Old Sacramento State Historic Park, usually called Old Sacramento and sometimes Old Sac, offers a fascinating journey into the past through cobbled streets, wood-planked sidewalks, and more than 50 historic buildings. Old Sacramento covers about a third of the Old Sacramento Historic District, which is a U.S. National Historic Landmark District.
Old Sacramento is a major tourist attraction, featuring rides on a horse-drawn carriage and aboard steam-hauled historic trains, as well as many shops, restaurants, and attractions. If you have a day to spend sightseeing, we encourage you to explore Old Sacramento.
Historic Buildings
The structures, several of which are from the 1850s and 1860s, have been preserved or restored. Much of the architecture within Old Sacramento is Spanish, featuring arched doorways, wrought-iron decorative balconies, and full balcony windows. Many characteristics are similar to those you might see in San Juan, Puerto Rico; Havana, Cuba; Tampico, Mexico; and Seville and Madrid in Spain.
The Lady Adams building, built by the passengers and ship’s carpenters of the Lady Adams ship in 1852, is one of the few structures that survived Sacramento’s Great Fire in 1852. It’s the oldest surviving building in the city besides Sutter’s Fort, which was completed in 1843 and is the oldest restored fort in the United States. The B.F. Hastings Building was the first location of the California Supreme Court and the western terminal of the Pony Express. Today, it houses a branch of the Wells Fargo History Museum.
The Big Four House was constructed through joint efforts by railroad pioneers Collis Huntington, Mark Hopkins, Leland Stanford, and Charles Crocker, known as The Big Four. The structure was originally three buildings completed in 1852, owned by Huntington, Hopkins, and Sanford. Along with Crocker, they formed the Central Pacific Railroad Company of California, which occupied the upper floors. They also founded the Southern Pacific Railroad.
Attractions
Along the Old Sacramento waterfront, the historic Delta King riverboat is now an exciting tourist attraction housing a hotel, two restaurants, a theater, and event facilities. You can also visit the California State Railroad Museum and go for a historic train ride.
The Sacramento History Museum covers the history of Sacramento going back before the Gold Rush. The museum offers the fascinating Old Sacramento Underground Tours, which explore half a mile of what was left below when the city raised the buildings and streets because of frequent flooding. You’ll see alleys, sidewalks, and other remnants.
You can also ride on the Sacramento River in a pedal-powered boat and larger cruise boats, play an Old-West version of miniature golf, do yoga on the waterfront, watch the Living History program’s weekend re-enactments in summer, and enjoy many other Old Sac attractions.
Shopping, Dining, and More
Old Sac is a rich business and residential district that offers shops, restaurants, and clubs. In addition to viewing historic buildings and museums, you can browse an eclectic array of local shops, have dinner and drinks, watch a comedy show, and much more. Be sure to stop at the River City Saloon, once a “house of ill repute,” for sarsaparilla.
You can’t see everything in Old Sacramento in a day, but you can still have a fantastic day to explore. And you can always return the next day for more.
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