Where to stay

For top-name concerts and exciting professional basketball at the Golden 1 Center, Downtown Sacramento is a great place to stay. Pick a neighborhood near Cal Expo, where the California State Fair takes place during July and varied events are held throughout the year. Stay in West Sacramento to attend an event or watch the Sacramento River Cats play minor league baseball at Raley Field. Accommodations near the University of California in Davis are convenient for seeing the varied attractions of the Shrem Museum of Art, the John Natsoulas Gallery, and the U.S. Bicycling Hall of Fame.

With more than 250 days of sunshine each year, Sacramento is a great place to enjoy outdoor activities on land and water. Accommodations close to the city in West Sacramento are near River Walk Park, where pleasant walks provide views of Downtown Sacramento, the river, and pretty bridges. Stay in Rancho Cordova for rafting on the American River and biking on the American River Parkway that runs alongside it. Roseville hotels are close to hiking, biking, picnicking, horseback riding, waterskiing, and boating in Folsom Lake State Recreation Area at the base of the Sierra Nevada mountains.

Old Sacramento is a great place to stay for concentrated historic sites, including the California State Railroad Museum, Wells Fargo History Museum, Crocker Art Museum, and replica businesses from the 1800s. An old-fashioned carriage ride is a fun way to explore the neighborhood. Hotels in Downtown Sacramento are near the impressive California State Capitol, the California Museum, and the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament. Book accommodations in Folsom, midway between Downtown Sacramento and Coloma, where Sutter's Mill in the Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park marks the start of the California Gold Rush. For more modern history, stay in Foothill Farms or McClellan to see aircraft, from biplanes to fighter jets, at the Aerospace Museum of California.