Exploring California Gold Country and the state capital

May 19, 2017 By

For families interested in California history, a trip through Gold Country and Sacramento will hit many highlights, focusing on the Golden State’s storied gold rush past.Raft and gold pan in the same river where gold was first discovered in 1848, ride historic steam locomotives, tour the state capital…and visit countless historic museums.

Start or end in Sacramento:

old-sacramento

The state capital is, in many ways, the heart of the California history experience. Here’s what not to miss:

Explore Old Sacramento:

In addition to one of the best railroad museums we’ve ever seen (the California State Railroad Museum may even be THE best), Sacramento’s historic district hosts fun shops and eateries and carriage rides along the river. Go during the evening to avoid the heat of summer, or visit any time during the off-season. Read our review of Old Sac and the museum, and also be sure to check the fun schoolhouse museum!

Tour the Capitol:

It’s architecturally stunning, rich with history and free to the public. The California State Capitol Museum is open daily, except for major holidays. The Capitol is located on 10th Street between L and N streets, downtown Sacramento. Learn more here.

Learn even more about Sacramento history:

Don’t miss Sutter’s Fort State Historic Park, which is located in the city but feels a world away. Read our review of Sutter’s Fort. Next, pan for gold yourselves at Amador County Park’s Volcano Memorial Park, located four miles east of the town on Sutter Creek-Volcano Road. The park provides a picnic area, grassy lawns and a gold panning area where you can pan for gold nuggets. Also try Sutter Gold Mine to pan for gold and visit sites (13660 Highway 49, Sutter Creek).

Raft on the American River in the foothills of gold country:

The American River packs a big punch with history and big rapids colliding in an adventure-filled weekend. We recommend rafting the Middle Fork of the American River with OARS.

Where to Stay:

The Citizen Hotel sits adjacent to City Hall and the Capital Building in Sacramento. The historic 1926 Cal-West Insurance building with modern amenities displays such “tongue-in-cheek” touches as leather-bound vintage law books in the lobby, famed political quotes in the elevators, black-and-white political cartoon drawings from midcentury Sacramento Bee cartoonist Newton Pratt throughout the hotel, and lampshades screen-printed with the constitution of California.

Embassy Suites Sacramento is located right on the river at the entrance of Old Sacramento. We even walked from the hotel to the railroad museum. If you’re looking for a location closer to this area than to the capitol building, Embassy Suites is a good bet with their large rooms and complimentary breakfast.

Explore Nevada City:

Nevada City, north of Sacramento on Highway 49, sprang up almost overnight during the California Gold Rush. There’s a lot of history here, including museums and mine tours.

el-dorado-mine

Check out the Firehouse No. 1 Museum:

This museum is run by the Nevada County Historical Society, and despite its name, features exhibits ranging from Victorian-era bridal wear to Chinese railroad workers’ artifacts. Afterward, stop by the Nevada Theater, a big brick building downtown that has hosted the likes of Jack London.

Get more of your train fix:

If you haven’t gotten your fill of train museums, check out the Narrow Gauge Railroad Museum, located between Nevada City and Grass Valley. Learn more about the Narrow Gauge Railroad Museum.

Check out a mine shaft:

Visit Empire Mine State Historic Park, where kids can take a mineyard tour, see a mine model, visit a blacksmith shop, and hike or horseback ride over the park grounds. Daily tours are offered, and many seasonal events and special programming days occur throughout the year.

Visit Coloma:

Coloma California is where California’s gold rush began. Located on Highway 49 between Sacramento and South Lake Tahoe, the Coloma-Lotus Valley is central to California’s Gold Country. Right on the South Fork of the American River, the town offers families the opportunity to bike, hike, and raft in addition to getting their California history on.

coloma with kids

 

Start at Marshall Gold Discovery Park:

See the site of the gold discovery that started the 1849 California Gold Rush, and the working replica of Sutter’s Mill, then learn to pan for gold. Meet docents dressed in period clothes and working as blacksmiths or doing other crafts of the time. The park is pretty touristy, but the history is definitely there.

