Sacramento Attractions - What to do and Where to Eat

Don't worry you wouldn't know what to do in Sacramento. This California state capital has a lot to offer to travelers and locals alike. Although it is not as upbeat as other popular cities in the U.S. like San Francisco, New Orleans or New York, Sacramento surely has its own unique charm. Quite peaceful and not too crowded, it is a seemingly mundane town that is actually not mundane at all. Once you arrive in Sacramento, you might find yourself having a little trouble deciding what to do and see first, as there are so many exciting activities to participate in, a lot of fantastic sites to visit and a great variety of superb restaurants to dine at. Take a virtual trip with me in this article and hopefully when you finish it, you will come up with an awesome travel plan.

American River Parkway

The American River Parkway offers 23 miles of picturesque trails from Old Sacramento to Folsom Lake. It is a wonderful place for biking, hiking, pinicking and bird watching.

Concert in the Park

Cesar Chavez Plaza, 9^th and J treet

For those of you who love to pamper yourselves with great music, you can join Sacramento's Concert in the Park for free at the Cesar Chavez Plaza every Friday night, from 5 p.m. - 9 p.m. The performers are famous local bands, some of which are known nationwide. Concerts in the Park are held every summer from May through August.

Effie Yeaw Nature Center

2850 San Lorenzo Way

This award-winning environmental and cultural center is a great place to have a nice peaceful stroll. Effie Yeaw Nature Center provides self-guiding trails through a 77-acre nature area where you can visit a replica of a Maidu Indian summer village and have close-up looks of the American River Parkway's wildlife including deer, coyotes, wild turkeys and various kinds of migratory songbirds.

Gold Rush Whitewater Rafting

6260 Highway 49

Gold Rush Whitewater offers a great variety of river trips for the best price! Moreover, they have an in-house chef who specializes in French cuisine and will be happy to cook special request meals for specific parties or tweak the dinner options to suit your personal taste.

Granite Bay Golf Club

9600 Golf Club Drive, Granite Bay

The club welcomes both members and visitors who seek for a great round of golf and a luxurious clubhouse. Located far away from the chaos of the city, Granite Bay Golf Club is nestled among mature oaks and beautiful lakes. Whether you want to come here for relaxing or socializing, you will surely have a fabulous time.

Raging Waters at Cal Expo

1600 Exposition Blvd.

In the heat of the summer, what could be better than plunging into a crystal clear pool and making some big splashes? Raging Waters Park provides a number of pools and thrilling slides such as Cliffhanger Speed Slides, Cannonball Falls, Hurricane, Breaker Beach Wave Pool and the Shark Attack Waterslide, ultimately enjoyable for both adults and kids.

Sacramento River Train

E Street, Woodland

On these one-century-old Sacramento River Trains, you can have a pleasurable ride along the countryside, eat an exquisite meal as well as enjoy live music and exciting shows such as Murder Mysteries and Great Train Robberies.

Old Sacramento

You don't need a time machine in order to travel back to the Gold Rush period. Just visit Old Sacramento. Here you can stroll, have a great meal, visit several museums, shop for unique gifts, hop on a steam locomotive or enjoy a ride on a horse-drawn carriage. It was Sacramento's orginal Gold Rush settlement whose beautiful architecture has been preserved exactly the same way it was over a hundred years ago. Located downtown between Interstate 5 and Sacramento River, Old Sacramento is not only a historical site, but also the center of entertainment.

Cathedral of Blessed Sacrament

1017 11^th Street

This splendid cathedral was constructed in 1889 and recently remodeled. Standing solemn and elegant at the center of the city, it has been the headquarters of the Roman Catholic Diocese in Sacramento for over a hundred years.

Sutter's Fort State Historic Park

2701 L Street

The fort was built by John Sutter, a Swiss-German immigrant. Trying to make his fortune in America, Sutter had had a series of adventures in Missouri, Hawaii and Alaska, but he finally decided to settle in Sacramento, California, in 1839. Here he built this lofty fort in which he grew several crops and had a large herd of cattle. The Sutter's Fort nowadays has been reconstructed and daily open to the public. Inside you will find old farming equipment and performers in the Gold-Rush-period costumes that reflect the fort's original appearance.

Sacramento Historic City Cemetery

10th Street and Broadway

A cemetery may sound like a spooky place, but this one actually has a beautiful, serene and soothing atmosphere. Established in 1849, it is the resting place of thousands of early settlers. Lines of monuments and intricate headstones artistically depict the Victorian funeral customs. In the cemetery's gardens, you will find shrubs of colorful flowers flourishing everywhere.

Original Victorian Houses

Midtown and Downtown Sacramento

If you admire Victorian architecture, there is a large number of Victorian buildings in midtown and downtown Sacramento for you to see. Just stroll down there one day and you will find charming old houses on almost every block.

Sacramento Zoo

3930 Land Park Drive

At Sacramento Zoo, there are over 400 animals, nurtured in the nice 15-acre William Land Park. The most interesting thing about this zoo is it has natural breeding programs that create native habitats for various threatened animals such as the African Bongo antelopes.

