Local Sights

Mansion tours :: Guest discounts :: Museums and attractions :: Outdoors :: Youth programs

Mansion tours

The Sacramento Hostel staff provides free tours of the mansion from 5 to 10 p.m. daily, and to groups by appointment. Tours are open to the general public; please call the hostel at (916) 443-1691 to reserve. Our public tours are free, but we will never turn down a donation to Hostelling International.

Guest discounts

Sacramento Hostel guests can take advantage of dozens of special discounts on museums, attractions, restaurants, and shopping!

Sacramento Gold Card
Ask for your free Sacramento Gold Card when you check in. Your Gold Card entitles you to discounts at dozens of attractions, restaurants, and retail stores around Sacramento. Two-for-one tickets are available for a number of museums, including the California State Railroad Museum and Crocker Art Museum, as well as family-oriented attractions like Fairytale Town and the Esquire IMAX Theatre. Shopping sprees will be much easier to justify with coupon and incentive books for both Arden Fair Mall and Westfield Downtown Plaza. Foodies will be lured by free appetizers or discounts to restaurants like the Pyramid Ale House and Brewery and California Fats Asia Grill and Dim Sum Bar.

California State History Museum
Guests need only present their current Sacramento Hostel receipt for two-for-one admission at the California State History Museum (1020 O Street).
Bike Sacramento
Get 25 percent off all bike rentals when you present your Hostelling International membership card at Bike Sacramento (1050 Front Street).

Museums and attractions

California State Capitol Building

Forty acres of gardens with 340 varieties of trees from around the world surround this awe-inspiring building where legislators have assembled since 1869. The California State Capitol was restored in the 1970s to its original turn-of-the-century magnificence. Free tour tickets are handed out on a first-come, first-served basis or you can pay a small fee to catch an overview of the legislative process. The capitol gardens feature California's Vietnam Veterans' Memorial and other public art.

Old Sacramento

This four-block historic district founded in 1848 was a major commercial and agricultural center during the Gold Rush. Now it is Sacramento's most popular destination. Visitors experience everything from wagon trains to stagecoaches, riverboats to the first transcontinental railroad. Old Sacramento sits along the Sacramento River and is filled with dozens of restaurants, shops, and saloons. It is also home to the Crocker Art Museum (see below).

Crocker Art Museum

The Crocker Art Museum (est. 1885) is one of Northern California's largest and best museums of regional artists. The collection spans from the 10th century to contemporary periods and includes a stunning collection of European master drawings and a notable selection of contemporary California art. Museum programs include touring exhibitions, educational programs, public tours, and concerts.

Discovery Museum

History, science, space, and technology converge at the Discovery Museum, a replica of the city's 1854 City Hall and Waterworks Building. The museum provides a hands-on exploration of Sacramento's past, present, and future as experts demystify the skies in the Planetarium and elevate the habits and habitats of native wildlife in the Nature Discovery Room. Teachers will love the fact that all of the Discovery Museum's K-12 educational services are designed to reinforce the concepts identified in the California Department of Education's subject framework.

California State Railroad Museum

This world-class tribute to the role of the "iron horse" includes 21 lavishly restored locomotives and cars from the 1860s to the 1960s--a dream world for every child and railroad buff in America. The California State Railroad Museum tells the story of how rail travel transformed American society starting in the West. It include a full-scale diorama of an 1860s construction site high in the Sierra Nevada as well as a bridge elevated 24 feet above the museum floor.

Sutter's Fort / California State Indian Museum

Step back in time at Sacramento's earliest settlement: Sutter's Fort, the first non-Indian settlement in California's Central Valley. John Sutter developed this 48,000-acre patch of wilderness into a European-style self-contained settlement in 1839. The entire site has been restored, along with the California State Indian Museum, which includes artifacts from more than 100 California tribes.

California State History Museum

The California State History Museum opened in 1998 as the Golden State Museum. It was developed to capture the stories of California's vibrant people, places, and promise, and to bring California's rich history to life while providing access to resources from the California State Official Archives. The museum also displays momentous documents like the state constitution, and successfully incorporates multimedia exhibits.

Outdoors

Two major rivers run through the city of Sacramento: the Sacramento River and the American River.

Whether you're seeking a lazy afternoon float or a true adrenaline rush, the American River is particularly popular for swimming, whitewater rafting, kayaking, and "tubing." Sacramento is also the start of the American River Parkway, an impressive 23-mile stretch of tree-lined trail where pedestrians and cyclists can follow the sparkling river all the way to the town of Folsom.

There are also many guided trips available along both the Sacramento and American rivers.

Youth programs

Tailored intercultural programming is available to youth and student groups, including World Travel 101, Cultural Kitchen, the Community Walls mural project, and Girl Scouts badge work. For details, please see the Programs section of the Golden Gate Council website.

Reservations