Stroll through town:

The downtown streets of Coloma is lined with historic building in varies states of repair; some are dedicated historic sites in their own right, others are crumbling in disrepair. Read the plaques on the buildings and stop for a few ‘fun’ detours to souvenir shops and ice cream parlors.

Where to stay:

Whether you’re camping or looking for a cabin stay, the American River Resort is our pick: it’s located right on the water, has plenty of activities for kids.

What’s your favorite California Gold Rush town?

 

 

A Pit Stop a Day (Day 23): Embassy Suites Sacramento

July 19, 2010 By

View of Tower Bridge outside our Embassy Suites room.

We spent our last night on the road at the Embassy Suites Sacramento Riverfront Promenade (100 Capitol Mall, Sacramento CA).

Embassy Suites is a favorite hotel chain of mine due to their high quality amenities, top-notch service, and the extras they provide, such as made-to-order complementary breakfasts and manager’s reception’ hours with snacks and cool drinks on-hand in the late afternoon. The Riverfront Promenade did not disappoint.

Located ideally next to historic Old Town and bordering the lovely river walk along the Sacramento River, we had impressive views from our room of the Tower Bridge and Old Town. Our suite was convenient with two full rooms (one with a comfortable pull-out bed/couch, desk, and TV unit, one with a king-sized bed and TV unit) and one spacious bathroom (with tub).

The Embassy Suites had a nice indoor pool and hot tub which we were all too glad to use after a hot summer day exploring Old Town. Other amenities include an exercise room, valet parking ($25 a day), and a mini-fridge, coffee maker, and microwave in-room. There’s also a Guest Activities desk on-site to help you with any vacation plans.

Embassy Suites indoor pool.

In addition to the complementary breakfast, there are two restaurants on-site (with many more in walking distance). The Tower Bridge Bistro offers fine dining in their dining room or via room service, and the MarketPlace Cafe offers quicker service with sandwiches, burgers, etc.

Note: The Embassy Suites Sacramento does not allow for (or have) roll-away beds, so if you’re a family of five like us, plan accordingly. We made one child a bed on the floor utilizing the unused couch cushions, and it worked fine!

Date last visited: July 15, 2010.

Distance off the interstate: Right off I-5.

Room Rates: Best rate started at $229 at time of publishing. All rooms are suites, with two rooms and full bathroom. Railroad Museum packages are available.

Directions: From I-5, take the J St exit toward Downtown, then turn right at 3rd St. Take the 1st right onto Capitol Mall, then make a U-turn into property.

As I mention during any review opportunity, the Embassy Suites Sacramento hosted our stay at no cost. While we greatly appreciate their hospitality, this compensation came with no guarantee of a positive review.

I want to thank everyone who followed along with our 22 Day Road Trip! We had a wonderful time, and I sincerely hope that our reviews will be of assistance as you, my readers, plan your next adventures!
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A Pit Stop a Day (Day 22): Old Sacramento Historical District

July 18, 2010 By

California State Railroad Museum

We spent our last day, Day 22, driving from Laguna Beach to Sacramento CA on I-5, visiting Sacramento’s historic Old Town and staying our final night on the road at the Embassy Suites Sacramento Riverfront Promenade.

Sacramento’s Old Town is a state historic park covering 28 acres along the Sacramento River directly opposite from downtown. Wooden sidewalks, false storefronts, and cobblestones create the illusion that visitors have returned to the famed California Gold Rush days (although cheap souvenir t-shirt shops and the like seem to work equally hard to distract from this).

By far the best gem of Old Town is the California State Railroad Museum (111 I Street), located at the entrance to Old Town and commanding a distinctive presence in the district. This impressive museum is larger than life (especially for young kids entranced by trains): visitor’s can walk through historic train compartments (the sleeper car even sways and jolts under your feet as though in motion), learn about the building of the railroad, and watch a great film depicting the early railroad days. Upstairs, Thomas the Tank Engine lovers will find extensive train tables at their disposal.

Our favorite shop in Old Sacramento.

After exploring the museum, we walked through Old Town, which consists primarily of shops, restaurants, and a few other smaller museums (a Wells Fargo stagecoach museum and a military museum). The Sacramento River is one block from the museum, as is the historic Delta King riverboat (hotel) and a monument to the Pony Express.

