5 Reasons to Visit Sacramento, California, While Big-League Baseball Is in Town
5 Reasons to Visit® · California
5 Reasons to Visit Sacramento, California, While Big-League Baseball Is in Town
The Athletics are playing Major League Baseball across the river while their Las Vegas stadium is built, and California’s capital has never had more going on. Add Gold Rush history, farm-to-fork dining and a riverside trail system, and it’s time to stop driving past.
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Sacramento, California, has been the state capital since 1854, and it has long lived in the shadow of San Francisco, two hours to the west. That is changing. Major League Baseball’s Athletics are playing their home games at Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento through at least 2027 while their new stadium in Las Vegas is built, giving the capital a big-league summer it may never have again. The city also calls itself America’s Farm-to-Fork Capital, with the Michelin Guide recognizing more than a dozen local restaurants in recent years, and its Gold Rush waterfront, railroad museum and riverside trails reward anyone who stops. Here are five reasons to visit.
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1Things to See & Do
Things to Do in Sacramento: Gold Rush History and Big-League Baseball
Old Sacramento Waterfront preserves the Gold Rush-era river town, with wooden sidewalks, historic buildings and river views. Its anchor is the California State Railroad Museum, one of the largest railroad museums in North America, where restored locomotives tell the story of the transcontinental railroad, which began here. Just across the gold-painted Tower Bridge sits Sutter Health Park, the temporary home of the Athletics, with views of the bridge and skyline beyond the outfield.
Downtown, the California State Capitol, completed in 1874, rises at the head of Capitol Mall, surrounded by the 40 acres of Capitol Park and its trees from around the world. Sutter’s Fort State Historic Park recalls the settlement where the Gold Rush story began, and the NBA’s Sacramento Kings play at Golden 1 Center, the centerpiece of downtown’s revival.
2Dining Scene
Where to Eat in Sacramento: America’s Farm-to-Fork Capital
Surrounded by some of the most productive farmland in the world, Sacramento has built its food identity around what grows nearby. The Michelin Guide has recognized more than a dozen Sacramento restaurants in recent years, and Midtown and downtown are packed with seasonal, chef-driven restaurants, wine bars and breweries pouring local beer.
Plan around the food calendar if you can. Dine Downtown offers prix-fixe menus each January, and each September, the Farm-to-Fork celebration culminates in the Tower Bridge Dinner, a long-table feast set on the bridge itself. Year-round, the Sunday farmers market under the freeway downtown is one of the region’s best.
Sacramento is where California’s Gold Rush began, and where much of the food on California’s tables still grows.
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3Recreation
Outdoor Sacramento: The American River Parkway and Two Rivers
The American River Parkway, a ribbon of green along the American River, is the city’s great outdoor asset. Its paved trail, the Jedediah Smith Memorial Trail, runs about 32 miles from Discovery Park, where the American meets the Sacramento River, to Folsom Lake, ideal for biking, running and spotting wildlife. In summer, rafting and floating the lower American River is a local tradition.
Sacramento is also a superb base for day trips: Napa and Sonoma wine country is about an hour southwest, Gold Country towns lie in the Sierra foothills to the east, and Lake Tahoe is about two hours up the mountains.
4Shopping
Shopping in Sacramento: Midtown Boutiques and Second Saturday
Midtown is Sacramento’s best neighborhood for shopping, with independent boutiques, vintage stores, bookshops and home-goods stores along its tree-lined grid. On the second Saturday of each month, Second Saturday turns Midtown into a street party of open galleries, pop-up vendors and live music.
Old Sacramento’s shops lean toward candy, Gold Rush souvenirs and gifts, and the Sunday farmers market is the place to stock up on local olive oil, honey, nuts and produce to take home.
5Art & Culture
Sacramento’s Art Scene: The Crocker Art Museum and a City of Murals
The Crocker Art Museum, founded in 1885, is one of the oldest public art museums in the West, with a collection of California art, European master drawings and contemporary work, housed in a Victorian mansion connected to a striking modern wing. It is the essential stop for art lovers in the capital.
Sacramento’s streets are a gallery too: the Wide Open Walls festival has covered buildings across the city with large-scale murals, and Second Saturday keeps Midtown’s galleries busy. The music calendar is just as full, from shows at Golden 1 Center to the Aftershock rock festival, held October 1 to 4, 2026, at Discovery Park.
Plan Your Sacramento Trip
Sacramento rewards a long weekend. Spend a day in Old Sacramento and at the Railroad Museum, followed by an evening Athletics game across Tower Bridge; a day at the Capitol, the Crocker and Midtown; and a day on the American River Parkway or out in wine country. Spring and fall bring the most comfortable weather, and baseball season runs from late March through September.
Sacramento, California: FAQ
Is Sacramento worth visiting?
Yes. Sacramento offers Old Sacramento and the California State Railroad Museum, the California State Capitol, the Crocker Art Museum, farm-to-fork dining recognized by the Michelin Guide, the American River Parkway, and Major League Baseball’s Athletics at Sutter Health Park through at least 2027.
Are the Athletics playing in Sacramento?
Yes. The Athletics play their home games at Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento for the 2025 through 2027 seasons, with an option for 2028, while their new stadium in Las Vegas is under construction.
What are the best things to do in Sacramento?
Top things to do in Sacramento include exploring Old Sacramento, visiting the California State Railroad Museum, the California State Capitol and the Crocker Art Museum, seeing an Athletics or Kings game, biking the American River Parkway, and attending Second Saturday in Midtown.
Why is Sacramento called America’s Farm-to-Fork Capital?
Sacramento is surrounded by some of the most productive farmland in the country, and its restaurants and farmers markets emphasize locally grown food. The city celebrates that identity each September with its Farm-to-Fork festivities and the Tower Bridge Dinner.
When is the best time to visit Sacramento?
April to June and September to October are the best times to visit Sacramento for warm, dry weather. Summers are hot, though evening baseball games and the river make the season enjoyable.
How far is Sacramento from San Francisco?
Sacramento is about 90 miles northeast of San Francisco, roughly a two-hour drive depending on traffic. Lake Tahoe is about two hours east and Napa about an hour southwest.
When did Sacramento become the capital of California?
Sacramento became the permanent capital of California in 1854.
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