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What you'll see here is not someone's In their day, these buildings have seen the likes of such infamous historical personages as Leland Stanford, Mark Twain, and Sam Brannan. People as diverse as Lotta Crabtree, E. B. Crocker, and survivors of the Donner Party crossed the cobbled streets and strolled the wood-plank walkways in days gone by. There are 53 historic buildings in this 28 |
To visit Old Sacramento is to take a step back in time! Visit during Gold Rush Days over Labor Day weekend, and you may actually believe you've stepped off a paddlewheel boat newly arrived from San Francisco in 1849!
For more pictures of Old Sacramento's Gold Rush Days, visit our Facebook album.
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The original merchants of Sacramento operated out of canvas tents set up right on the mudflat shores of the Sacramento River.
But the Sacramento was a
typical river - it had a tendency to overflow its banks during the heavy winter rains.
Even after the tents were replaced with more solid structures built of wood, brick, and masonry, the shopkeepers and home owners found themselves inundated for months at a time, and cleaning up after the floodwaters.
The leaders-of-the-day finally wised up. They didn't want to move
inland from the banks of the river because of the ease of access to the riverboats, so someone came up with the idea of raising the streets and buildings so they would be above flood level. And, so it began...
They brought in thousands of cubic yards of dirt and buried the first floor of their stores and homes! What had been the second floor was now the first. What had been the first floor was now the basement and foundation!
Today you can take a guided tour of the underground areas of Old Sacramento that were hidden beneath the city for nearly 150 years, and uncover the tales and legends of Sacramento City in its heyday!
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- Stay on a Riverboat
The Delta King is an authentic Paddle-wheeled riverboat which operated between San Francisco and Sacramento in the 1920s and 1930s.
Today, it's been
renovated and serves as a hotel, restaurant, and bar for those with a hankering for history.My husband and I stayed on the Delta King recently and it was an excellent experience! The rooms are small (as you would expect), but completely renovated and very clean.
They even have WiFi, so I was able to work on my website while
Hubby Wolf was attending meetings. The staff were cheery and helpful, and the food, prepared by their restaurant, was wonderful! We can highly recommend the Delta King for a unique sort of lodging! - Take a Guided Tour
See Old Sacramento through the eyes of an historical character
thanks to the Living History Program. As mentioned above, tour Old Sac's underground. Take the Architectural History tour, or a Ghost Tour where you'll meet victims of the Great Flood of 1950; book an Hysterical History Tour; or pick up a self-guided walking tour at the Visitors' Center and explore Old Sac's history on your own. - Go 1840s
Take a ride in a horse-drawn buggy, ride a steam-powered excursion train, or dress up in 1840s garb and have an old-fashioned picture taken.
- Shop, Eat, Be Entertained
There are over 100 unique shops, eateries, and attractions in Old Sacramento and no two are the same!
Visit Old City Kites, Crystal Moon Gifts, Evangeline's Costume
Mansion, or Stage Nine Entertainment Store.Eat at The Firehouse Restaurant, California Fats, or the Pilothouse Restaurant aboard the Delta King.
Check out the Old Fashioned Easter in April, The Pony Express Re-Ride in June, and the Living History Days throughout the year.
- Visit Any or All of the Museums
California State Railroad Museum;
Photo by Suzi Rosenberg
The Military Museum for militia and military heritage;
the Railroad Museum for authentic 19th century trains and Gold Rush-era structures;
the Discovery Museum and its History Center for interactive historical exhibits;
Old Sac Interpretive Center for the story of early Sacramento;
Schoolhouse Museum for how schooling was done back in the day;
And the Wells Fargo History Museum for interpretive exhibits of stagecoaching, gold mining, telegraphing, banking, and mailing beginning in the 19th century.
If you really want to experience the Sacramento City of 1849, time your visit for Labor Day weekend and Old Sac's annual celebration of Gold Rush Days.
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You'll find the streets closed to automobile traffic and covered with 200 tons of dirt to lend an authentic air to the event. There are costumed portrayals of life in the 1800s; musicians; multi-ethnic and multi-cultural activities representing the varied groups that passed through the city; dancers; the Embarcadero Tent City complete with Union soldiers; and storytelling - all designed to bring back the Good ol' Days, at least for a little while.
Planning your trip to Sacramento? Find hotels, compare prices, and book your rooms - all in one easy place:
Old Sacramento is only one of the ways that you can step back in
time to the California's Gold Rush glory days:
Sutter's Fort
Want more of what life would have been back in the day? Check out Sutter's Fort!
San Francisco in 1849
Follow the Barbary Coast Trail or the Gold Rush Trail in San Francisco.
Follow the Sacramento River
You can travel the route the 49ers took from San Francisco to Sacramento City even if you don't have a paddleboat.
Visit other Gold Rush Sites
Marshall Gold Discovery SHP - where Sutter's Mill was located and James Marshall first discovered gold, and Empire Mine SHP - one of the oldest, largest, deepest, longest, and richest gold mines in California - are just two of many!
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