Sacramento Tours Top Ten List

By Dawnie • September 2, 2011

Sacramento has so much to offer. History, Food, Architecture, The Delta, Museums, Riverwalk, Tree-Lined Streets, Live Music, Art…..the list goes on and on.  Whether you are a local looking for a fun day out or someone coming to Sacramento for the very first time – take advantage of one of the many tours that offered in our City of Trees!

1. Local Roots Food Tours

Food and history sprinkled with fun and wrapped up into a 3 hour tour is one of a kind in our agriculturally renown city.  Lisa Armstrong (Private chef and owner of Local Roots Food Tours) started offering walking food and cultural tours in March 2010. Meeting at a local restaurant the tour begins with meeting executive chefs and owners and tasting signature dishes off their daily menu.  Local Roots Food tours currently offers two Sacramento walking food tours; City of  Trees and Origins of Sacramento.  Both tours highlight 6 food stops all while walking through historical neighborhoods and past National Landmarks in Sacramento. Their third tour takes place in beautiful northern mining town, Nevada City.  This tour takes food tour ticket holders on a historical journey stopping at 8 different eateries! 

Participants walk a little over 2 miles (1.5 in Nevada City) and indulge in local cuisine. Come hungry though! These aren’t Costco sized samples! Restaurants are eager to showcase their fresh ingredients on their menus and specialty drinks (including local wines and cocktails). Local Roots provides you with coupons for your next visits back to these eateries! These 3 hour guided tours are sure to please and fill your bellies! You’ll have an amazing time learning about these historic neighborhoods while indulging in some hidden gem restaurants and picking the chefs and owners brains! A must see! Tour schedules, ticket prices and information are located on the website listed above.

2. Sacramento Tree Foundation Tree Tours

On Arbor Day in 2008, the Sacramento Tree Foundation began a campaign to double the region’s tree canopy over the next 40 years. By 2025, Sacramento Tree Foundation wants to have planted 5 million trees in six regions of Sacramento. The foundation has set up programs to give the public free shade trees to be planted and hit the goal of 5 million trees! STF has done an amazing job getting the word out about exploring neighborhoods that are in need of new trees, donating to the cause and learning about trees in general. STF has set up tours that are held throughout various times during the year and showcase excellent examples of mature trees. Knowledgeable tour guides explore many Sacramento neighborhoods and taking a tour is a great way to see what the tree in your front yard will look like in 10-20 years! It is a great way to explore new sections of Sacramento and take notice of just how fortunate we are to live in the “City of Trees!” Some of the guided tours include: Southside Park, River Park, McKinley Park, Del Campo, Arden Park, Gibbons Park and Woodlake Tree Tour. To find out more about the tree tours contact Sacramento Tree Foundation at the email or phone number listed above.

3. Fast Eddie Bike Tours

Eddie, sometimes known as “Fast Eddie” is a local Sacramentan and has a passion for biking , adventure and history. Eddie offers tours throughout Sacramento highlighting different areas including: Midtown History Tour, Capital City Tour (Capital building, Sutter’s Fort and old Sacramento) or the Delta County Tour. What if you don’t have a bike? Eddie will provide one for you at an additional cost! What if I get hungry? Depending on the tour, Eddie will provide a light lunch/snack! The nice thing about Fast Eddie’s is that tours can range from 5miles- 70 miles! You get to choose how far you want to ride and where you want your destination to be! Eddie is knowledgeable about Sacramento and wants you to find a passion for biking along the way! There are too many tour options to include here so check out their schedule online and book today! It’s a guaranteed good time!

4. Leland Stanford Mansion State Historic Park

Amasa Leland Stanford was one of California’s first tycoons, politician and founder of Stanford University. Stanford moved to California during the Gold Rush with his wife Jane and set up his affairs in Sacramento becoming one of the main investors in Central Pacific Railroad. The state of California has opened up his mansion provide an intimate view of Leland and Jane Stanford’s home as it appeared in the 1860s and 1870s. This tour gives insight to this amazing man who helped shape California as a state! Research has helped in the restoration of the mansion including the original Stanford family furnishings. On the guided tour you will learn about the Stanford, his family and his brilliance in furthering education here in California. Tours are guided daily several times a day. Tour schedule and prices are listed on the website listed above. A must see!

