Sacramento

Wooden boardwalks, horse-drawn carriages and saloons on the banks of the Sacramento River: in Old Sacramento, the Gold Rush never quite seems to be over. A trip to Sacramento combines California history with a young restaurant scene that calls itself "America's Farm-to-Fork Capital." For a city break on the way to wine country, Lake Tahoe or San Francisco, California's capital makes a relaxed stop.

Gold, Railroads and Politics

In 1839, Swiss emigrant Johann August Sutter founded a settlement here, Sutter's Fort. When gold was found at his sawmill in Coloma in 1848, tens of thousands poured into the valley, and Sacramento grew into the supply town for the gold seekers. In 1854 it became the capital of California, in 1860 the legendary Pony Express ended here, and in 1869 the first transcontinental railroad began from Sacramento. Today the city is the seat of government and the center of a fertile agricultural region.

Sights in Sacramento

The California State Capitol with its white dome stands in a park with trees from around the world, and tours are free. In Old Sacramento, the California State Railroad Museum tells the story of the railroads with restored locomotives, and the riverside walking path begins at the golden Tower Bridge. Sutter's Fort State Historic Park shows the reconstructed fort, and the Crocker Art Museum is one of the oldest art museums in the western U.S. The American River Parkway, a bike and hiking trail more than 30 miles (50 km) long, leads through riparian forest all the way to Folsom.

Neighborhoods and Food in Sacramento

Downtown around the Golden 1 Center, the arena of the Sacramento Kings, has been given new life. Midtown, with its Victorian houses, cafés and bars, is the creative heart of the city, and on the second Saturday of the month galleries open their doors for Second Saturday. East Sacramento with its mansions and the rose garden in McKinley Park, and Land Park with its zoo and the Fairytale Town amusement park, are green residential neighborhoods. Sacramento's restaurants benefit from the Central Valley, which supplies fruit, vegetables, rice and wine. In September the city celebrates the Farm-to-Fork Festival, and farmers markets take place almost daily. Craft beer and wines from nearby Lodi and Clarksburg round out the offerings.

Going Out and Culture

Sacramento is a surprisingly lively cultural city. Besides California painting, the Crocker Art Museum shows ceramics and drawings by old masters, and the Sacramento Theatre Company and the Broadway program at the SAFE Credit Union Performing Arts Center offer stages for every taste. In Midtown and in the former industrial district known as the R Street Corridor, breweries, cocktail bars and food halls have settled into old warehouses. In summer there are outdoor concerts, and on warm evenings locals gather on patios and along the banks of the American River.

Getting Around, When to Go and Day Trips

Sacramento International Airport is about 12 miles (20 km) north of Downtown. The SacRT light rail connects Downtown with the suburbs, and Amtrak trains reach the Bay Area in about two hours. The best times to visit are spring and fall; in summer it often gets hotter than 95°F (35°C). Day trips lead to Coloma, where gold was first found, to the Napa and Sonoma wine regions, to Lake Tahoe and to the gold rush towns of the Sierra Foothills.