There are lots of things that can be categorized as top-rated attractions & things to do in Sacramento. This place is situated about 93 miles away from San Francisco and in the central valley of California. This city lies near the confluence of the Sacramento and American rivers. This region has clear weather throughout the year and also it has a dry and hot temperature during the summer time.
Why visit Sacramento?
Anyone can see the city’s history near the waterfront of old Sacramento. This city has a history since the 1800 California gold rush. From that period there are several buildings still stand in this place and it is a great view for visitors. But nowadays modern establishments occupy these old buildings such as museums. So there are lots of attractions & things to do in Sacramento.
What is so special in Sacramento?
In Sacramento, there are lots of attractions and fun things to do more than the historical value it has now more than ever because of the government involvement in this topic. From shopping, places to bike riding paths several miles long and it offers the visitors several things to enjoy the good weather.
Spring and fall is the best time to visit this place because the weather is good to visit and there are several festivals in this city during that time period.
These are the top-rated attractions & things to do in Sacramento.
1. California State Railroad Museum
California railway museum is one of the world’s largest museums with 200,000 Square feet of space that is located near the old Sacramento city and it is one of the top tourist-attracted places in this city.
In this place, most of the wagons can be viewed by visitors and displayed several coaches and locomotives starting from 1862 – 1944. Some of the items displayed in this place have been furnished and it has been prepared like it was in that period to show how comfortable are these trains during that day. Also in addition to that the visitors can walk through the sleeper cars as well.
This museum mainly focuses on the history of the railroads of the world. Also, it displays how the transcontinental railroad has been built and the role the immigrants played in this task and most of all it shows the visitors how the railroad development has influenced the development of California.
Also, the families who visit this place with kids always appreciate the story time book readings and educational programs called the kid’s corner and more importantly the junior engineer program for kids aged 7-12 years.
Normally in the summertime, the museum organizes an event to operate trains along the Sacramento river. Also among other things riding a steam locomotive aboard or vintage diesel train is the most highlighted event of any visitor.
According to the above details, this place is one of the top-rated attractions & things to do in Sacramento. Second Street and I Street, Sacramento, California is the address of this place in case you are planning to visit this place in the future.
The official website of this place is: http://www.csrmf.org/
2. State Capitol
This is one of the best places you can visit when you are visiting the Sacramento area this building has been built in 1860 with an architectural finish of a Neoclassical architectural finish. It was renovated in the 1960s to its modern state and in the process, they preserved some of the historic rooms.
In the present day, the state capital building is the centre of the state government and it also holds the state capital museum of California. This place is open to the public during the week. The preserv3ed rooms of this building include the 1906 treasurer’s office and the governor’s office. Other historic attractions include portraits and various other artworks, as well as antiques.
The capital building is an eye-catching attractive place for tourists and the nearby colourful gardens and the capital park makes the building more attractive than other government building in the USA. Also, the palm trees and other numerous trees and monuments around this place make this place more attractive.
In 1988 December the Vietnam war memorial and bronze group sculpture has built in this capital park and since then they stood up in this place. It was built entirely based on donations to memories of those who sacrificed their lives during the longest war in US history.
According to the above details, this place is one of the top-rated attractions & things to do in Sacramento. 1315 10th Street, Sacramento, California is the address of this place in case you are planning to visit this place in the future.
The official website of this place is: capitolmuseum.ca.gov
3. Crocker Museum of Art
This museum holds a vast collection of art with its collection from the gold rush era of California, European drawings and paintings and US photography.
The original collection was given to the museum that acts as the backbone of this museum by Margaret Crocker. From 1868 – 1872 this private collection of arts was assembled by Judge E B Crocker. The main building of this museum is the mansion that belongs to the Victorian era and also a California historic landmark displayed on the historic places with the national register.
Apart from the mansion belonging to the Victorian era, the museum displays some of its collections in the contemporary Teel Family Pavilion opened in 2010 and made the size of the museum 3 times its original state.
This art collection includes art from the 1860s and European artworks including 17th-century Dutch and Flemish arts, 19th-century central European ones and Italian baroque paintings. Also, the photography collection of this museum has the most popular photographs from Ansel Adams and Dorothea Lange among other US photographers.
The children under the age of five can enjoy the Tot Land area with lots of items to play with and lots of activities to do. Also in addition to that the museum offers art camp classes for children and painting classes for adults.
Also other than the things on display, the museum hosts music festivals and film series in the summertime in the courtyard.
According to the above details, this place is one of the top-rated attractions & things to do in Sacramento. 216 O Street (Between 2nd and 3rd Streets), Sacramento, California is the address of this place in case you are planning to visit this place in the future.
The official website of this place is: http://www.crockerartmuseum.org/
4. Old Sacramento
The old Sacramento is spread around 8 blocks along the waterfront area which is designated as National Historic Landmark. Among the buildings in the Old Sacramento Historic Park, there are several buildings belonging to the gold rush era. Such buildings are the Eagle theatre building built in 1849, the Big Four Building built in 1855 and the B. F Hastings building.
The Old Sacramento has about 50 old buildings built in the 1950s that represent the original commercial districts that once thrived because of the Pony express and the transcontinental railroad.
Also, the buildings are still occupied by shoppers, restaurants, hotels and museums which is a good thing for tourists. The streets of this place are getting crowded and also there are lots of shops around this place and it is a good place to walk around while watching the historical items.
There are several fun things a visitor can do in this place, some of those things are riverboat excursions, railroad rides and climbing aboard a vintage locomotive. California State Railroad Museum and Sacramento History Museum are in the same place and both offer their visitors quality service.
This area was a great commercial centre in the 19th century. But flooding was a problem in this area and because of that, the city had to be raised from its original level. Then eventually the focus on the city centre shifted and because of that, it became a red-light district. This area had undergone a redevelopment process in the 1960 and became the way we can see it in the present.
According to the above details, this place is one of the top-rated attractions & things to do in Sacramento.
The official website of this place is: http://oldsacramento.com/
5. Sutter’s Fort State Historic Park
This fort was built by John August Sutter who was a German–Swiss immigrant in 1839 and it was named the first white man outpost in California. Adobe house has been restored in the original style which was built in the same year and it holds relics belonging to the gold rush period.
In the present day, a replica of the adobe fort surrounding sits in the Midtown area which is 1.5 miles away from the state capital. The visitor has to pay a small fee to visit this place and tour it. Also while the visitors tour the place there are rangers in each place to explain each displayed item.
The town’s owner had landed up on the other side of the American river but when the gold was found in this land the gold seekers flooded this place and the Sutter was overrun by them and eventually, he had to flee from this place.
According to the above details, this place is one of the top-rated attractions & things to do in Sacramento. 2701 L Street (Between K and L Streets and 26th and 28th Streets), Sacramento, California is the address of this place in case you are planning to visit this place in the future.
The official website of this place is: http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=485
6. California Automobile Museum
This museum displaces about 120 items from 1885 to the present day. Also among those ones, this museum has a large collection of Ford cars with it from the years 1904 to 1969. The collection of vehicles in this museum shows its visitors how the automobile sector of the USA changed in the past 130 years.
Also throughout the year, special exhibits are presented in this museum theming as pickup trucks, California car culture, road trips and camping vehicles. Also, the visitors can participate in the live events organized by the museum, which included drive-in movie nights. In addition to that the museum offers a special event called the drive-in Sunday on the 3rd Sunday of each month.
According to the above details, this place is one of the top-rated attractions & things to do in Sacramento. 2200 Front Street (at the corner of V Street), Sacramento, California is the address of this place in case you are planning to visit this place in the future.
The official website of this place is: http://www.calautomuseum.org/
7. Fairytale Town
This is a popular destination with families that have young kids. This Fairytale town is built using famous fairy tales in children’s books. This place has 25 sets of fairy tale themes such as Humpty Dumpty, Mother Goose, Peter Rabbit and Cinderella.
This theme park has gentle farm animals that the children like. Also in addition to that Miniature Sicilian donkey and Maddie, the cow is among the favourites of the children.
