17 Best Things To Do In Sacramento, California 2022

17 Best Things To Do In Sacramento, California 2022

Sacramento is the capital of California and a city rich in history, culture, and endless things to wow you!

The famous phrase from Sacramento is that “California starts here”, and after spending some time here, you will understand why. It is a city that has never forgotten its past and continues to remember the Gold Rush.

It’s one of the easiest cities to love, so let’s take a look at the best things to do in Sacramento.

Table of Contents

1. Visit the Old Sacramento Historic Historic Park

The Old Sacramento State Historic Park covered the entire business district from 1850 and became a National Historic Landmark in 1965.

The buildings were constructed during the onset of the Gold Rush, and there are many historic buildings, including the Eagle Theater.

Over the years, this region’s waterfront has seen both tragedies, including fires and floods, and successful rising streets. The region now attracts visitors from all over the world eager to explore these fantastic 8-hectare parks.

2. Step back in time at the California Railroad Museum

One of Sacramento’s most popular museums is the California State Railroad Museum. Each year, more than 500,000 people flock to this museum to go back in time and discover the railway history. The museum has six buildings spanning 225,000 square feet.

You will find many restored railroad cars and locomotives originally used statewide. Here, you’ll see how the railroad shaped California as well as its economy. One of the museum’s highlights is the railway post office, where visitors can board to experience the past.

3. Feel inspired at the Crocker Art Museum

This beautiful establishment was originally called EB Crocker Art Gallery. It has since changed its name and is the oldest working art museum in Western America. Many works of art in the museum, dating from the Gold Rush to today.

The museum opened in 1871 and houses one of the largest collections of international ceramics in the United States and many works from Asia, Africa, and Europe. There is a lot to see and experience here, and you will easily spend a whole day wandering around the beautiful rooms.

4. Meet the Animals at the Sacramento Zoo

The story of the Sacramento Zoo is fascinating as it shows how the zoo went from being a “little zoo in the park” to the large and impressive zoo that you will discover today.

In the beginning, the zoo was very small and housed around 40 animals from local parks.

Today the zoo has 400 animals from all over the world and focuses its energy on education, recreation and conservation. There is so much to see and experience here, and children, in particular, will enjoy meeting all of the animals.

5. See the abandoned fort of Sutter

Before the gold rush that changed the face of California forever, the community focused on Sutter’s Fort. Established by John Sutter in 1839, the fort was a hive of activity until James W. Marshall, an employee, originally discovered gold (about 45 miles east of the fort). Of the California Gold Rush, the fort was abandoned and derelict.

The fort has now been completely restored to its former glory and inscribed on the list of national historic monuments. The fort’s main building is the two-story adobe structure; it was in this same building that the first gold was discovered that started the gold rush.

6. See the old with the new at the California State Capitol Museum

Located in the heart of Sacramento, the California State Capitol Museum will allow you to experience the best of California history, as well as its working government buildings.

Depending on your preference, you can arrange a guided tour of the museum in a group or go for a walk alone.

The whole building is considered a museum, but it is the basement and the first floor to see the most interesting things.

7. Enjoy the California Automobile Museum

A group of volunteers founded the California Automobile Museum in 1982; the story of its creation is very interesting in itself. A group of volunteers attended a meeting. One of them pulled out a $100 bill and asked who matched it. Five more have come forward. This was the original fund for the foundation of the non-profit museum.

The museum’s first collection was to house the largest collection of fords globally, and over the years, the museum began to search for other makes of cars. Today you can enjoy a truly diverse and exciting collection of cars.

8. See a show at the B Street Theater

The new B Street Theater, still under construction, has been relocated. The B Street Theater has become an institution in Sacramento, and critics keep coming back for other great shows. The mission of the theatre is to promote both education and literacy. To do this, they create shows of the highest quality.

Theatre has been on the rise for nearly 30 years, and during that time, the travelling portion of the theatre has performed in front of approximately 3.6 million Californian students.

Sacramento News has awarded this venue “Best Live Theater” for the 14th consecutive year. Photo shows the new B Street Theater, which has yet to be built.

9. Admire the beauty of the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament

The Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament is the mother church of the Catholic faith in Sacramento. This means that the church serves almost a million Catholics and has 99 churches.

The cathedral was built in 1887 and is proud of all those years. Recent renovations have allowed the cathedral to continue serving its people while maintaining a spectacular appearance.

The cathedral has an interior dome which is a sight to behold and stands 34m high; another impressive feature is the crucifix of 13 feet which has a head of 14 feet above the head, the weight of the crucifix and the crown is almost a ton.

10. Watch the kings at the Train asleep Train

Whenever a city plays host to an NBA team, it’s always worth trying to catch a game. The Sleep Train Arena in Sacramento has been home to the Sacramento Kings since 1988. The Kings are the oldest franchise in the NBA, and while not the most successful, they have won the NBA title in the past.

