needs and abilities. I chose this place because my students do best in smaller venues with less hectic crowds. Our guide was Jean, who was able to speak about CA Native American Indian history in a way that my students could relate to! Having someone who is able to bring history to life for my students was wonderful . Jean is a treasure! I will definitely make this one of our annual trips!

Went here for free museum day. It was really fun and educational. There is a lot to look at and so much to learn. They do not allow photography in side the museum. The staff there is very friendly and happy to answer any questions.

It's a small yet informative museum. I bought two dream catchers from here because of their authenticity. Would love to come back here soon. -My Lo

Compares to other native museums I was disappointed. This place didn't have much to offer. On top of that they don't allow pictures inside the museum.

The California State Indian Museum is another often-visited blast from the past that I recently rediscovered as an adult. The museum seemed so much bigger as a kid, and it was kind of sad to realize how tiny it actually is (the size is not the museum's fault at all, it's just sad that California's rich Native American history can be rolled into such a small building). The museum showcases ceremonial clothing and outfits, jewelry, fishing and hunting tools, a wooden longboat, and BASKETS a go-go. California tribes are all about the handmade baskets, and I was happy to find that the teeny dollhouse-sized baskets (my favorite museum items as a kid!) were still on display. There are plenty of wall plaques to read and oversized photos to view, which almost seem to outnumber the actual historic displays. There is also a gift shop which includes some interesting books on Native Americans and California history. It may not blow you away as a museum but the Indian Museum is definitely worth a tour. Check it out!

This is a small museum but pretty cool. Only costs $3 for admission. I'm glad I finally made it here.

Visited for the first time today with my wife and we had a wonderful day. The museum is pretty small but warm and cozy with lots of fantastic exhibits. The exhibits all contain literature that is easily readable and describes what is displayed. I actually learned more than I knew before vistiting. I think that is what museums are for... to teach us about history. This museum accomplished that. I was especially intrigued by the hunting and fishing tools which included stone slings for bird hunting, fishing hooks carved from bone and how arrows are made among other things. The cooking section was also delightful and informative especially the earth oven display. No photography allowed inside. This was rather dissapointing. Over all experience was very good.

It's been years since I first visited this museum and now I've been here twice in the past week! I'm glad the scavenger hunt reminded me of this place as it is easily forgotten and there is a lot of interesting history to be learned. The museum is very small but has plenty to offer. Their exhibit includes a lot of original tools, baskets and other cultural items used in native American lifestyle. When I stopped in last week and spoke with the docent (I wish I caught her name) she was very friendly and knowledgeable in native American history. I asked her if the 3 themes of native American lifestyle were Nature, Spirit and Family. She explained to me overall in general those are the themes but more locally they are acorns, basket weaving and pottery. She gave me more information about other Native American Museums and we discussed mutual interest in the Native American exhibits at the visitors center at Clear Lake State Park. I was only able to stop in and check out one of films at the Native Film Festival. Smokin fish sounded the most interesting on the list. In the film Themes of Native American lifestyle were present. The lady talks about knowing what you've learned, your house, who you are, where you are from and how you got there. They also mention respecting the fish even in the smoking process. They are suppose to face down on the rack so they are facing "upstream." I'm not sure if I'll check out any of the other films on m own time but pretty cool I got to see this one.

Visited this place while taking a Native American Art Appreciation class at CSU, Sacramento. They not only have history about California Indian tribes but also regularly display art by Native American Artists. I really liked the basket weavings, the kachinas, and other artifacts. You can learn a lot of local history there too. The art exhibit was very accomplished too. It's right next to Sutter Fort so you may as well check it out if you are in that area. They also had some cute and cheap souvenirs for sale. The museum isn't very big but they have a lot going on and it's worth a visit.

