SACRAMENTO, Calif. (KTXL) — The Old Sacramento Waterfront is one of the capital city’s better-known historical and tourist sites, and is the site where the City of Sacramento began its development during the 1800s. 

The area of the Old Sacramento Waterfront is a California Historic Landmark and National Historic Landmark, according to the California Department of Parks and Recreation.

Long known as Old Sacramento, the area was recently rebranded as the Old Sacramento Waterfront, including a new neon sign, in order to capitalize on the neighborhood’s connection to the Sacramento River.

The 28-acre site pays homage to the beginning of the Gold Rush in 1849 and many of Old Sacramento’s buildings are either recreated or restored from that era, according to the city’s tourism bureau Visit Sacramento.

Old Sacramento consists of less than a dozen blocks that are bounded by the Sacramento River on the west, I Street on the north, Interstate 5 on the east and Capitol Mall on the south, which is just south of L Street.

The waterfront has been a tourist attraction for many years and is packed with museums, eateries, bars, and souvenir shops, and includes riverboat rides and horse-drawn carriage rides. The waterfront also has a permanent Ferris wheel and carousel that were added in recent years. 

There are hotels near the Waterfront, but visitors can stay in the historic part of Old Sacramento at the Delta King Riverboat, a boat restored into a 44-room hotel, which is also used for weddings, conferences and other special events. For nearby hotels, click here.

Old Sacramento has four bathrooms, three of them on Front Street and the other on 2nd Street and K Street Mall. 

When arriving in Old Sacramento, there are a couple of options for parking, but a fee is required. There are two garages, one on I Street between 3rd and 2nd streets and the Tower Bridge Garage on Capitol Mall at Neasham Circle, on the south end of the neighborhood near the Tower Bridge. 

Metered parking is available throughout the streets of Old Sacramento seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. For more information about rates, click here. 

When walking along the area’s cobblestone streets, here’s what you’ll find at Old Sacramento.

Shops

According to the Old Sacramento Waterfront website, the historic district has over 125 shopping, dining, events, and attractions.

When it comes to shopping, here are the stores at Old Sacramento: 

Museums

For history buffs out there, Old Sacramento has multiple museums where you can learn about the history of California and the City of Sacramento. 

Here are the museums inside the area: 

Residents and visitors can learn more about Sacramento’s history with Old Sacramento Underground Tours. Those tours run seven days a week and are limited to 20 people per group. The underground tours give Sacramentans and visitors a glimpse of how Sacramento lifted itself from the flood waters during the 1860s and 1870s, according to the Waterfront’s website.  

Restaurants, bars, and eateries

Need a place to eat or unwind after a full day of checking out shops or glancing through museums? Old Sacramento has plenty of choices to choose from. 

Here is where you can eat or get a drink: