My husband and I will be at a trade show at Travis AFB on July 23. We would like to spend a few days in the area before - flying into Sacramento on Saturday, July 20 and leaving after the trade show on the 23rd. What would you recommend for the three days we have available? We like to stay at B&B's and have already been to SF and Napa a few times. My mother may join us there also, so will need large B&B rooms or cheaper, smaller rooms. Any interesting restaurant ideas would be appreciated - also activities like river trips or tours. Thanks for your help - I've always found the information on got on these boards invaluable.

B & Bs in the down town area that are nice; Sterling on H Street (or is it G street?) Amber House Inn which is really nice too J and 22nd street.

The Embassy Suites near Old Sac opened yesterday so you could get that and have enough space for 3.

Lots of midtown and downtown eateries. Esquire Grill on K street mall, Summer outdoor dining at Il Fornaio on the Captiol mall is great beautiful patio. 4th street grill is good. '28' and also Harlow's in midtown.

You can take a river cruise on the McKinley River boat.

I'm sure you know it will be kinds hot then right?

Have you been to the Gold Country or Lake Tahoe? Umpteen great destinations convenient to Sacramento.

how about a jaunt to Placerville on the American River. it's a nice site regarding the Gold Rush.

I grew up in Sacratomato (haha) so I can give you a few tips.

A white water trip on the south fork of the American River can be enjoyed during spring and early summer, but by late July the snow melt has ceased and the white water is gone, so it's not much fun. However, for a leisurely float on the lower American River, try the raft rental place at the base of the Sunrise Bridge, American River Raft Rentals. Rent your raft(s) there, bring your rapid load water cannons for extra fun, and set off! It's a great way to beat the heat and you'll meet lots of other people doing the same. Half the fun is squirting other rafters with your cannons and getting into log jams on the narrow parts. The San Juan rapids are a tiny area of rapids that many people like to float down several times. Just paddle to shore after you go through, walk the raft back upstream a bit and float through them again! You'll know them when you see them, lots of people standing on the riverbanks watching the rafts go through. Float down to Goethe Park and disembark - the raft rental place offers a shuttle bus back to the Sunrise Bridge and will deflate the raft for you. Sign up for it when you reserve your raft, which by the way, you may want to do in advance by phone.

This place started out as a shack on the river when I was a kid, and I remember watching it grow over the years into a HUGE business. Our family and friends used them many times, it's great fun, they even have web site now:

http://www.raftrentals.com/

Other than that, I would recommend going to Lake Tahoe to escape the heat and enjoy some beautiful scenery. Lots to do there, naturally.

Sac is one HOT place during the summer, and any outdoor activities which don't center around the water will leave you drained, I promise you. Most people I knew there owned some sort of watercraft for just that reason. Plan to be indoors, in the water, or escape to the mountains. Have a great time.

Bev,

How about visiting the Railroad Museum in Old Sacramento? The last time I visited Sacramento, I found it to be quite interesting. http://www.csrmf.org/default.asp

Hi--

A few items for that weekend: There’s a free Pops in the Park concert--Mick Martin and the Blues Rockers--at McKinley Park in midtown July 20, 6 p.m.; The River Cats (Oakland As AAA baseball club) are in town that weekend at Raley Field; that weekend is the California Worldfest Music Festival in Grass Valley nearby; and Man of La Mancha is being performed at the Music Circus downtown.

Lunch, dinner, drinks, etc. at any one of a number of places in midtown, downtown or Old Sac. It may be 90-100 degrees during the day, but summer nights in Sacramento are worth it.

Thank you all for your replies. I didn't realize it would be so hot there and since we're from Phoenix we're looking for cool weather! Would it be hard to find reservations around Lake Tahoe or would we be better off to stay in Sacramento and drive over for the day? Can you recommend any activities or attractions around Lake Tahoe? Thanks again for your help.

Just returned from Phoenix and don't think Sacramento will be quite as hot as you have it at home. The Gold rush trail which is hwy 49 is lined with wineries and antique shops. A very nice place to stop is Murphys. There is a lovely B&B/small inn called Flume's End in Nevada City. Lots of Silicon Valley folks are building retirement/second homes in this area. Or certainly you could go up to Tahoe where it will be cooler and probably more congested,but the lake is beautiful. If you're in the area on a weekend, stop at the Teddy Bear Museum in Nevada City if you like bears.Grass Valley is also a popular town.

Bev: Sacramento will not (probably) be as hot as Phoenix, and Tahoe will not feel that much cooler. It would most likely be in the mid to high 80's at Tahoe and with the elevation and thin air it feels hotter. The foothills will only be a few degrees cooler than Sac.

It is hard to guess the temp - because we could be in the middle of 5 straight 100F+ days, or it could be the middle of a normal post-heatwave cool period.

What happens is it gets hotter and hotter and then the delta breeze breaks the inversion and it cools off 20F in one day. Fairfield is just as hot as Sac but gets the cooling breeze a day earlier.

So If it is hot in Sac it will be hot in the Gold Rush foothills and warm/hot at Tahoe (and hot in Napa for that matter). The only area you will pretty much be guaranteed cool weather is in San Francisco.

If I were you I'd either spend the time at one of the nice B&Bs in midtown Sacramento, OR spend the time at the north shore of Lake Tahoe. North shore is less crowded and you are more likely to find rooms.