Since 2013, the team became a new property with a technology entrepreneur in Silicon Valley who paid a record $ 535 million. Starting in fall 2016, the Sacramento Kings will no longer play at the Sleep Train Arena but the new Golden 1 Center in downtown Sacramento.

11. Learn about Indian life at the California State Indian Museum

In 1940, the California State Indian Museum opened its doors to the public to present three different themes. The themes reflect all that is important to Indian life.

Spirit, family and nature. The museum is full of photographs and artefacts showing Indian prosperity in California for thousands of years.

You will have the opportunity to see many traditional items donated by Native Indians and an exhibition dedicated to Ishi. Ishi is said to have been the last survivor of the Yahi tribe.

12. Spend a night at the Crest Theater

The Crest Theater opened over a hundred years ago in 1912 as the Empress Theater. Over the years, the theatre has had more than its share of drama on and off stage.

None more famous than in 1946, when a marquee fell from the building, a bystander was killed.

The theatre hosts regular events, live performances, and classic or speciality films. There’s even an annual called The Trash Film Orgy, which runs for six weeks each summer and features a cult cinema and local films.

13. Soak in stormy waters

The largest Sacramento water park is called Raging Water and has over 25 water rides, slides and pools. The park is right in the centre of Sacramento and has something to suit you, whatever your mood.

If you are exhausted from all that running and having fun after a while, you can stop by the friendly family restaurant for something to eat. Due to the extreme nature of some rides, there is a size and weight limit, just like in any theme park.

14. Feel inspired at the California Museum

You’ll find the California Museum in downtown Sacramento, home to the California Hall of Fame. As soon as you enter the building, you will feel inspired by looking at some of the amazing things that people in California have accomplished in the past.

The museum is also remembered to honour Native Americans and is a real place of learning. You can’t help but walk away feeling energized and refreshed by the great people they’ve learned about.

15. Take a trip to Tower Bridge

Tower Bridge, also called bridge over the Sacramento River, connects west of Sacramento in Yolo County, in Sacramento County to the east. The bridge itself was built in 1935, and when it opened, 100 carrier pigeons were sent across the state to pass the news on to the people.

Over the years, the bridge has been the subject of numerous renovations, but much of the original deck equipment still exists. Until 1960, the railway used the bridge, but it had become redundant to handle the increased traffic flow.

16. See the end of the pony express

The terminal in Sacramento was the endpoint of the Pony Express. It was also the building first used by the Supreme Court of California.

The building has been officially designated a National Historic Landmark and is home to the Wells Fargo History Museum.

You can learn a lot about the Gold Rush here, and there is a recreation of a 19th century Wells Fargo Express Company office and many artefacts from the period.

17. Stop at the Eagle Theater

Eagle Theater The Eagle Theater in Sacramento was the first permanent theatre California saw. It was built in 1849 from a wooden frame and a canvas-covered roof. At the opening, the crowd was made up of local gold miners enjoying a night out.

The theatre is haunted and featured on the Ghost Adventures TV show. While filming this show, the crew reportedly captured the image of a rocking chair swaying.

The theatre is now owned by the California Department of Recreation and Recreation and is listed on the California Register of Historic Landmarks.

Frequently Asked Questions: Best Things To Do In Sacramento

Is there anything cool to do in Sacramento?

Tourists who want to see the top attractions of Sacramento should stay in the city center, near the State Capitol or Old Sacramento. From here, other prime attractions are close by, including the California State Railway Museum, Governor’s Mansion State Historic Park, and Crocker Art Museum.

Is Sacramento worth visiting?

Sacramento holds great importance in California as the state’s capital, but it also holds some of the most unforgettable landscapes, historic sites and even some quirky details not found anywhere else.

How far is Sacramento to the ocean?

The closest beaches to Sacramento are 95 miles away in the San Francisco Bay Area. You can leave Sacramento and drive to the beach in less than 1.5-hours. Sacramento can get very hot during the summer, while on the coast the temperatures stay much cooler.

Is Sacramento a nice place to live?

Sacramento rose in U.S. News & World Report’s latest ranking of the nation’s best places to live, but still trails other California cities on the list. The 2019 ranking, released Tuesday, rates the nation’s 125 largest metropolitan areas based on affordability, job prospects and quality of life.

Was Sacramento always the capital of California?

The California Supreme Court issued an 1854 decision that San Jose was the legal state capital. From April 1854 to January 1855, the state courts and court archive were located in San Jose. A January 1855 court decision reversed the earlier decision and declared that Sacramento was the legal capital of California.

What is the culture like in Sacramento?

Sacramento’s diverse culture reflects its diverse demography – in 2002, Time Magazine named it the most diverse city in the country. There are strong ethnic subcultures of Sacramento, representing some of the larger ethnic groups in Sacramento, such as African Americans, Hispanics, Russians, and Hmong.