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TIME
Pacific Standard Time


STATE
California

REGION
Pacific States

Every year, come Labor Day weekend, the Old Sacramento historical district is transformed into a scene from the 1850s with dirt covered streets, horse and buggy carriages, Pony Express reenactments, Wild West shoot-outs and more.

That's when Sacramento’s Gold Rush Days Festival brings to life the excitement of the California gold discovery.

Cars are prohibited from entering the 28-acre area as visitors stroll the dirt streets and boardwalks. They encounter horse-drawn carriages rolling along cobblestone streets while “living history” characters stroll through town in period costume.

The event includes street dramas, period-musicians entertainment, dancers, a tent saloon, miner’s encampment, wagon rides, pony rides and interactive gold panning exhibits.

The highlight of the event, the Wells Fargo Ethnic Village, showcases the heritage of the many cultures of the Gold Rush Era and their impact on the region. A monument in Old Sacramento honors the legendary Pony Express riders.

There's no need to wait for Labor Day, of course. Old Sacramento, a 28-acre site on the banks of the Sacramento River, is a registered national landmark and state historic park. This was where would-be miners outfitted themselves for the gold fields and here, throughout the year, you can step back in time to the California Gold Rush era of wooden sidewalks, horse-drawn carriages, old-fashioned candy shops and Mississippi-style riverboats.

Old Sacramento is home to the largest interpretive railroad museum in North America – the California State Railroad Museum. Its meticulously restored locomotives and cars, and one-of-a kind exhibits tell the fascinating story of railroad history from 1850 to the present.

Housed in the reconstructed 1854 City Hall on the Waterfront in Old Sacramento, the Discovery Museum has five exhibit areas with historic artifacts, hands-on activity stations featuring science and technology and $1-million in gold specimens.

While it is a major part of Sacramento's history, Old Sacramento is only a small part of the picture of California's splendid capital.

Sacramento is home to over 32 theaters, galleries and museums. The Crocker Art Museum, a restored Victorian mansion, houses the oldest public art museum in the West. The structural beauty of the Crocker also contributes to the unique architectural diversity in Sacramento. Gold-rush era storefronts, Victorian mansions, and art deco theatres are sprinkled throughout the city.

The Victorian-style homes dominate the midtown district, an area known for its boutiques, restaurants and character-rich nightclubs.

Other major Sacramento attractions:

• California State Capitol Museum – This is both a beautiful historic building and the place where California's governing bodies do their work.

• California Museum for History, Women and the Arts – Vibrant stories of the people, places, politics and promise of California since statehood.

• Delta King Hotel – An historic riverboat returns to the Old Sacramento waterfront.

• Discovery Museum Learning Center – Planetarium and an exterior exhibit highlighting native California plants, and animal science programs.

• Sacramento Zoo – The 15-acre zoo is home to over 340 exotic animals. Across from the zoo is Fairytale Town, a six-acre children's theme park.

• Sutter's Fort – Sacramento's earliest settlement was founded by John Sutter in 1839. Tour this State Historic Park for a glimpse into Gold Rush life at the fort, including exhibit rooms of copper and blacksmith's shops, a bakery, prison, dining room and living quarters.

• Wells Fargo History Museum – Hundreds of items bring to life the commercial history of Sacramento and Wells Fargo's role in it since 1852.

In a city bound by two rivers, the American and the Sacramento, water recreation tops the list for outdoor activities: salmon and steelhead fishing, river rafting, skiing and boating. Nearby Folsom Lake and Lake Natoma offer sailing and windsurfing.

There are over 100 golf courses in the Sacramento area. More than 120 city parks encompassing over 2,000 acres provide outstanding natural and developed parklands.

There are approximately 10,000 hotel rooms in the Sacramento region, with more than 1,800 rooms within walking distance and 4,000 within a three-mile radius of the convention center.

In the foothills of Sacramento are the region's award-winning vineyards and wineries. In addition to wine tasting, this scenic region, with the Sierra Nevada Mountains as a backdrop, is ideal for hiking, biking and picnicking.

Midway between Sacramento and San Francisco are the Vacaville Premium Outlets where you'll find impressive savings at 120 stores.

An hour from Sacramento, off Interstate 80, stop at Six Flags Marine World in Vallejo, the only combination theme park, oceanarium and land animal park in the world.

SACREMENTO HOTELS


Photo Tom Myers, courtesy Sacramento Convention & Visitors Bureau.



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