Hotel at a Glance: Best Western Sandman

The award-winning Best Western Sandman is in a perfect location for exploring the Sacramento area—the hotel is just off I-5, 1 mile from Old Sacramento, and within walking distance of downtown. Just steps from the property, you can bike and walk along trails next to the Sacramento River. Bring your dog and check out nearby Discovery Park.

• Complimentary free breakfast includes eggs, breakfast meats, coffee, pastries, and fruit
• Splash around in the heated outdoor pool or relax in the hot tub.
• Take the free shuttle to Old Sacramento, the Sacramento Convention Center, and the airport.
• Work out in the onsite fitness center.
• Onsite dining: Enjoy shrimp enchiladas and carne asada at Nena’s Mexican Cuisine.
• Notable accolades: The hotel won the Best Western Director’s Award for Outstanding Quality Assurance three years in a row.
• Pet-friendly: Up to two pets under 80 lbs. may be added for an additional $15 per pet per night in the double-queen room.

Sacramento, California: Old-West-Style Town with Rich Gold-Rush History

Sacramento—the present-day capital of California—made a name for itself in the mid-1800s when the first traces of the state’s rich gold deposits were discovered in nearby Coloma. Remnants of the iconic gold-rush era can still be found in Old Sacramento, a designated National Historic Landmark that spans eight blocks. Here, 19th-century buildings and wooden boardwalks line cobblestone streets punctuated by old-fashioned hitching posts. Pop into the River City Saloon for a pint of sarsaparilla beer, or dive into the candy-filled wooden barrels at Munchies Salt Water Taffy.

At the north end of Old Sacramento is the 100,000-square-foot California State Railroad Museum. Among the museum’s holdings are 21 massive, restored locomotives, some of which date back to the Civil War. Nearby, the Crocker Art Museum—founded in 1885 by the widow of a railroad magnate—is one of the oldest continuously operating art museums in the western U.S. Permanent exhibits range from an extensive collection of regional California art to international ceramics and classical European paintings.

Due to the confluence of the American and Sacramento Rivers downtown, Sacramento is also known as River City. Bicyclists and joggers flock to the American River Parkway, a 23-mile paved trail that hugs the waterway.

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