Family Friendly Sac

By Brandon Darnell

See The Sights

Sacramento is home to a host of attractions ranging from the State Capitol to the California State Railroad Museum, Children’s Museum and plenty of outdoor activities.

The newest museum in Sacramento is the SMUD Museum of Science and Curiosity. Located in a historic power station, this museum focuses on various scientific disciplines, and unlike many museums, it’s a place where you’re encouraged to interact with the exhibits. Located right on the river north of the Old Sacramento Waterfront, it’s close to plenty of other attractions as well.

One of the best-known museums in Sacramento, and a great place for families, is the California State Railroad Museum. Learn the story of the Transcontinental Railroad through informative exhibits and plenty of full-size, original locomotives and train cars. The dining and mail cars are always a hit, and you can actually climb into the cab of a steam engine. Head upstairs to see the expansive collection of model railroad layouts, which are just as popular with adults as they are with the kids.

While you’re in the Old Sacramento Waterfront, it’s a perfect time to see some of the other Gold Rush-era sights, like the Eagle Theatre, Sacramento Schoolhouse Museum and the Sacramento History Museum. One of the stars of the waterfront is the Delta King, a historic paddle-wheeler that used to ply the river, served as a hospital ship in World War II and is now a hotel, restaurant and event space.

One of the best ways to see the Old Sacramento Waterfront and the nearby Downtown Commons is from the Waterfront Wheel, a Ferris wheel installed in 2020 that is just thrilling enough to not be too scary for the younger family members, and gives an exciting bird’s-eye view of the riverfront area.

After your ride, you may have worked up an appetite. There are plenty of restaurants, ranging from The Firehouse for fine dining and Rio City Café for a riverfront experience to casual pizza places and Willie’s Burgers for fast food. You can also indulge your sweet tooth at one of the candy shops in the area, picking your perfect sampling from wooden barrels, or head to Danny’s Mini Donuts to get the bite-sized pastries fresh off the cooling rack.

When it’s time to walk off some off those calories (or get the kids to burn off some energy), stroll along one of the waterfront paths. On the Sacramento side of the river, you can walk or ride bikes all the way down to Scott’s Seafood at the Westin Sacramento, or head across the golden Tower Bridge to West Sacramento and get great pictures of Old Sacramento Waterfront and the Delta King from the riverfront walk.

The Crocker Art Museum is just a few blocks away from the Old

Sacramento Waterfront at Third and O streets. In addition to being the premier art museum in the region, with pieces from antiquity all the way to modern times and an impressive collection of California Impressionist paintings, it has a robust program of activities geared toward kids, so they can learn to appreciate art while creating their own.

Family Attractions

A trifecta of tried-and-true fun awaits in William Land Park. At Fairytale Town, young ones climb, slide and let their imaginations run wild amid storybook-themed amusements. With its vintage carousel, miniature train and spinning cups, old-school rides rule at Funderland.

Also in Land Park, the Sacramento Zoo has drawn crowds for generations. Lions and lemurs and okapi—all there. Don’t miss Gizmo, the adorable young red panda, or the new baby giraffe. Also, in the burgeoning city of Folsom, 20 miles east of downtown Sac, Folsom Zoo Sanctuary provides a haven for injured and orphaned wild animals, and Folsom Valley Railway offers rides on a rare 12inch gauge railroad.

Catch a Sacramento River Cats game at Sutter Health Park. This Triple-A affiliate for the San Francisco Giants is a popular draw for families that relish baseball, ballpark fare and between-innings frivolity.

The Sacramento Republic Football Club has drawn sellout crowds for the past 10 seasons. Catch a great soccer match while you’re in town at Heart Health Park at Cal Expo.

Explore Downtown Commons

Downtown Commons—or DOCO—is the newest hub of entertainment, sports, retail and dining in Sacramento. In the heart of downtown, it’s built around Golden 1 Center, home of the NBA’s Sacramento Kings and the famous purple beam that lights up every time the home team wins. Even if it’s not basketball season, the Kings Team Store is the best place to snag Sacramento Kings gear, and there’s sure to be something fun going on at the arena, which regularly hosts concerts, Disney on Ice, professional bull riding and monster truck rallies. Check Sacramento365. com before you come to town to plan around any shows you might want to see.

