Sacto goes Smithsonian

It may be not be often that one wishes one's city would behave more like Washington, D.C., but museums across the country being Smithsonianized (read: free entry!) for a day? Yes, please. On Saturday, September 26, Smithsonian magazine is hosting an event in which 1,300 museums across the country are providing free admission for two, which essentially means it's your civic duty to culturally enrich yourself.

Local options abound: Check out the Crossing Cultures: Belle Yang, A Story of Immigration exhibit the day before it closes at the California Museum (1020 O Street) and the Day of the Dead: Art of Día de los Muertos 2015 and Pigskin Peanuts exhibits. Pick a side in the decades-long Camaro vs. Mustang debate after checking out the exhibit at the California Auto Museum (2200 Front Street). Take flight at the Aerospace Museum of California (3200 Freedom Park Drive) or get in touch with the area's native roots at the State Indian Museum (2618 K Street) and the Maidu Museum & Historic Site (1970 Johnson Ranch Drive in Roseville).

For those looking to make a little daytrip and check out some more under-the-radar museums, hit up the lovely Haggin Museum (1201 N. Pershing Avenue in Stockton), the Community Memorial Museum of Sutter County (1333 Butte House Road in Yuba City), the oh-so-quaint Rio Vista Museum (16 North Front Street in Rio Vista) or the trifecta around Angels Camp: the Calaveras County Historical Society (30 Main Street in San Andreas), the Angels Camp Museum and Carriage House (753 S. Main Street in Angels Camp), and the Tuolomne County Museum (158 Bradford Street in Sonora). Tickets and more information can be found at www.smithsonianmag.com/museumday.