7 Reasons To Visit Sacramento

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An hour’s drive from San Francisco, you’ll find California’s capital city Sacramento. It may not get the attention of San Francisco and LA, but it’s still got it’s own individual charm and sights worth seeing. Here are seven reasons to visit Sacramento.

See the California State Capitol

This mighty building is the home of the Californian government and was built in 1874. It’s a great place for soaking up the history of Sacramento and California as a whole. There are regular tours seven days a week that can give you access to this building. Admission is free making it a great activity for those travelling on a budget.

Go shopping in Old Sacramento

The historic old Sacramento district is full of character and well worth a visit for it’s large number of quirky independent shops. There are also a number of old candy shops here making a great place to visit with the kids. This is also a great place to grab a bite to eat as there are many independent restaurants such as The Firehouse Restaurant.

Eat great food at the Farm-to-Fork festival

Sacramento is the largest agricultural producer in America, surrounded by hundreds of farms. It’s become a culinary hotspot for this reason too with many restaurants selling homemade meals. The best time to visit is September, when the city hosts its famous Farm-to-fork festival. This is a great chance to try the local food and drink the local beer and wine to the accompaniment of live music and other entertainment.

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Renowned as the US’s top railroad museum, this is a great place to learn about California’s railroad past. There are locomotives here that are well over a century old and various exhibits detailing America’s railroad past. You can also take a steam train ride from here along the Sacramento river for a bit of adventure.

Feel like a giant in Safetyville

If you’re travelling with kids, it could be worth taking a visit to Safetyville. This scaled down version of Sacramento has everything from a miniature Capitol building to miniature fast food restaurants. The attraction is aimed at children, but parents can still tag along. It’s also an educational attraction, teaching kids the importance of safety out on the streets with various information boards.

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 Climb the smallest mountain range in the world, Sutter Buttes

On the northern outskirts of Sacramento you’ll find this natural anomaly, Sutter Buttes, which is the smallest mountain range in the world. The small volcanic cluster is a popular hiking spot and offers great views of the surrounding landscape. It could be worth staying in a hotel in Williams such as Granzella’s Inn so that you can spend a whole day exploring the nearby landscape. Yuba City is nearby and is a quaint town also worth visiting.

See the abandoned snagboat Spirit of Sacramento

One of the more unusual off-the-beaten-track sights of Sacramento is the abandoned three-storey snagboat Spirit of Sacramento. The boat was once owned by John Wayne and featured in a Hollywood movie Blood Alley, but has since been left to rust by the riverside.

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