When travelers consider California, it’s typically San Diego, San Francisco, or Los Angeles that spring to mind. The state capital of Sacramento, however, offers a glimpse into the other side of California: a side that is very much its own, in every sense of the word. Believe it or not, beaches aren’t mandatory to capture the true spirit of California.
Source: Pixabay
The city is family-friendly, with its delicious dining, historic sites and museums, and is a little more suitable to those on a budget. The entire family can keep themselves busy by taking advantage of the endless recreation opportunities outdoors.
The capital of California is amidst a renaissance. Young adults seeking an urban setting are relocating to Sacramento, with its trendy boutiques, gastropubs, and microbreweries. Chefs are being praised for their emphasis on hyper-locally sourced ingredients, with relationships between nearby ranches and farms and Sacramento restaurants becoming the order of the day. The summer sees some of the most pleasant evenings anywhere in California, with locals sitting on their porches in their Victorian-style homes and children playing in parks through to the evening.
There’s no shortage of things to do. The Capital Mall area is the home of a number of museums. There is also Old Town Sacramento that runs along the Sacramento River. Old Town, which was recently renovated, was a key player in the Gold Rush. Reaching these destinations isn’t difficult, either, and traffic jams are the exception rather than the norm. It’s a wonderful place to explore by those who enjoy cycling, with its paved trails and designated lanes along the Sacramento and American Rivers. The light rail system which takes passengers to popular local sites is another convenient option.
Sacramento is mostly known for the gold rush era, when in 1848, the discovery of golden nuggets in the Sacramento Valley sparked one of the most significant events in American history. The term is often used today to describe opportunities to make money. It has been used widely in business, especially online of late, when new opportunities, such as digital currency investment, present themselves. It is also a term widely used in gambling; for example, the Vegas Casino blog is full of advice on how to capitalise on the ‘gold rush combination’ of online casinos and bitcoin. Those looking to relive the gold rush era can pick up tips on how to use bitcoin or even registering to a bitcoin casino online.
1850 Woman and Men in California Gold Rush by Unknown (Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License)
For visiting the real gold rush venues, the best months to travel to Sacramento are from April to June, or from September through to November. Most of the city’s festivals take place in May and June, but if you wanted to see the California State Fair, you would have to hold off until July – and pack extra sun lotion if you do, as California’s Central Valley is at its hottest at that time of the year. If you prefer your visit to be less populated by fellow tourists, winter would be your best bet, although be warned: you will likely get rained on.