Visiting the California Automobile Museum with Kids

You’ve probably driven by the California Automobile Museum on countless occasions on your way to Old Sacramento. Next time, don’t pass by; Instead, stop and park the car. The California Automobile Museum is underrated and is easily one of the best museums in Sacramento for kids. 

The museum’s collection showcases the evolution of the automobile through the decades. Over 120 cars are on display. It’s an informative museum with lots of cool automobiles to check out, all with kid-friendly pit stops along the way. 

Why It’s Great for Kids

Many kids start playing with Hot Wheels and Matchbox cars at a young age, and so their car obsession begins. It’s special to be able to take them to see life-size versions of those tiny cars they routinely send down orange and blue tracks.   

Observing the evolution of cars and technological advances through the decades provides an educational and engaging learning experience for kids of all ages. There are also a handful of automobiles from movies, like a DeLorean from Back to the Future. The museum is a lovely outing for families, and I was pleasantly surprised by its kid-friendliness, making it one of the best things to do in Sacramento with kids. 

Another perk of the museum is that it’s stroller-friendly. The exhibit floor is spacious enough for strollers between all the cars. 

Family-Friendly Features

1. Interactive Play Area

Kids will love the indoor play area at the California Automobile Museum! The play space has a train set, books, and many toy cars for kids to tinker with. It will be challenging to get kids to leave this fun area. There are various couches and chairs for parents to relax while the kids discover and play. Also, don’t miss the interactive crank that turns gears.

When it’s too hot or raining, check out all these indoor play areas in Sacramento, including museums with indoor play spaces.

2. Scavenger Hunt

When arriving at the museum, ask for a scavenger hunt at the front desk. It adds yet another interactive aspect to the visit. Kids receive a small prize when turning in a completed scavenger hunt sheet.

3. Stroller Cars

At first, I didn’t realize the museum had stroller cars until I saw another visitor using one. The red stroller cars are like fun shopping carts that younger kids can ride in to tour the car collection, but are lower to the ground compared to a shopping cart. They are free to use. However, there are only two. One is for a single rider, and one is a double for two riders. If available, you can find them parked in the museum gift shop. Both have storage areas for bags.

4. Souvenir Penny

For $0.50, children (or adults) can take home a souvenir penny. A machine will imprint a penny with the California Automobile Museum logo on it.

5. Jukebox

There’s a good chance that kids of this generation have never seen or heard music playing on a retro jukebox. Go back in time and let them play a few old school tunes on this famous music machine. In the front of the museum, there is a (non-operable) ice cream parlor. The space is mostly for private parties and pop-up vendors. If no parties are being set up, play a few tunes on the jukebox. One song is a dime, or play three songs for a quarter.

A coffee vendor sometimes serves beverages from the ice cream parlor on the weekends. Visitors are also welcome to bring outside food or purchase snacks from the gift shop to eat in the ice cream parlor area, if no events are taking place.

6. Sit-In Cars

My oldest son loved sitting in some of the museum cars. There are a handful of vehicles that kids can climb in and take a spot behind the wheel or in the passenger seat. Each of the sit-in cars is very different and elevates the experience for car-loving kiddos.

7. Gift Shop

The museum gift shop is well-stocked with toy cars, Hot Wheels, children’s car books, and other auto souvenirs. There are some sit-in additional cars kids can step into, and one is a bumper car.

How to Visit the Museum for Free & Low Cost

The California Automobile Museum offers free and accessible ways to visit its car collection.

Bank of America’s Museums on Us

If you’re a Bank of America cardholder, you can easily receive free admission to the California Auto Museum. This program is actually how our family visited. On the first weekend of every month, Bank of America cardholders receive free admission to participating museums nationwide. The California Automobile Museum is one of the few Sacramento museums that participate in the program.

Upon arrival, show your Bank of America card to the front desk with a matching ID. Children 5 and under receive free admission. However, if kids are older than 5, you will need to pay for their admission, as this program is limited to one complimentary admission per cardholder.

The Crocker Art Museum and the California Museum are the only other museums in Sacramento that participate in the Bank of America’s Museums on Us program.

Free Museum Weekend

Free Museum Weekend in Sacramento takes place annually. It usually occurs the first weekend in March. Almost all of the museums in Sacramento participate, including the California Automobile Museum.

Museums For All

The California Auto Museum participates in the Museums For All program. Visitors who show a valid SNAP EBT or WIC card with a matching ID will receive admission at a reduced rate of $5 per person, up to a total of 4 people.

Know Before You Go

• There is a large, free parking lot in front of the museum.
• Restrooms are inside the museum and have changing tables.
• The museum is open Wednesday – Sunday, 10am – 5pm, and is closed on Tuesday.

Nearby Kid-Friendly Spots to Pair with Your Visit 

Old Sacramento Waterfront

The California Automobile Museum is on the riverfront near Old Sacramento. It would be easy to combine both in a single day. Some highlights of Old Sacramento include Underground Mini Golf, the Sacramento History Museum, and Capital Pinball Parlor. The California Railroad Museum is also in Old Sacramento, so if you are feeling ambitious and want a day full of transportation history, you could start your day viewing cars and end it viewing trains.

Front Street Animal Shelter

The Front Street Animal Shelter is directly across the street from the California Automobile Museum. They have a cool program called Doggie Day Out, where you can take a dog out of the shelter for a day and treat them to a fun day out.

Address: California Automobile Museum | 2200 Front St, Sacramento, CA 95818