Old-World Elegance and Live Entertainment Aboard 1920s Riverboat

In the late 1920s, the Delta King riverboat ferried travelers between San Francisco and the riverside town of Sacramento. These trips were often a whirlwind of wild jazz music, gambling, and gourmet dinners. Although the stately 285-foot paddlewheel boat has been permanently docked in Old Sacramento since 1989, you can still climb aboard for a taste of Old-World charm—it has been entirely renovated and restored and renamed the Delta King Hotel.

The floating Delta King keeps its guests sated and entertained with two restaurants and two theaters onsite. The fully refurbished Pilothouse serves international cuisine for dinner, as well as their renowned made-to-order breakfast for two, complete with bacon, sausage, or ham alongside eggs, potatoes, muffins, juice, and coffee. Classes offered at the onboard wine school impart knowledge about ideal wine pairings.

Inside the Riverview staterooms, mahogany furnishings and brass accents radiate elegance, and wide windows look out onto the Sacramento River. Many of the staterooms open onto a shared outdoor deck, and bike trips down the American River Bike Trail showcase further panoramic views of the water.

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

During the gold rush, Sacramento—now California's capital city—was alive with activity. Locomotives chugged along the transcontinental railroad, riverboats steamed through the Sacramento River, and miners trekked underground in search of gold. Today, Old Sacramento maintains that rustic, Old West aesthetic. Nineteenth-century buildings line its cobblestone streets, and you can still hitch a ride on a horse-drawn wagon.

Relics of other eras are scattered throughout the city as well—restored locomotives from the Civil War populate the California State Railroad Museum, and antique gold scales and gilded harnesses are on display at the Wells Fargo Museum. Ten feet below the city's wooden sidewalks, an underground tour explores Old Sacramento's original foundation, built before the city streets were elevated as a precaution against rising river waters and grabby river monsters.

Read the Fine Print for important info on travel dates and other restrictions.