Even 150 years after the famous California "Gold Rush," visitors are still discovering gold in Sacramento, California’s oldest incorporated city. In the decades since fortune hunters flocked to the region in search of the glimmering metal, Sacramento has emerged into a cosmopolitan state capital that still retains its unique Gold Rush history. Sacramento has been called a snapshot of Wild West history in a modern, world-class city. The 28-acre town of historic buildings, museums and monuments emphasises strong preservation efforts in its wooden sidewalks, horse-drawn carriages, Pony Express monuments and Mississippi-style riverboats reflecting the nostalgic appeal of early American history.
In addition to all there is to see and do in Sacramento itself it is also the ideal base to explore the Wine regions, the western foothills and atmospheric small towns of the Sierra Nevada and the Sacramento Gold Country. There are over 200 wineries in 7 distinct appellations surrounding Sacramento. The region has been supplying grapes to neighbouring areas and has now started producing its own award winning varietals. Explore the region on a self drive or an escorted wine tour experience from your Sacramento base. The surrounding Gold Country – named for the mining towns that sprang up during the Gold Rush years of the 1850s – is a region of the Sierra Nevada foothills that is filled with natural and cultural pleasures. Marshall Gold State Park is a significant historic site, where gold was first discovered in 1848, changing the course of California’s and the nation’s history.
- Visit Sutters Mill - stroll through museum exhibits and even pan for gold
- Explore the cluster of caves in Calaveras County, where water has shaped the porous limestone into miles of winding passages and fascinating formations.
- Visit Jamestown and look for the settings for the Academy award-winning film Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.
- Dine at renowned City Hotel in the heart of Columbia State Historic Park
- Tour the Capitol building and Governor’s mansion and see Arnold Schwarzenegger’s office
- Visit Old Sacramento encompassing a large collection of Gold Rush-era buildings and the California State Railroad Museum.
- Visit the Crocker Art Museum, the oldest continually operating public art museum in the West
- Tour the many small wineries found in the Sierra Nevada foothills California’s Gold Country wineries offer an intimate and picturesque introduction to its fine wines.