roger_cook

I bet that if you asked Brits who were planning a trip to the USA, “Will you be visiting Sacramento?” you would be hard pressed to find one who was. It is not a city that is high on our list of destinations, which is a great pity as I can testify from our four days there this August. Even some Californians answering my Fodor request for advice about things to do there were dismissive, suggesting out of town attractions to fill out our time.

The trip was to celebrate my 70th birthday and we spent 4 days in town before boarding the California Zephyr to Chicago. Against all advice we dumped the rental car and explored on foot, a decision that proved to be absolutely right. Sacramento is a walkable city – even for a pair of geriatrics!

With temperatures touching 100 under cloudless skies we paced our days, taking the shady side of streets, calling in at some of the great variety of cafes and restaurants, visiting the Railroad Museum, Crocker Gallery, Old Town History Museum, getting a guided tour of the Capitol and a trip underground to understand how the city was jacked up to conquer flooding. We watched Tower Bridge being raised, experiencing similar excitement to that felt by tourists in London when our Tower Bridge is opened. Capitol Park is an oasis, landscaped and labelled, with a beautiful rose-garden dedicated to peace juxtaposed with a heart-rending memorial listing the many Californians who fought in Vietnam and did not return. Firemen also have a memorial there and we had lumps in our throats knowing that many new names would soon be added.

What we especially enjoyed was meeting locals, whether seeking directions on the riverside pathway, swapping stories with barmen, waiting staff, front desk people, tourist information helpers and anyone who heard our “not from around here” accents and were kind enough to initiate a conversation. People seem to have time in Sacramento.

I hope that this short piece will encourage those who might have not considered including the city in their itinerary to give it a try. You will not be disappointed. There are other attractions, particularly live theatre, music etc., that we did not have time for. So, as an ex-Governor of the State once famously said, “I will be back!”

MmePerdu

I moved less than a year ago to a smaller town just about an hour's drive from Sacramento and even though I've lived much of my life in N. CA I've never really explored our capital. Just visits for a purpose then home. I find your report very encouraging to make a casual all day tour of the places you mention with no particular goal in mind except maybe definitely the Crocker Museum. Roger, thank you.

tomfuller

Did you miss the Leyland Stanford Mansion? A couple years ago DW and I got a tour of the Governor's mansion. The last Governor who spent much time there was Ed Brown the current Governor's father.
Glad you got to see the California Railroad Museum and Old Town.
The Capitol grounds are nice too unless you encounter homeless people there.
You really don't need a rental car in downtown Sacramento. If you need a rental car outside of regular hours you can ride the YOLO bus out to the airport to get one.

MmePerdu

Pat Brown. Yes, Edmond, but called Pat.

Shanti

I'm glad that you enjoyed visiting and weren't bothered by the heat.

Too bad that you're not here now. The weather is gorgeous this time of year.

BarbAnn

Happy you enjoyed your visit to Sacramento. I've lived in the foothills (30 minutes up Hwy 50 toward Lake Tahoe) for 20 years. Another hidden museum gem is the California Automobile Museum on Front Street. It has many interesting cars, including a Deloreon and Jerry Brown's car that he drove when he was California's Governor in the 1970's.
http://www.calautomuseum.org/

janisj

Very nice reportr!

>>I bet that if you asked Brits who were planning a trip to the USA, “Will you be visiting Sacramento?” you would be hard pressed to find one who was. It is not a city that is high on our list of destinations,

Kal

And if any traveler is into bicycling and nature we have the lovely American River Parkway Bike Path.

MichelleY

Glad you enjoyed your time here. You should have let us know- we could have had a Fodorite GTG!

Great wine tasting down the river from Sacto. too!

roger_cook

Yes Kal & Michelle, the riverside is a treasure. We are not cyclists but we certainly enjoyed wine in Sac. - one out of two is not bad!

I forgot to mention the farmers' markets - fantastic peaches, strawberries etc. Talking to the stall holders was another way we learned about the riches of northern CA.

I guess it was a mixture of lazyness and wanting to keep this visit as unstructured as possible, to take advantage of serendipitous opportunities, that steered me away from a GTG. Maybe next time.

Shanti, I checked the Sac. weather yesterday - It would be great to be there. Cold nights but daytime temperatures 15C higher than here at the moment. Does the sun always shine there?

Surfergirl

Great report and I totally agree. I've been going once a year for the last 5 years (Sactown friends, this March will be the last of my State Bar trips! -- get together!)in March and there's always great stuff to do and see.

In summer, you can see a River Cats baseball game (thanks, Michelle!) which is GREAT evening entertainment! In March, there's the Beer Fest at Expo with free friendly bus service to and from the place (while I'm at a meeting, my husband loves to spend his time there).

One of my all time favorite places that Roger visited is the Railroad Museum. It may sound boring, but it is anything BUT boring!

Shanti

It's actually overcast today. It does get cloudy during our winter. But it's ridiculously sunny during the summer.

But I'll brave the clouds and go for a bike ride along the parkway.

Daniel_Williams

Bookmarking this great trip report in case I ever make it to Sacramento. You make a visit seem tempting. Did you enjoy the California Zephyr ride? I took that train 7 years ago and despite arriving 4-1/2 hours late in Emeryville, it was one of the most memorable train rides I'd ever taken.

roger_cook

Yes, the train was everything we expected. Fantastic scenery [we went east, all the way to Chicago], well appointed accomodation [we had a bedroom] and great company in the dining car [as you know the tables are in 4s, so we met some very interesting folks at meal times from all over the States}.

My wife insisted that I had the top bunk, which was fine until the second morning when I decided to ignore standard exit proceedures in favour of a more creative decent. I landed in an undignified heap on the floor, causing fits of giggles from my wife which lasted through Iowa and into Illinois!

I hope you make it to Sacramento. We stayed at the Residence Inn by Capitol Park - a little pricy but very convenient for walks to the Old Town, restaurants and main city attractions. There is a good and inexpensive light rail system close at hand if you want to visit Folsom, etc.