Sacramento Family Reunion Planning Guide

A family reunion is one of the best reasons to rent a large home. Everyone sleeps under one roof, meals happen around one table, and the time between activities becomes the part people remember. Sacramento is a good place to hold one: it is central, easy to reach and has plenty to do for every age.

Step 1: Set the date and the head count

Send a short poll with two or three weekend options and ask each household how many people would come. Once you have a date and a rough count, you know how many bedrooms you need. A good rule is one bedroom per couple or household, with kids sharing rooms or using bunk space.

Step 2: Find a home that fits

Look for:

• Enough bedrooms and bathrooms for the number of households.
• A big kitchen and dining area, since shared meals are the heart of a reunion.
• Outdoor space for kids to play and adults to sit together in the evening.
• Parking for several cars.

Our seven-bedroom Sacramento House suits larger families, and the Roseville House works for a smaller gathering and puts Lake Tahoe within a day trip. See all our Sacramento area homes.

Step 3: Plan a light schedule

The best reunions have one or two planned outings and plenty of unstructured time. Good Sacramento options include:

• Old Sacramento and the California State Railroad Museum for a morning everyone can enjoy.
• The American River Parkway for a walk, bike ride or picnic.
• A day trip to Gold Country or Folsom Lake. See our day trips guide.

Plan a family photo early in the trip, before anyone has to leave.

Step 4: Share the cooking

Assign each household one meal. It spreads the work, saves money and gives everyone a chance to cook a family recipe. Keep a shared list of groceries so the first shopping trip covers the basics.

Step 5: Split costs fairly

Decide how the cost of the home is shared before anyone books. Common approaches are an even split per adult, or per bedroom. Our guide to splitting costs on a group rental walks through the options.

A sample three-day plan

• Day one: arrivals through the afternoon, a simple dinner at the house and time to catch up.
• Day two: a morning outing together, the family photo, then a long dinner with everyone cooking.
• Day three: a slow breakfast and goodbyes before checkout.

Keep the schedule loose. The conversations at the kitchen table are usually what people remember most.

Getting there

Sacramento International Airport serves most major US cities, and Interstate 5 and Interstate 80 meet near the city, which makes it a short drive for family elsewhere in Northern California.

For more reunion ideas in any of our destinations, see our family reunions page.

Frequently asked questions