Kids (and adults alike) will love stopping to browse the offerings at Evangeline’s, a joke shop boutique. Nearly all the joke items and gag gifts are suitable for children (apart from a well-closed off ‘adult’ section in the back) and you could spend hours laughing at all the items for sale (at least we could!). My kids finally settled on ‘handerwear’ (underwear for hands), clacking teeth, and joke mustaches.

If you’re in Old Town after dinner and have saved room for dessert, Sacramento Sweets Co has the best waffle cone sundaes this side of the Mississippi. Their Capitol Sundae feeds two (but you won’t want to share). Be sure to get it topped with their homemade caramel or hot fudge sauce!

Seasonal Tip: If your Sacramento vacation brings you to the city in late August, be sure to attend Old Sacramento’s Gold Rush Days. The streets are covered with dirt and allow only pedestrian or horse-drawn traffic, adding to the authentic old west feel. Living history exhibits and re-enactments are in play all weekend!

Note: Two other great Sacramento attractions include Sutter’s Fort (where California gold was first discovered) and FairyTale Town (located near the Sacramento Zoo).

Date last visited: July 15, 2010.

Distance off the interstate: Right off I-5.

Directions: From I-5, follow signs to Old Sacramento Historic District. Turn off I-5 at J Street, turn left onto 3rd, then turn onto I Street to the California State Railroad Museum.

Up Next: Or last, that is: we review our stay at the Embassy Suites Sacramento Riverfront Promenade!

McKinley Park

February 3, 2010 By

Photo courtesy of Tripping with Kids

Photo courtesy of Tripping with Kids


601 Alhambra Boulevard
Sacramento, CA

Some of you may know this already, but the concept for Pitstops for Kids was born after a frustrating afternoon trying to find a nice park while driving through Sacramento, CA. So you can imagine my excitement when I came across this wonderful review at Tripping with Kids! McKinley Park was named Best Playground of 2009 in the Sacramento News and Review, and it’s easy to see why. There’s gardens, tennis and basketball courts, a local pool, and even a library, but as reviewer Lora says, the most important thing is the playground. This one doesn’t disappoint.

“Created by a community collaborative, this playground is castle-like with enough long raised walkways, bridges, and ladders to entertain any school-aged kid who has been house-bound by cold weather. It is made mostly of wood, which blends in with the park quite nicely. The amount of thought and detail behind it is obvious. For example, since much of the structure includes play areas above ground, one space below it is used for a small tire swing. A play area for smaller tots is attached and yet in a separate area.” For Lora’s full article, visit her at Tripping with Kids!

Date last visited: January 2010

Distance off the interstate: 1 minute off I-80 Business, ten minutes from I-80.

Hours and Admission Prices: Open sunrise to sunset. Free admission.

Website: http://www.cityofsacramento.org/parksandrecreation/

Directions: From I-80 (Business), merge onto the Capitol City Freeway. Take the E St. exit, then merge onto 29th St. Turn left at E St, then right at Alhambra Blvd.

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Fairytale Town

April 6, 2009 By

fairytale_town_entry
3901 Land Park Drive, Sacramento CA

I’d like to start this, my first review on this site, with a short story. In the summer of 2008, my mom and I found ourselves six hours into a 10 hour drive with my three kids when we became desperate for somewhere fun to stop. The eight-year-old was squirmy, the six-year-old was getting carsick, and the three-year-old was…being a three-year-old. It was about 2 pm, but despite the 95 degree heat as we rolled through Sacramento, CA, we were ready and willing to break free of the confines of the air-conditioned car for a break. Any break.

I remembered that I’d once heard from a friend of a friend that somewhere in the vicinity was a park to die for: splash pool, huge climbing structure, the works. The problem was, we didn’t know what it was called, so our map and navigation system could only tell us so much. We could see that there were three parks within a ten-mile radius, but without knowing anything about the area, we could only guess which one might be the one we were looking for, or failing that, at least shaded and in a safe neighborhood. We ended up wasting precious time and energy traversing suburbs seeking out a place to stop…and by the time we gave up, the kids were about ready to revolt.*

We ended up at a tried and true favorite for more than one generation of our family: Fairytale Town. …read more»