The grandest building in Sacramento, completed in 1874 in Italian Renaissance style with a distinctive copper-clad dome visible from much of downtown. It is fully open to visitors, which makes it more accessible than most state capitals — you can walk the floors of both legislative chambers, visit the restored Victorian-era committee rooms, and wander the rotunda without booking in advance (security screening required).
Capitol Park surrounds it: 40 acres of trees and memorials, including groves collected from all 50 states and several foreign nations, a rose garden, and a World War I memorial. The park is at its most spectacular in spring when the camellias bloom along the eastern side — Sacramento calls itself the Camellia Capital of the World, and the Capitol grounds make the case well.