Best Things to Do in Sacramento

The parkway, also known as the Jedediah Smith Memorial Trail, is the city’s crown jewel, stretching 32 miles from Discovery Park near Old Sacramento to Folsom Lake. It’ll take you through shady eucalyptus groves, past picturesque bridges and through countless secluded spots to pull off and enjoy a picnic.

If you’d rather enjoy one spot on the river, or take a boat out on the water, you’ll find river access in several spots around the city. There’s a full list of them here, but some of the easier to reach are off Watt and How Aves., as well as at Discovery Park and Ancil Hoffman Park.

Chris Barnum-Dann’s California-centric spot in midtown is Sacramento’s best bet for foodies, with a tasting menu that rotates based on ingredients the chef is able to source. That’s a big part of what earned it a spot in the vaunted Michelin Guide in 2019.

New York chef Pat Mulvaney does more with fresh meats and vegetables here than he could have ever done in the Big Apple, creating weekly menus from stuff he sources from nearby farms. The hot spot is housed in an old firehouse, too, for a dose of history with your dinner.

The quality that comes from fresh ingredients extends to the world of pizza, too, as you’ll find at this bike-themed pizza shop in East Sac. The fresh-made tomato sauce and flavorful toppings make this not only the best pizza in Sacramento, but put it in a league with any pizza in America.

This classic downtown Chinese spot has been a favorite for legislative power lunches, special occasions and Friday night takeout since 1939. It’s still regarded as the best Chinese in the city, and the closest Sacramento has to a landmark restaurant.

Originally housed in a tiny house where one literally had to squeeze in to get a seat, Sacramento’s most famous hamburger has expanded to nine locations and an appearance on “Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives.” It’s best known for its “cheese skirt,” a layer of cheese that drips down over the bottom bun.

Old Sacramento is an odd mix of museums, candy shops, bars and chain restaurants, stuck somewhere between a historic site and tourist trap. Head over to the edge of the river and peruse the restaurants in the Front Street Depot. Or try an underground tour of the old city, then hop aboard the Delta King Hotel for a drink on an historic riverboat.

You don’t need to be a railway enthusiast to be captivated by the massive locomotives and historic rail cars at this Old Sac museum. You’ll learn the incredible story of the transcontinental railroad, plus see high-speed trains of the future and walk through a yard of retired cars.

Every tree native to California fills the landscape of Capitol Park just outside the Capitol Building. It’s just the beginning of the education, though, as inside you can learn about every county in the state, see the Assembly chamber, and take a picture in front of a massive portrait of Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Humpty Dumpty, Peter Rabbit, The Little Engine That Could and pretty much every other story you remember from childhood come to life in this massive children’s park. In addition to mock-ups of 39 different stories, there’s also an animal park with the three little pigs, Mary’s little lamb and others.

A great place to get grounded in Sac’s street art is to check out work by Brandon Alexander, Lily Mott, Raphael Delgado, Ana Valentine as well as curator David Sobon’s Wide Open Walls mural festival. The latter started in 2017 and imports international street artists to work alongside local talent, endowing Sacramento with fresh large-scale installations. The idea came to Sobon while walking his dog along the languorous city streets. Admiring the pockets of local art, he realized “we needed to paint big walls with big names in order for anybody outside of the area to notice.” 

Once housed in an historic Victorian home, this vastly expanded museum includes epic exhibits of early American art, as well as photography and Native American ceramics. It also boasts a pretty solid restaurant on the ground floor, if wandering the galleries works up an appetite.

The folks who brought petite sirah to the American masses have their largest vineyard just down I-5 in Clarksburg, where you can taste vintages you’ll never find in the supermarket while relaxing under shady trees in Bogle’s massive backyard.

Once a place that rolled up the streets after all the government workers went home, downtown Sacramento has turned into a legitimate destination with the opening of the Golden 1 Center. Hit Ella, Grange or Mayahuel for one of the best meals of your life.

As the name might imply, Midtown sits just next to downtown and is full of historic homes, small restaurants and breweries. Start the day at Temple Coffee Roasters, easily the city’s best coffee. Then get a different kind of buzz on at Fieldwork, Big Stump or Sacrament Brewing.

If you’re looking to stay downtown, nowhere will put you in a Sacramento state of mind like the Citizen. The striking architecture of this 1925 building is a throwback to the city’s past, with panoramic views from nearly every room, a cozy library lounge and the stunning Grange restaurant on the ground floor.

Also see:

Citizen Hotel

This rehabbed motel along once-struggling Del Paso Blvd. is an icon for the resurgence of up-and-coming Del Paso Heights. For under $100, you’ll find rooms with a sleek modern design set around a sprawling courtyard. Just across the street is King Cong Brewing, if you’re looking for a drink before dinner.

National acts that aren’t quite big enough to fill an arena often find themselves at the venerable Ace of Spades, a large-format live music club that’s open to all ages. With four bars and a regular rotation of known names, it’s widely considered Sacramento’s best spot for live music.

If you’re looking for a night of dinner, drinks and dancing to a live band, nowhere in Sacramento is better than Harlow’s. You won’t find huge names here, but you will find an atmosphere that’s always upbeat and exciting, and a one-stop shop for entertainment in California’s capital city.