The Perfect Day Trip to Sacramento

One of my goals for this summer was to spend more time exploring my own backyard. I’ve been pleasantly surprised by all that Downtown and Midtown Sacramento have to offer these days. When I had the chance to play tour guide while showing two blogging friends around Sacramento for the day, I discovered more new things to do in Sacramento. Their day trip began with a train ride on the Capitol Corridor from the Bay Area to Sacramento. To avoid more transportation, we opted for a walking tour of central Sac and found plenty to keep us busy for several hours. If you’re looking for ideas for what to do in a day trip to Downtown & Midtown Sacramento, you can mix and match these suggestions.

 

Time: About five hours. Total walking = 2-3 miles (Walk east on Capitol and N, then west back to the train station on J).

Cost: Activities are free. $15-20 for drinks and $20-30 for lunch.

Parking: All day parking at the train station for $10 (don’t park in spaces #1-32–those are 2-hour spots). Downtown garages have $5 all day rates on the weekends.

Tips for kids: Old Sacramento, the California Railroad Museum, and the Crocker Art Museum are fun with kids. There are playgrounds in small parks throughout Midtown (like the one at 15th and P), and there are plenty of kid-friendly places to eat in Sacramento.

Besides outlining what we did that day, I’ve included additional ideas so that you can build the perfect day trip to Sacramento.

Sacramento’s Coffee Culture:

Sacramento is home to a surprising number of high-quality coffee roasters, and local residents take coffee culture pretty seriously. Temple Coffee Roasters is perhaps the best known — it’s home to light roasts and “award-winning, 90+ point farm-to-cup coffees, including the #1 Coffee of 2013 by CoffeeReview.com.”

But Insight Coffee, Old Soul, and Chocolate Fish are also worth trying, and with several downtown and midtown locations, you’ll run into at least one of them.

Architecture

Downtown Sacramento has a mix of old and new architecture. Being the capital of California, Sacramento has many state offices, most of which are found in modern buildings in the blocks surrounding the Capitol.

Historic architecture provides reminders of the city’s past. J Street has many of the city’s grand buildings from the early 20th century, like the Sacramento Memorial Auditorium and Elks Lodge. Old Sacramento is a must, if not for the tacky shops, at least for a view of its preserved Gold Rush architecture. And the Crocker Art Museum, one of my favorite museums in Northern California, is housed in two distinctly different buildings–one is a light-filled modern wing, and the other is the historic Crocker mansion, which is worth visiting just to see the 19th century interior.

The Leland Stanford Mansion (a state historic park) is one of the city’s grandest old buildings; you can walk around outside, but to get inside, you need to sign up for a tour.

 

Any trip to Sacramento should include a stop at the city’s best known structure, the Capitol, and the surrounding Capitol Park, which is a delight for plant enthusiasts. It has 450 varieties of trees and plants from around the world (each of which is marked its name and origin), a rose garden, and a succulent garden. 

Entry to the Capitol is free, but you’ll need to briefly go through security as you enter the building. Be sure to peek in all the rooms, including the second floor view of the Rotunda and Senate Chamber.

The Handle District

The Handle District is a four-block area of trendy restaurants and shops in Midtown. Try Aioli Bodega Española for Spanish tapas, Fieldwork for the best beer and Neapolitan style pizza, Zocalo for good Mexican food, and The Rind for cheese and wine.

Scout Living is my favorite place to browse in Midtown. The collective is owned by a couple who recently moved here from San Francisco and sells vintage items in beautiful condition, especially midcentury furniture. On a nearby block is Freestyle, a nicely curated second-hand clothing store.

 

Near the Handle District is Preservation & Co (you can stop here on the way to Hook & Ladder, which I recommend below for lunch or Happy Hour). This shop sells handcrafted specialty preserved goods, which are made in the back half of the shop (when we stopped in, they were in the middle of making balsamic beets).

Only locally grown, seasonal ingredients are used to make jams, pickles, Bloody Mary mix, and more. Stop by for samples–they make great gifts from Sac!

Where to eat:

Sacramento has almost endless options for good food. Try some local favorites: Majka Bakes, Good Neighbor, Magpie, Zocalo, Federalist, or one of these best places to eat lunch in Sacramento.

Hook & Ladder Manufacturing Co. is my current favorite for lunch because the food and cocktails are very good, the prices are reasonable, and the atmosphere is laid back. The interior is decorated with funky details–unique furniture, water fixtures that have been transformed into lights, and old board games.

Try their salads, housemade pastas, and delectable desserts. Happy Hour starts at 2:00 and includes seasonal cocktails and dishes, all of which are always good.

Local Craft Beer and Wine

Besides artisan cocktails and coffee, Sacramento is known for its craft beer. Try Fieldwork, Alaro, At Ease Brewing Company, or Kupros, all with Midtown Sacramento locations. 

And for wine, try the city’s urban wine tasting rooms: Seka Hills, Lucid, Betty Wine Bar, Acheson, and Revolution.

The more I explore my hometown, the more I find to love. While there is much more to do in Sacramento than what’s listed here, I prefer the idea of doing a slow walking tour of Midtown for a day trip.

What questions or suggestions do you have for a day trip to Downtown & Midtown Sacramento?