Sacramento Travel Guide

William Land Park is a historic urban park in southern Sacramento, California, covering about 96 acres. Established in the late 19th century, it is one of the city's oldest parks, with tree-shaded lawns and ornamental lakes popular for picnics, jogging, and family gatherings. The park houses several attractions: Funderland amusement park, Fairytale Town children's playground, William Land Golf Course, and the Sacramento Zoo, making it an ideal family destination. Each spring it hosts the Sacramento Jazz Festival, drawing music lovers from across the region. The park also features a rose garden and a Japanese garden, with flowers blooming throughout the year, making it Sacramento's most popular comprehensive leisure park.

The California Automobile Museum in Sacramento (formerly the Towe Auto Museum) holds more than 150 vehicles from the 1900s to today — classics, muscle cars, racers and Hollywood film cars. Exhibits are arranged by era and theme, with rotating special shows and drive events; it is a fun stop for anyone interested in automotive culture and history.

Leland Stanford Mansion State Historic Park stands in downtown Sacramento as the residence of railroad magnate, governor and senator Leland Stanford, built in 1856. This Victorian mansion was a key political and business stage in 1860s California and the home of Stanford University's founders; its interiors and murals survive in fine condition.

The Crocker Art Museum, located in downtown Sacramento, is the oldest continuously operating art museum in the American West. Founded in 1885 by Judge Edwin B. Crocker, the museum initially displayed the Crocker family collection of early California paintings and European master works. In 2010, the museum completed a major expansion designed by renowned architect Charles Gwathmey, with a modern wing connecting to the historic building and greatly expanding exhibition space. The collection includes over 15,000 artworks ranging from 15th century European masters to contemporary California artists. California art is the museum strength, particularly 19th century California landscape paintings and early California artists documenting the state cultural evolution. The museum is also known for excellent drawings and prints collections and hosts major temporary exhibitions.

The American River Bicycle Trail is the Sacramento region's most popular multi-use recreational greenway, winding about 51km along the American River from downtown Discovery Park to Folsom Lake Dam. The trail is paved asphalt, closed to motor vehicles, and open only to cyclists, pedestrians, and skaters, one of the West Coast's most renowned long-distance cycling trails. It passes Old Sacramento, Discovery Park riverside wetlands, and Folsom Lake shore forest, with riverside wildlife, historic Gold Rush sites, and California agricultural landscapes along the way. The greenway connects multiple parks and picnic areas, a popular route for family weekend rides and long-distance training, rated by Bicycling Magazine as one of America's best urban bike trails.

The California Delta is a vast maze of waterways formed by the confluence of the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers in California's Central Valley, hailed as California's hidden aquatic playground. This delta region comprises over 1,100 kilometers of navigable waterways and was historically the largest freshwater marsh in California. Today it serves as a premier destination for boating, fishing, birdwatching, and water recreation. The unique geography nurtures a rich ecosystem that is home to over 200 bird species and 50 fish species, including the endemic Delta smelt and green sturgeon. Historic riverfront towns dot the shoreline, including Locke, Walnut Grove, and Rio Vista, preserving the 19th-century Gold Rush river shipping heritage. Visitors can rent boats to cruise the waterways, dine at floating restaurants serving fresh seafood, or sample wines at waterside wineries that reflect the delta's unique terroir. This aquatic wonderland overlooked by many Californians awaits the intrepid explorer.