Other things to do in DOCO include walking through the openair corridors to shop at local spots, enjoy the murals painted throughout the area, and grab a coffee or boba tea. Lawn games like cornhole are also available, and there’s a restaurant to fit any appetite.

Enjoy A Festival

Sacramento is a city of festivals. Popular music festivals like Aftershock and GoldenSky are destinations for families who enjoy live music. On back-to-back weekends in October, Aftershock will feature

Other noteworthy gatherings include Visit Sacramento’s Farmto-Fork Festival, celebrating its 10th anniversary this year. Held every September, it brings food and wine tastings, chef demos and live music to Capitol Mall, with the iconic Tower Bridge as its backdrop.

Other annual festivals and events popular with families include the California State Fair, Sacramento Pride, Juneteenth, Chalk It Up! and more. Visit Sacramento365.com for a full list of annual events and festivals in California’s capital.

EAT YOUR FILL

Sacramento is America’s Farmto-Fork Capital, and you’ll see evidence of that everywhere, from the Farm-to-Fork Festival to the quality of our food. If you’re trying to get your kids to eat their veggies, there’s no better place to take them than the Midtown Farmers Market, held every Saturday in the area surrounding 20th and K

streets. Meet farmers, check out the artisan wares and sample delicious prepared foods, from macarons to enchiladas. Once you’re done walking through the market, there’s plenty to do in the Midtown area, with lots of boutiques, parks and cafes to visit.

When it’s time to sit down to a meal, know that in Sacramento, our focus is fresh and local. If your kids love mac ’n’ cheese, we’ve got it, but you’ll also find plenty of restaurants with a much wider variety of food options for both kids and adults.

Of course, the food doesn’t have to be healthy—you are on vacation, after all. Take a look at the article on desserts in this issue, and treat yourself and the whole family.

Take A Day Trip

Hit the road for some nearby family fun. Just a few miles up the road in Auburn, the American River Confluence beckons with trails leading to Lake Clementine and other spots along the North and Middle forks of the river. After- ward, pop into Auburn Alehouse for some grub—Mom and Dad can even enjoy a brew.

Farther south on Highway 49 lies Coloma and Marshall Gold Discovery State Park, where gold was discovered in 1848, kicking off California’s Gold Rush. With historic buildings still standing, a working blacksmith shop and plenty of interpretive exhibits, the park provides a hands-on history lesson that gets even more hands-on if you pan for gold.

Also in the area, you can go whitewater rafting. Take a guided river ride with one of the outfits operating out of Lotus. The North, Middle and South forks of the American River offer Class III, IV and V rapids, with something for everyone from beginners to advanced rafters.

Just outside of Placerville at Gold Bug Mine, you can tour an original gold mine and learn how miners processed the rocks and gold they carved out of the mountains before taking them back down to the valley to claim their fortunes. Afterward, stop in downtown Placerville for some lunch—or maybe just some pie at Sweetie Pie’s on Main Street.

Whether it’s spring break, the scaldinghot heart of summe or the beginning of fall, it’s never a bad time to treat yourself to an ice cream in Sacramento.

In America’s Farm-toFork Capital, it’s not just the produce that tastes so good. Our local creameries provide the freshest ingredients to make ice cream, served at old-fashioned parlors that offer a heaping scoop of nostalgia as well as at shops that have created new twists on the classic treat.

The Classic Parlors

When it comes to classic ice cream parlors, two in Sacramento stand out: Gunther’s and Vic’s. Both located just south of the central city, they’ve long split locals into two camps. If you ask around, you’re likely to hear some pretty compelling arguments as to why each one of them is best. Our suggestion? Try them both.

