California State Capitol, Sacramento

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California has a very attractive, ornate state capitol building. The third capitol building in Sacramento, it was begun in 1860 and completed in 1874. Although broadly similar in its basic neo-classical design similar to the U.S. Capitol, it has many unique elements and rich detail. The interior, in particular, is more Victorian than neo-classical and clearly shows the mid-19th century Victorian character of the building, contrasting with outwardly somewhat similar, later Beaux-Arts buildings. This capitol has a very aesthetically appealing layout and the combination of the dark dome one white structure gives an aesthetcially interesting appearance. The inside is extremely ornate, with numerous shutters, dark, richly detailed woodwork, and much gilded decoration. The building is well-maintained, despite constant need for small repairs here and there, having undergone a major renovation and seismic retrofit in the early 1980s.

Having grown up in California, one trip every school-age child must make is to our fair capital, Sacramento. From Southern California, it was a hectic day - getting to school way too early in order to board a bus to take us to the airport to fly us to Sacramento (with a stopover in San Francisco).

That said, it was a fun trip. Our capitol building is especially beautiful and it's free, so it makes for a nice stop if you're visiting the city. It's not too far from Old Sacramento or from the freeway so it isn't too out of your way. There is a lot of street parking available around the capitol and, if you don't mind dodging some schoolchildren making their trek for Civics class, you can learn quite a bit about California history, which, in my opinion, is quite interesting. We were our own country, ya know, for all of about 5 minutes.

The California State Capitol is very visitor-friendly. It is open even during Saturdays and Sundays. I visited on a Sunday and joined a free tour of the building. The guide was both informative and entertaining. Our group was allowed to view the legislators at work from the balcony. Apparently, they were working overtime (on a Sunday) because of a budget impasse. It's really amazing to see our elected officials at work.

Behind the Capitol is a beautiful park. The Vietnam War Memorial there is a poignant reminder of the lives lost in that conflict. Fittingly, beside the memorial is a rose garden.

Welcome to California's State Capitol, the hear of state government since 1869.
Today it is the vibrant center of California lawmaking and a museum that offers an histroical look at the envets and people who shapre California.

There is a Free tour guide visit and Free entrance to the Museum.

For a wonderful virtual tour
http://www.virtualemotion.com/vt/sacramento/casa5.aspx?N=24

The capital of the state of California, Sacramento is located 90 miles northeast of San Francisco and 383 miles north of Los Angeles. California's Capitol building was designed by architects M.F. Butler and Reuben Clark in the Roman Corinthian style. Work began in 1860 and ended in 1874 at the cost of $245 million.

Okay... It's been a long time since I've seen this, but I think there's a tile floor mural showing the state seal somewhere. Also, as I know it, you can see the state secretary and the state treasurer sometimes, but unfortunately, the Governator is off limits.

My favorite tree was the Saucer Magnolia at the Capitol Park. You can go on a Tree Tour, in fact the Sacremento Tree Foundation has brochures that you can download before you travel. The major trees are labelled, but I don't know about the different varieties of Camellias.

In this picture you can see a handful of camellia, from the distance. I created a travelogue with lots of close-ups of the flowers I saw.

I took these pictures in February, a wonderful time to see the trees in Capitol Park. It was so fragrant, very lovely.