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.