Other than those this Fairytale Town has lots of entertainment events for the younger ones such as puppet shows, learning gardens, collection of 20 magic boxes each of that has stories to tell through songs and music performances.
According to the above details, this place is one of the top-rated attractions & things to do in Sacramento. 3901 Land Park Drive, Sacramento, California is the address of this place in case you are planning to visit this place in the future.
The official website of this place is: http://www.fairytaletown.org/
8. Sacramento Zoo
This zoo is a wonderful place for animal lovers because it has about 500 species of exotic animals and 200 reptiles on its display. Other than that the visitors love to watch snow leopards, pandas and chimpanzees.
This zoo has about 14 acres of land with it and also it has 14 different aviaries for 35 bird species. Most of the animals in this zoo are belongs to the endangered ones and because of that in order to support the animals this zoo is involved in some conservation projects both locally and internationally.
Other than this zoo in this area there is a place called William Land Park known as the Land Park among the visitors and it is a fairytale land. Visitors love to watch the ponds, gardens and beautiful landscapes in this Land Park area.
According to the above details, this place is one of the top-rated attractions & things to do in Sacramento. 3930 West Land Park Drive, Sacramento, California is the address of this place in case you are planning to visit this place in the future.
The official website of this place is: http://www.saczoo.org/
9. California State Indian Museum State Historic Park
In order to understand the history of California, it is better to understand the native Americans first. This museum gives the visitors a good understanding of the lively hood and culture of the native people who lived in this place for thousands of years before.
This museum shows the visitors about the native people in three different topics, those are nature, family and spirit. In this museum the items displayed have different uses, such sues are ceremonial objects, everyday used items, hunting and fishing tools and a redwood canoe some of the items displayed date back 2400 years. Also in addition to that photographs and art provide you with a deeper understanding of the native people.
The special Indian basket collection has a major impact on visitors. These baskets are used for several tasks like soup making, steaming, cooking and carrying heavy loads. There are more than 3000 items in this collection.
Also other than those things you can participate in the other events in this museum that teach you how to make shell beds and create items using mortar.
Also in the museum store, there are baskets, jewellery and other decorative items you can buy for yourself which are made by the native people.
According to the above details, this place is one of the top-rated attractions & things to do in Sacramento. 2618 K Street, Sacramento, California is the address of this place in case you are planning to visit this place in the future.
The official website of this place is: http://www.parks.ca.gov/indianmuseum
10. Midtown
This midtown area is a vibrant and bustling place that resides between 16th and 29th streets. The most attractive place among tourists is Sutter’s Fort State Historic Park located within the Midtown area.
Other than that the Midtown area is a place for shopping, dining at trendy restaurants, art gallery shopping theatre and dance performances. Also in addition to that, this is a fun area to walk and enjoy not only during the day time but also in the night time.
Also every second Saturday of the month, many of the art galleries offer free receptions to their visitors from 6-9 pm.
The local people are always going to this Midtown Farmers Market because it is famous among them. It brings 50 local farmers together to sell vegetables, fruit and other food products. This market offers chef demonstrations each month and craft vendor stalls on the second Saturday.
According to the above details, this place is one of the top-rated attractions & things to do in Sacramento.
The official website of this place is: http://exploremidtown.org
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Sacramento best known for?
This place is famous for its locally produced food products. There are several farmers’ markets all around the area filled with local finds. Also the food products the farmers produce in this place ship all over the country.
Why is Sacramento a tourist destination?
There are lots of tourists attracted places and historic places in this place like Old Sacramento. Other than the places to visit this place has lots of dining and shopping options for visitors.
What is the best month to visit Sacramento?
Normally the best viewing months are November to December. But from September to November end the hotel rooms are cheaper than other times, especially in the capital area.
Is it safe to walk around downtown Sacramento?
Normally the downtown area is safer than the Midtown area. But certain street areas have some reported crimes, especially in the nighttime. But in the Midtown area, the crime rate is higher than the other places. So it is better to visit this place during the day time.