The best time to visit is generally between spring and fall. This is a great time of year weather-wise and is also when the city hosts some of its most prominent festivals and events.

Find the best things to see and do in this city with our list of the top attractions in Sacramento.



Sacramento River Fox Train

The Sacramento River Fox Train is a scenic train that operates year-round from Woodland (15 minutes from Sacramento). During the evening, Sunset Dinners & Murder Mysteries are offered. During the daytime, Great Train Robberies, Brunches & Lunches run. Most trips are 3+ hours long. A variety of seasonal special events are offered, including Valentines, New Years Eve, Pumpkin Trains, Christmas Trains & more.Beginning in 2012, the train began operating in both Woodland and West Sacramento. Leading up to this expansion, the train has undergone significant renovations, added new generators, added additional staff, etc.


California State Railroad Museum

With a floor area for exhibits of more than 200,000 square feet, the California State Railroad Museum is among the world's largest railway museums. Located in Old Sacramento, this museum is one of the premier attractions in the city.

It houses restored steam locomotives and railway coaches dating from 1862 to 1944. Almost all the wagons can be viewed inside. Some cars are furnished, complete with dining place settings, which show the level of comfort once offered on the trains. You can walk through a sleeper car as well.

Exhibits also focus on railroad history and other related topics. Families with children will appreciate the Kids' Corner educational programs and All Aboard for Story Time book readings.

During the summer months, the California State Railroad Museum operates trains along the Sacramento River. Riding aboard a historic steam locomotive or a vintage diesel train is sure to be one of the highlights of your visit.


State Capitol

One of the top places to visit in Sacramento is the State Capitol building. This structure is an excellent example of Neoclassical architecture and was built in the 1860s.

But the colorful gardens, extending over several blocks, with tall palms and numerous other species of trees and plants, make the building one of the most beautiful Capitol buildings in the United States. Several rooms are dedicated to the State Capitol Museum, with portraits and various other artworks, as well as antiques.

Since December 1988 a bronze group sculpture, the Vietnam War Memorial, has stood in the northeast part of Capitol Park (L and 15th Street); its construction was entirely funded by donations, and it commemorates those who sacrificed their lives in the longest war involving the USA.



Crocker Museum of Art

The Crocker Art Museum holds an impressive collection of California art from the Gold-Rush era until the present, as well as European paintings and drawings and American photography.

The original collection, which still forms the backbone of the museum, was donated by Margaret Crocker. This private collection was assembled by Judge Edwin B. Crocker from 1868 to 1872. The museum's main building is a grand Italianate Victorian-era mansion, a California Historical Landmark listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

In addition to the Victorian house, the Crocker Museum of Art displays some of its collection in the contemporary Teel Family Pavilion, which opened in 2010 and tripled the original museum's size.



For children (age five and under) the museum's Tot Land area is a delightful space devoted to playful activities and hands-on creative installations. The museum also offers Art Camp classes for children and painting classes for adults.

During summertime, the museum hosts music concerts and a film series; movies are shown in the outdoor courtyard.



Old Sacramento

Old Sacramento covers eight blocks (28 acres) of historic buildings along the city's waterfront, designated as a National Historic Landmark. Some of the Gold Rush-era structures are now part of the Old Sacramento State Historic Park, including the Eagle Theater built in 1849, the B. F. Hastings Building (circa 1853), and the Big Four Building dating to 1855.

Old Sacramento includes more than 50 historic buildings, mostly from the 1850s, which represent the city's original commercial district, an area that once thrived thanks to the commerce propelled by the Pony Express and the transcontinental railroad.



The buildings are still occupied by over 125 locally owned shops, restaurants, hotels, and museums, which makes the area appealing for tourists.

Fun things to do in Old Sacramento include taking a jaunt in a horse-drawn carriage, boarding a riverboat excursion, or a climbing aboard a vintage locomotive for a railroad ride

Originally, this area was seen as a great commercial center for the new city in the mid 19th century. However, floods proved to be a serious problem, and the city was raised by adding earth to this low lying area. Eventually the focus of the city center shifted, and this area had become an impoverished red light district. In the 1960s, the area underwent redevelopment, which led to the creation of what can be seen here today.



Sutter's Fort State Historic Park


Sutter's Fort Museum stands on what was once the site of the first outpost of the white man in California, set up by the German-Swiss immigrant Johann August Sutter in 1839. The adobe house built in the same year has been restored in the original style, and houses relics of the pioneering and gold-rush period.

Of note are items related to the town's founder, whose estates reached as far as the other side of the American River near Coloma. After gold was discovered, Sutter was literally overrun by gold-seekers, to such an extent that he was forced to flee.

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