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:
- Old Sacramento General Store — Souvenirs, masks, and apparel
- Old Sacramento Shirts & Gifts — Souvenirs, novelties, and gift items
- Old Town Train Stop — Souvenirs and gifts
- Evangeline’s — Themed costume apparel and novelty gift items
- Sacramento Sports & Souvenirs — Sports apparel and souvenir store
- Threadeco — Clothing Boutique
- Old Sac Tee’s — Toy shop, gifts, and souvenirs
- G. Wilikers Toy Emporium — Toy store and merchandise
- Old City Kites — Kits, toys, games, and home decorations
- Golden Gifts — Sports and souvenirs
- City Girls Studio — Women’s clothing, shoes, cosmetics, and accessories
- Ink & Image LLC — Creations from poets, photographers, and artists
- A Million Sunglasses — Sunglass shop
- American Legacy — Retail store that sells Native American items
- Bearpaw — Shoe retail store
- Cali Way — Sacramento memorabilia and souvenir shop
- California Gifts & Shirts — Custom apparel shops
- Flip Flop Shops — Flip flop and casual footwear
- LiBush International Connections Africa — Art, apparel, jewelry, skin items and more
- Mea Vita — Boutique specializing in Italian linen apparel, leather handbag accessories, and handcrafted jewelry.
- Peruvian Crafts — A shop that sells Peruvian products
- Sock City — Sock store
- In Velo Veritas — Bicycle shop
- Rumble Motors — Electric motorcycle shop
- Ology — Crystal shop
- Boss Vapor Company — Vapor shop
- Casa de Mercado — Mexican goods
- El Maya — Handmade items by El Maya Indian Tribe
- Old Sacramento Trading Post — Leather accessories and semi-precious stones
- Kolores — Mexican imports, gifts, and tin products
- Warehouse Creative — Boutique shop
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:
- O’Mally’s Pub
- Frankie’s Pizza
- Cerealism
- Blueprint Coffee Project
- The Union Lounge Bar & Grill
- Back Door Lounge
- Bail Kitchen
- Boxcar Eats Frozen Yogurt
- Brannan Manor Restaurant & Spirits
- Candy Barrel
- Candy Heaven
- Candy Land
- Chefs’ Olive Mix
- Danny’s Mini Donuts
- Emma’s Tamales
- Fanny Ann’s Saloon
- Firehouse
- Honey and the Trapcat
- Hoppy’s Railyard Kitchen & Hopgarden
- i-Shanghai Delight Chinese Restaurant
- Joe’s Crab Shack
- La Terraza Mexican Food
- Munchies Salt Water Taffy
- Old Sacramento Cafe
- Railroad Fish & Chips
- Rio City Cafe
- River City Saloon
- Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory
- Round Table Pizza
- Sacramento Sweets Co.
- Sean Finnegan’s Pub
- Slice of Old Sac Pizza
- Steamer’s Bakery & Cafe
- Subway
- The Delta King Riverboat
- The Old Fashioned Candy and Confectionary Store
- The Original House of Soul
- Underground Tasting Room
- Willie’s Burgers