Old Town Sacramento Waterfront Day Trip: Points of Interest

Sacramento’s Old Town Waterfront District is perfect for exploring the region’s past and enjoying various fun-filled activities. You can spend a day exploring the historic buildings and museums, taking the Sacramento River Cruise, riding a train, and indulging in delicious food and shopping. Old Sacramento is a National and California Historic Landmark, with 53 landmark buildings covering 28 acres.

Things To Do Old Town Sacramento Waterfront

Waterfront Train Excursions

Trains depart and return from the Central Pacific Railroad Passenger Station, located next to the railroad museum. The ride lasts approximately one hour and takes passengers along the scenic Sacramento River. During the ride, passengers see what it was like to travel by train in the past when the primary mode of transportation was by rail and there were no freeways. Please note that all passengers must be able to climb a narrow set of stairs to board the coaches—ticket information.

Sacramento River Cruises

Both River Queen and City Cruises offer excursions from Old Town Sacramento. Cruise options include sightseeing, lunch and dinner cruises, special events, and weddings. Sightseeing cruises last about two hours and take visitors as far as the American River before returning to the Sacramento waterfront. River Queen reservations. City Cruises Reservations.

California State Railroad Museum

Adjacent to Old Town Sacramento is the California State Railroad Museum, which has a vast collection of trains. You can find almost any train, from early steam engines to huge diesel locomotives. The railroad museum features numerous locomotives and railroad cars from the 1860s until the 1960s. Plan on spending at least three hours exploring this excellent museum.

Sacramento History Museum

The museum is located near the Railroad Museum and the Sacramento River. It displays exhibits about the City of Sacramento’s history, California’s gold rush, and the Sacramento River’s significance to the city. The museum also offers several popular tours, including the Old Sacramento Underground and Old Sac After Hours tours. 101 I St Sacramento, California.

Sacramento Waterfront Dining

After a long day, the Old Town district offers a variety of dining options to please all palates. Joe’s Crab Shack, Rio City Cafe, and the Delta Bar & Grill all offer waterfront dining with beautiful views of the Sacramento River. The Delta King Hotel, an authentic paddlewheel riverboat, offers two dining options: the Pilothouse restaurant and the Delta Bar.

Old Town Sacramento History

In 1839, John Sutter established Sutter’s Fort on the Sacramento River’s shore, lured by the prospect of a Mexican land grant. The settlement grew and became a hub for business, but the Gold Rush of 1848 transformed it into the City of Sacramento. While the waterfront location was ideal for trade, flooding devastated it in 1852. Over the next few years, thousands of cubic yards of earth were transported by wagons, and the street level began to rise at great expense. The original street level can be found beneath the boardwalks and basements of Old Sacramento.

Getting to Old Town Sacramento

The Old Sacramento Waterfront is situated in the downtown area, right on the banks of the Sacramento River. There are ample parking options available at reasonable rates. You can enter the area from 3rd and J Streets, Capitol Mall, and Front Streets. The Downtown Commons has a parking facility, and you can access the waterfront by walking through the tunnel.

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