Mom's California Visit, Part 4: Sacramento Zoo, Old Sacramento, Sacramento History Museum

On Saturday, June 27, Mom and I started our morning with brunch at Willow, the hotel restaurant. I ordered the lemon ricotta pancake, not expecting that it would be the size of a birthday cake instead of a pancake. It was incredible. I had to get a box to save half of it, despite giving Mom a generous slice to try. Mom's french toast was fantastic, too. 

Our first destination was the Sacramento Zoo. I've been there many times, most recently with Trevor in 2024. This was Mom's first visit. 

  

  

I love capybaras. The Sac Zoo has four babies and they're as cute as can be. 

I was surprised to see alligators in the area that formerly house flamingos. It turns out that they moved the flamingos due to the risk of them contracting avian flu from wild birds. 

Red pandas on the left, Himalayan monals on the right. Fun fact: The animators from the Pixar move "Up" used these very birds at the Sacramento Zoo as inspiration when designing the character of Kevin. 

  

Okapis. 

We had a wonderful time at the Sacramento Zoo. Next stop: Old Sacramento! This pedestrian path takes you under I-5 and pops right out in the heart of Old Sac. 

Old Sacramento sits on the bank of the American River and is packed with shops, restaurants, and attractions. There are 85 historic buildings, 32 of which are original. It's a fun place to visit. 

Mom has been to Old Sacramento before (decades ago) and I've been there at least 50 times, but I planned an activity that neither of us had done: the Underground Tour. We invited Jonna to join us; she's never taken the tour either. I'm happy to report that it was fantastic! The tour is given by a costumed guide playing a real-life character from the Gold Rush era in Sacramento. Our guide was James L. L. F. Warren, who became known as The Father of California Agriculture. 

Warren was a botanist from Boston who came to Sacramento and opened The New England Seed Store. He sold trees, seeds, and agricultural tools to miners. His store became a hub for agricultural knowledge and innovation. The store also hosted the first California State Fair. Among his many other contributions, Warren introduced camellias to Sacramento, now known as the Camellia Capital of the World. 

Approximately 2/3 of the Underground Tour takes place underground. It's really cool. Unfortunately, pictures are not allowed underground, but you can find videos on the Sacramento History Museum Facebook page. 

  

The tour includes admission to the Sacramento History Museum, where the tour starts and ends. It's packed with interesting information about the history of our capital city. 

After we saw everything at the Sacramento History Museum, we had a delicious dinner at Bear & Crown. 

After a very fun and full day, we headed back to The Exchange. We had one final activity the next day before Mom flew home. I'll tell you about that tomorrow. 

Mom's California Visit, Part 3: Capital, CA Museum, and the Stanford Mansion

On Friday, June 26, after a gourmet breakfast at Willow, Mom and I walked to the California State Capitol. It's an easy 15 minute stroll from The Exchange.   

Despite major construction going on, it is very easy to get in and out of the Capitol. There are public entrances on both the north and south sides of the building. We've been to many other state capitol buildings with just a single public entrance. Inevitably, we end up circling the entire building before finding our way indoors. 

I've been to our Capitol numerous times, but this was Mom's first visit. We looked around the building a bit, then took a guided tour. It was outstanding. Despite my many visits, I learned so much from our guide.

We visited both the House (green) and Senate (red) chambers; the colors are an homage to the British Parliament. It was hard to get good photos, as there are now glass barriers along the gallery. They were installed to prevent members of the public from unfurling banners and/or dropping highly unpleasant things down on assembly members, both of which happened before the barriers went up.  

Our guide told us all about the history of the building, its architectural details, and the artwork within. It's a beautiful building.  

When our tour concluded, we walked two short blocks to the California Museum. Steve, Trevor, and I were there most recently in 2023, but this was Mom's first visit. 

Mickey Mouse might be California's most famous native-born son. It was a fun coincidence that I was wearing my Mickey Mouse shirt that day. 

The California Museum is packed with interesting exhibits about California history and the people who have lived here. This exhibit is all about the inspirational California women who have changed our world.  

This outstanding exhibit looks at the mass incarcerations of Japanese Americans during World War II and the ongoing efforts to make sure no other groups face such egregious civil rights violations in the future. 

There is a fantastic exhibit about the Chinese experience in California, which spans from the Gold Rush to the present. It highlights many barrier-breaking individuals. 

This section highlights the native people of California, with artifacts and histories representing over 100 tribes.  

This is the Unity Center. It encourages all visitors to celebrate the diversity of California, to advocate for unity, and to stand up for the rights of others. 

The California Museum is also home to the California Hall of Fame. There are approximately 180 inductees who have made an impact in the Arts, Business, Entertainment, Food and Wine, Literature, Music, Public Service, Science, or Sports. 

I highly recommend a visit to the California Museum!

We popped back over to the Capitol to grab a quick lunch from The Fry Boys food truck. Yum! The food was really good. 

Our next stop was Leland Stanford Mansion State Historic Park. 

  

This was the first visit for both Mom and me. We had an excellent guide to told us all about the history of the Stanford Mansion and its famous (and not so famous) occupants. The tour starts in the Visitor Center... 

... then moves into the home, which was originally built in 1856. 

This property housed three California governors in the 1860's, including Leland Stanford, president of Central Pacific Railroad. 

You can spot train-themed decorations and furniture designs if you look carefully enough. 

  

During most of the 1900's, the Stanford Mansion was a children's home run by Catholic nuns. Today it is the official reception center for the state of California, hosting leaders and other dignitaries from around the world. 

As we strolled back toward our hotel, we admired some of Sacramento's public art. 

  

During a brief stop at the hotel, I took a picture from the 9th floor looking straight down the stairwell into the lobby. I was holding on tightly to my phone!

  

We had dinner at Yard House, conveniently located right near The Exchange. It's all over the place now, but Yard House began in California. The food is really good - their grilled cheese with roasted tomatoes is to die for. 

Mom and I had another full day of fun exploring Sacramento ahead of us. I'll tell you about that on Monday.