I've lived here a long time in Sacramento, and I finally got to check this place out. This is a great place to look at some of the finest Indian baskets I've seen made. Its not very large, but its chalked full of fascinating facts and items to examine. The displays are clearly labeled and identify which tribe each item came from. Lots of beautiful pictures of Indian men and women in their traditional clothing. They even offer a scavenger hunt for the little ones with a small prize at the end. It was a reminder of how this land all used to belong to the Indians long ago, and that we should remember to take good care of what we have. Even though we have many advanced technology products these days, the Indians lived a simple life with purpose that I wish we would incorporate more into our everyday lives.

This place rocks!!! Best baskets ever. Not enough arrowheads, but then again, those are most common to find in other museums...and this place had stuff I'd never seen before, with explanations of how they are made and why. I loved the handmade clothing, the feathered capes and all the photos of different faces and profound quotes. I spent 2 hours here and could have spent more!!! If you slow down, there is lots to read and learn, which raises important questions- questions that can be answered by the excellent and knowledgeable docents here. My understanding of the original humans who lived on the earth here for 19,000+ years, was greatly enriched by the California State Indian Museum. My 9 year old son liked it too. It was his 2nd time here "They have Ishi's Bow and arrows!!!" He said . California Indians worked a 20 hour work week....we STILL have a lot to learn from them.... This is a great place to start!!

Absolutely amazing. My wife, daughter and I had a great time. Many exhibitions, lots to see. The docent was very informative and spent a lot of time answering our questions. A must see sight for the whole family.

There aren't enough place around here that educate us about Native Americans. After all, they were here first. The museum, though small, was interesting and I learned a lot. In fact, the world's smallest, woven hand basket, makes its home in this very museum. It's so small, it can fit through the eye of a needle. Once the guide told my friends and I that, I wanted to make a beeline right for the basket. But I waited, perused around, learned some knowledge, and then saw the teeny tiny basket. It's quite a sight to see! This museum is really close to Sutter's Fort (which I've yet to tour) and it was a really nice, random thing to do on a Saturday. You are not allowed to take any photography inside. Respect.

Small but nice place to check out. It outlines some rituals and daily life events of the indigenous population of California. I liked the fact that there is an interactive scavenger hunt for children. A bit small and you could go through it in an hour, so plan other activities in the day if you want to stay busy.

This place is awesome! Vey small and next to Sutters Fort. Very neat artifacts and displays from all over the state, including some current events on how state tribes are making a great effort to keep their ancestry alive. This place is a little shabby in parts, but I am sure if they had more funding, this wouldn't be so. It is currently on the list of parks that the Schwarzenegger wants to close. Hope that doesn't happen.

This museum is dated, and pretty small. You can learn a few interesting things here though, and probably worth a visit if you're already at Fort Sutter.

This was a little too PC for my taste so it gets 1 less star for that. Otherwise, this is a great educational museum. What I love about it, is it's right in the middle of Sacramento so you can eat lunch and then make an afternoon of it. Worth a visit.

I was first here years ago on a field trip, and this place is really looking much better now. They manage to make it interesting without being too depressing. I forget the name of the docent, but she was the highlight of the visit. The small collection is curated well.

I haven't actually been to the museum but I did get to visit their booth at, "Between Earth and Sky" at the 100th anniversary of the Girl Scouts! I worked the event but I did get a few minutes to check out some of the vendors. The docent from the museum was talking to the girls about the native Indians of California and I had lots of questions for her, which by the way she was able to answer. I was able to gather a lot of useful information from her about the California Indians and I think if I'm in Sac again anytime soon, I'm going to bring my Indian basket with me to see if it can be identified. Thinking back to some of the information I was given that day, I was a bit jealous to find that the Indian females of the hunter and gatherer variety may have worked no more than 20 hour per week; which gave them many hours to spend with their children and perfect their basket weaving techniques.

Took my class to this museum on our week trip to Sacramento. We visited several sites and by far this was one of our students' favorite! Very educational.This museum is not very large, but packed with beautiful historical artifacts. Oga, our guide, was knowledgeable and very friendly.