Gunther’s, located at 2801 Franklin Blvd., is easily recognizable by the neon sign showing the ice cream man tossing a scoop into a cone. Lines, especially in summer, can stretch well out the door, but the service is quick, and it’s always worth the wait. The Gunther family opened the shop in 1940 and managed to keep it going during World War II, despite rampant rationing. It emerged in the post-war era as a family favorite, manufacturing its ice cream on-site. The current owner, Rick Klopp, began working at the shop in 1969, and he and his wife, Marlena, continue to stick to the basic idea of serving quality ice cream based on the original family recipes. While the nostalgic experience is still to get the ice cream in the classic parlor setting, Gunther’s sells its ice cream to 60 other businesses in the Sacramento region.

Vic’s, at 3199 Riverside Blvd., was founded in 1947 and has more than 20 flavors of ice cream complemented by espresso drinks, milkshakes and more, including sandwiches and other food items. Try the cherry amaretto, or keep it simple with a classic flavor— or even spice it up with something like a hot fudge sundae.

Blvd., was founded in 1947 and has more

Another classic Sacramento ice cream parlor is Leatherby’s, which “Papa Dave” opened in 1982. Multiple locations around the Sacramento area have since opened and serve a wide variety of ice cream, sundaes, floats and sodas as well as food.

Fresh Takes on a Favorite Treat

Ice cream might be the timeless classic, but there’s no shortage of ways to enjoy it.

Yume Gelato, at 5921 Folsom Blvd., makes the classic Italian style with the flavors you’d expect, but also branches out with unique takes on the classics such as the Fat Elvis (banana gelato with crunchy peanut butter and chocolate chips), hojicha (Japanese roasted green tea), coffee brownie with dulce de leche, and more.

Another place to try for something you might not have seen before The Parlor, located at 2620 Fair Oaks Blvd. While you can get “just” a scoop of ice cream here, the place is best-known for something a bit more decadent: the ice cream puff, which is ice cream served inside a hot doughnut. And if that’s not quite enough, you can opt for the works: a triplescoop milkshake topped with a hot Nutella-filled doughnut, whipped cream and all the toppings you want.

Sacramento’s R Street Corridor is one of the most popular places to hang out in the city, and one of the attractions there is the Portland, Oregon-based Salt and Straw in the Ice Blocks development. Loaded with unique flavors, it’s a popular spot, but the line moves fast. One dessert that’s gained popularity in the United States over the past decade or so is the French macaron—two thin almond meringue cookies with a grenache filling.

Ginger

Elizabeth

Chocolates, on L Street, between 18th and 19th, is local favorite, and it makes a mean macaron. Imagine a scaledup macaron, where the ganache filling is replaced with ice cream, and you’ve got one of Ginger

Elizabeth’s creations that you just can’t miss, especially in summer. Salty caramel is probably the most popular, but the other flavors are just as tasty.

For the dairy-free crowd, most of the previously mentioned ice cream places have sorbets or something else to fit that need, but Conscious Creamery is an entirely dairyfree gelateria, with most of its gelato made from cashew milk. Located at 3400 Broadway, it’s just a short distance from the central city.

Another great dairy-free spot, with multiple locations around Sacramento, is Burger Patch, which serves vegan house-made shakes in a variety of flavors, from vanilla bean to strawberry and cookie crumble.

If you’re in the central city, another favorite for the vegan and gluten-free crowd is Babes Ice Cream & Donuts, located at 2417 J St. With a monthly doughnut flavor that complements the wide range of ice cream and other baked goods, Babes is a great spot, even if you’re not on a plantbased diet.

No talk of desserts in Sacramento would be complete without mentioning one of the most popular, storied places in the city: Rick’s Dessert Diner. Open since 1986, it was previously located on K Street but moved to its current location at 2401 J St. a few years back. While most 1950s-themed diners feature burgers and hot dogs, at Rick’s, the display cases and tables are full of a mix of cakes, tarts, pies, pastries, cheesecakes and more. And yes, there are gluten-free options. It’s open until 11 p.m., so if you’re looking for a last stop before heading back to your hotel, Rick’s has you covered.