Old Sacramento State Historic Park, Historical park in Sacramento, United States
Old Sacramento State Historic Park is a riverfront quarter in Sacramento, California, with mid-19th-century buildings and wooden sidewalks along several streets. The rows of structures are made of brick and timber with balconies, iron railings, and large shop windows that recall a time when merchants sold goods here.
The quarter began in the 1850s as a landing and storage area where steamboats brought supplies for prospectors and settlers. A few decades later, engineers raised the streets to avoid flooding, leaving the old ground floors beneath the new level.
The name Old Sacramento, shortened to Old Sac or Old Town Sac, dates from the 1960s renewal, when the district was rebuilt as a living history centre modelled on Colonial Williamsburg. Annual events held in the streets include the Sacramento Music Festival, formerly the Sacramento Jazz Jubilee, Gold Rush Days and a St. Patrick's Day Parade.
Visitors can walk through the lanes with raised wooden boardwalks and should wear comfortable shoes for the uneven surfaces. The quarter is busier on weekends, but most shops and museums open on weekdays as well.
The street-raising of the 1860s left the old ground floors buried; many tunnels remain under Old Sacramento and downtown. The B. F. Hastings Building, a National Historic Landmark, was the western terminal of the Pony Express and the first home of the California Supreme Court.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 94,758 contributors worldwide.