Scandia Family Fun Center

5070 Hillsdale Blvd.

Scandia Family Fun Center features the most beautiful miniature golf courses in Sacramento. The awesome golf courses are situated among lavish gardens, fountains, ponds and interesting obstacles, such as a giant windmill and replicas of world-famous buildings. But that is not all! Here you and your kids can also play together in the bumper boats, batting cages, raceway and high impact thrill ride, called the Scandia Screamer.

Fairytale Town

3901 Land Park Drive

A fantastic 3-acre park that merges fantasy with reality. At Fairytale Town, you will find King Arthur's Castle, several dream gardens and an enchanting menagerie of animals from famous fairy tales. Your kids can aslo act out their favorite stories by joining Robin Hood's band of Merry Men, climbing up and down Jack's Beanstalk and riding in Cinderella's pumpkin carriage.

• Aerospace Musuem of Caliornia: 3200 Freedom Park Drive
• California Museum for History, Women and the Arts: 1020 O Street
• California State Capitol Museum: Capitol Building, 10^th and L Street
• California State Indian Museum: 2618 K Street
• California State Railroad Museum: 2^nd and I Street, Old Sacramento
• Crocker Art Museum: 216 O Street
• Discovery Museum Gold Rush History Center: 101 I Street, Old Sacramento
• Folsom History Museum: 823 Sutter Street
• Governor's Mansion State Historic Park: 1526 H Street
• Leland Stanford Mansion State Historic Park: 8^th and N Street
• Old Sacramento School House Museum: 1200 Front Street, Old Sacramento
• Sutter's Fort State Historic Park: 2701 L Street
• Towe Auto Museum: 2200 Front Street

These are only some of the best Sacramento restaurants I would like to recommend. When you come to Sacramento, you will find that there is actually a lot more!

Lucca

1615 J Street

Guess which celebrity loves to visit this superb restaurant? The answer is the Governator, Arnold Schwazenegger. Located in downtown Sacramento, Lucca serves delicious Mediterranean and seafood dishes. Although it is frequented by the governor, don't mistake it for an extremely expensive place to eat. The prices at Lucca are actually affordable.

The Melting Pot

814 15^thStreet

A perfect place to have dinner in a casual and cozy atmosphere. The Melting Pot offers yummy cheese fondues, gourmet salads, a great selection of meat, seafood and vegetables, and excellent wines from an award-winning wine list. Plus, you can finish your meal with an irresistable chocolate fondue.

Mikuni Japanese Sushi Restaurant and Sushi Bar

1530 J Street

There is no better place in Sacramento for sushi lovers to satisfy their taste buds than Mikuni. The restaurant has over 300 kinds of signature sushi rolls for you to choose from. I have not tried them all yet, but I will eventually. My favorite sushi rolls so far are the Shrimp Zigzag and the Spider Roll.

Paragary's Bar and Oven

1401 28^thStreet

Established in 1983, Paragary's is famous for their pasta, grilled meat and signature pizzas specially baked in their wood-burning oven. Aside from their splendid foods, Paragary's also provides a memorable outdoor dining experience among olive trees, waterfalls and a romantic stone fireplace.

Ruth's Chris Steak House

501 Pavilions Lane

Strange name for a restaurant, isn't it? To make a long story short, Ruth Fertel bought an old steak house in New Orleans from Chris Matulich in 1965. That's why it is called Ruth's Chris Steak House! It is pretty hard to find an authentic New-Orleans-style steak house in Sacramento, so Ruth's Chris is very popular around here.

Scott's Seafood

545 Munroe Street

The restaurant is well known for their grilled dishes and the fact that they serve extremely fresh seafood, daily delivered from around the world. I have never been to Scott's Seafood but I know it has got to be a great place to eat because it has been voted Sacramento's best seafood restaurant for the past 14 years!

Thai Basil

2431 J Street

My favorite Thai restaurant in Sacramento! Their food is very authentic and tasty. The restaurant is almost always packed during lunch hours and early in the evening. This year it has been voted No. 1 best Thai restaurant by Sacramento Magazine's Reader's Choice Award.

Three Monkeys

723 K Street

Three Monkeys is a new restaurant that has quickly become popular among downtown Sacramento frequenters. The restaurant offers an interesting variety of foods from hamburgers to pasta to sushi! My favorite is a simple dish called Crispy Chicken Asparagus.

• Amber House Bed and Breakfast: 1315 22^nd St.
• Best Western Sandman Hotel: 236 Jibboom St.
• Best Western Sutter House: 1100 H St.
• Clarion Hotel Mansion Inn: 700 16^th St.
• Courtyard by Marriot: 4422 Y. St.
• Days Inn: 228 Jibboom St.
• Delta King Hotel: 1000 Front St.
• Econo Lodge: 711 16^th St.
• Embassy Suites Hotel: 100 Capitol Mall
• Four Points by Sheraton: 4900 Duckhorn Dr.
• Governors Inn: 210 Richards Blvd.
• Hawthorn Suites: 321 Bercut Dr.
• Holiday Inn Capitol Plaza: 300 J St.
• Holiday Inn Express Downtown: 728 16^th St.
• Hyatt Regency Sacramento: 1209 L St.
• Inn Off Capitol Park: 1530 N. St.
• Ramada Limited Discovery Park: 350 Biscut Dr.
• Sheraton Grand Sacramento: 1230 J St.