A glimpse at Sacramento's historically significant Crocker Art Museum

Once you've bought one of the homes for sale in Sacramento, you will quickly find that the city does not lack for cultural outlets in any way. Arguably, one of the best-known and most highly regarded of these is the Crocker Art Museum, located at 216 O Street, near the Capitol Mall and Downtown Plaza shopping centers.

This facility's significance extends far beyond being a major Sacramento cultural institution, however. It is regarded as one of the finest museums of its type in the state, and it is known as the oldest continually operating art museum located west of the Mississippi River, first established in 1885 by Margaret E. Crocker.

The Crocker's permanent collection is a mix between classic Californian and American art as well as European, African and Asian selections. Exhibits rotate periodically, and some of the most recent - as of November 2011 - include contemporary experimental sculptures by Clayton Bailey and classic Italian drawings and prints from the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries. If you need a break from admiring the art, you can grab a bite at the Crocker Cafe.

Visitor information and other details are available on the Crocker Museum's website. Also, you won't want to forget to take a glance at the two dozen other art and history museums in the Sacramento area.