Crocker Art Museum.

As the oldest art museum in the Western United States, the Crocker Art Museum is a study in architectural contrasts. The original 1871 Italianate mansion, once the private gallery of a railroad baron, remains one of the country's most ornate Victorian structures, while the sleek 2010 expansion adds a massive, light-filled contemporary wing. Inside, the collection is equally broad, ranging from California Gold Rush-era paintings to one of the largest international ceramics displays in the country. Beyond the premier collection of European master drawings, visitors find dedicated galleries for Asian, African, and Oceanic art. It’s a space that manages to feel like a grand historic residence and a modern civic hub simultaneously, right in the heart of downtown Sacramento.