Old Sacramento Waterfront with a Group

What Old Sacramento is

Old Sacramento is the Gold Rush river town that grew into California's capital, preserved as a historic district on the east bank of the Sacramento River. It runs between the Tower Bridge and the I Street Bridge and covers 53 historic buildings on 28 acres, according to the district's own history page.

The story is part of the visit. After gold was found in the foothills in 1848, the riverbank became the supply stop for miners. Floods in 1850, 1852 and 1862 led the city to raise its streets with earth, and the original street level is still visible under the boardwalks and in basements. The district is a National and California Historic Landmark, and today it holds more than 125 places to shop, eat and visit.

For a group, the layout is the advantage. Everything sits within a few blocks, so teenagers can browse the shops, grandparents can sit by the river, and everyone can meet again at a set time without a long walk.

The best stops for a group at a glance

The railroad museum is the one stop every age enjoys, and the rest fill in around it. Prices below are from each operator's page today; check them again before you go.

Museums: the railroad museum and the Underground

Start with the California State Railroad Museum, then add the Underground Tour if your group likes history and can handle uneven ground.

California State Railroad Museum. The museum is open daily from 10am to 5pm, with last admission at 4:30pm, and closes on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. Admission is $12 for adults and $6 for ages 6 to 17, and children 5 and under are free. Groups of 10 or more paying visitors get $11 per adult and $5 per youth. Groups are self-guided unless you book a guide: $50 for up to 30 people with one guide, booked at least one week ahead through the museum's Group Desk.

Old Sacramento Underground Tours. Run by the Sacramento History Museum, these one-hour walking tours go under the raised streets to show the original town level. Tickets are $30 for adults and $25 for ages 6 to 17, and children 5 and under are free but must be on the ticket order. Each tour holds up to 20 people, runs seven days a week, rain or shine, and leaves on time, so check in at the front desk 10 to 15 minutes early. The museum offers private group tours for reunions, birthdays and team outings.

The Sacramento History Museum itself is open daily from 10am to 5pm, with last tickets at 4:30pm.

River cruises and the Delta King

A river cruise gives a group an hour to sit together and see the waterfront from the water, which is a good break after a museum morning.

City Cruises runs four trips from the waterfront:

Prices are on the City Cruises booking page, so check the current price on their site before you plan the budget. The River City Queen riverboat and the Sac Brew Boat, a pedal boat, also run from the waterfront.

The Delta King, a paddlewheel riverboat built in 1927, stays docked on the river as a hotel with two restaurants and a theater. For a group, its eight private dining rooms are the draw: the boat books them for birthdays, anniversaries and reunions, and its theater hosts a murder mystery dinner show. Ask about private dining when you reserve.

Parking and getting there

Park once in a garage at either end of the district, share cars from the house, and walk everywhere from there.

• Old Sacramento Garage, entered from I Street between 2nd and 3rd, is closest to the railroad museum and the History Museum.
• Tower Bridge Garage, entered from Capitol Boulevard at Neasham Circle, is at the south end near the Tower Bridge.
• Both garages list a $15 weekend pre-pay rate. At the Old Sacramento Garage it applies from 3pm Friday through Sunday. For weekday rates, check SacPark.
• Street meters allow two hours, 10am to 10pm, seven days a week. Two hours is too short for a museum and lunch, so a group is better off in a garage.
• Some businesses validate garage parking. The railroad museum does not.

The Amtrak station, Sacramento Valley Station, is a short walk away, and several Sacramento Regional Transit bus routes stop on 3rd Street. A walk north along the river reaches Discovery Park, where the American River Parkway trail begins.

Where to eat with a big group

Old Sacramento has restaurants, bars, cafes and sweet shops along a few blocks, so a group can eat together or split up and meet afterward.

How to make it work for 10 or more:

• Call ahead for any table of eight or more, and ask whether they can seat the group together or take a set menu.
• Eat off-peak. Waterfront restaurants fill at noon on weekends. Lunch at 11:30am or after 1:30pm is much easier for a big table.
• Split lunch, share dinner. Let households pick their own quick lunch on the boardwalks, then gather for one reserved dinner, at the Delta King or back at the house.
• Keep sweets for the walk. The sweet shops are an easy reward for younger kids between stops.

Our guide to the best restaurants in Sacramento for large groups covers more places that seat a big table.

A sample day for a group of twelve

Example: a Saturday visit for eight adults and four kids aged 6 to 17.

At the listed rates, the railroad museum comes to $108 for that group (8 adults at $11 and 4 youths at $5), and weekend garage parking for three cars is $45. Add an Underground Tour for all twelve at $340 plus the processing fee, or the river cruise at the current price on the City Cruises site.

For the holiday season, the district runs a tree lighting and a light show. Check the official site for this year's dates, or see our guide to Sacramento holiday events for families and the Sacramento events calendar.

Where a big group should stay

A large house in the suburbs gives a group bedrooms, parking and a dinner table for everyone, a short drive from Old Sacramento.

Our seven-bedroom Sacramento House sleeps 16, and our Sacramento homes and Roseville homes keep downtown within reach. For the rest of the trip, our guide to things to do in Sacramento with a large group covers the Capitol, the river trail and day trips, and our family reunions page helps with planning a bigger gathering.

The bottom line

Old Sacramento works for a group because it is small, walkable and full of things that suit different ages. Build the day around the railroad museum at the group rate, add an Underground Tour or the afternoon river cruise, park once in a garage, and book any table of eight or more ahead. Then head back to the house for dinner.