5. Governor’s Mansion

Built in 1877 for Albert and Clemenza Gallatin, owners of a Sacramento hardware store, this amazing mansion that politicians made this mansion their home. Ronald Regan lived in this home before becoming President of the United States. Visitors of this tour will get the behind the scene look at marble fireplaces from Italy, gold mirrors from France and a look at the architecture used in the late 1800’s. The fine details of the homes construction are pointed out and you will be amazed at the scrollwork and variety of artistic design throughout the house. Tours are given daily and fees, schedule and dates are available at the website listed above. This tour is a must see for locals!

6.  Sacramento Wine Tours

Swirl, smell, swish, and sip at the most popular wineries and discover intimate hidden gems along the way. All of their tours were created by winery owners who came together to offer you an unmatched wine experience. Share in their passion, and experience wine in a whole new way.

They can accommodate small and large groups alike, and each tour can be tailored to suit your needs. If you don’t see a wine tour that interests you, they can customize one for you. They’ll provide the transportation and handle the logistics so you can relax and enjoy your day.

Tour Packages:  http://www.sacramentowinetours.com/tours.html

7. Self-Guided History Tours by Sacramento Heritage Inc.

Sacramento is filled with amazing architecture and many of us know that sometimes our busy schedules will not allow us to join a guided tour around the city. Sacramento Heritage Incorporated saw this as not an obstacle, but rather a selling point. The organization has set up self-guided walking tours complete with maps, showcasing landmarks and architecture that are woven throughout Sacramento. The maps and information on the tour is available to be printed on your home computer and gives you an accurate way to explore on your own time. Some of the self-guided tours include: Boulevard Park Walking Tour, Sacramento Bungalow Association Walking Tour, J & K Street Commercial Corridor Walking Tour, California History (especially written for children) Walking Tour and many more! Check their website (listed above) for many more accommodating and self relying tours. There is one for the history buff in all of us!

8. Old Sacramento Underground Tours

We all know that Sacramento obviously has quite a history behind it, but many people visiting from out of town (or locals for that matter) do not know that Sacramento has a labyrinth of raised streets and cavernous sidewalks built in the 1860’s and 70’s built for flood control. Tours meet at the Sacramento History Museum and you and your tour guide explore excavated buildings and artifacts underground where two major rivers met and flooded yearly, all which eventually let to a “street-raising” project. Sacramento Old City Association, has just recently won a California Preservation Foundation award for their underground tour and you would be silly not to check it out. The tours run 5 days a week (check website for tour times) and are very interesting, fun and informative. A must for any out of towner or local unaware of the amazing exhibition of underground life!

9. Downtown Sacramento Partnership

The Downtown Sacramento Partnership encourages the enthusiasm of learning about the past 150 years in Sacramento’s history. The DSP wants residents and visitors to learn about John Sutter and Cesar Chavez as well as the state and local history. Tour topics include art and architecture, cultural, religious and urban history. Several tours are offered from DSP including the Old Sacramento Speakeasy Tour. This two hour guided tour brings you through some Old Sacramento underground bars that have seen some interesting and secretive things during the prohibition. You learn fascinating things about the “wettest city in the Union” all while enjoying some drinks that are offered for purchase for those over 21. The DSP also offers a tour called The Art of Terra Cotta which highlights downtowns best representations of the art form with terra cotta tiles, pipes and sculptures. The tour discusses the process of working with the clay and works from the Gladding McBean studio. The selection of tours from DSP changes often, so if interested check out the website above for tours, dates, times and prices. There will be a tour listed on the website that will get almost everyone interested in Downtown Sacramento in some way!

10. Sacramento Segway Tour

I know you’ve seen these crazy contraptions that you stand on that allow you to travel quicker than walking or even jogging for that matter. What if you were able to explore downtown Sacramento atop one of these crazy doo-dads? Now, you can! The Sacramento Segway Tour allows anyone over the age of 14 to rent a Segway and after a 30 minutes training session, explore downtown Sacramento in a new, fun and exciting way! The tour takes you throughout downtown Sacramento pointing out historical buildings and fun Capital Facts! See Sacramento in a different way! On a Segway! Helmets are provided to tour participants and the tour runs for about 2 hours. Ticket prices, tour hours and information are provided on the tour website listed above.