City of Sacramento

California's state capital, SACRAMENTO, in the flatlands of the Central Valley, was founded in 1839 by the Swiss John Sutter. He worked hard for ten years to build a busy trading center and cattle ranch, only to be thwarted by the discovery of gold at a nearby sawmill in 1848. His workers quit their jobs to go prospecting, and thousands more flocked to the goldfields of the Central Mother Lode, without any respect for Sutter's claims to the land. Sacramento became the main supply point for the miners, and remained important as the western headquarters of the transcontinental railroad. Flashy office towers and hotel complexes have now sprung from its rather suburban streetscape, enlivening the flat grid of leafy, tree-lined blocks, and going some way towards resurrecting the rowdy, free-for-all spirit of the city's Gold Rush past.

Sacramento is not especially prominent on most travelers' itineraries. There's not a great deal to see, though the wharves, warehouses, saloons and stores of the historic core along the riverfront have been restored and converted into the touristy shops and restaurants of Old Sacramento. On the northern edge of the old town, the California State Railroad Museum (daily 10am–5pm; $3) brings together a range of lavishly restored 1860s locomotives, with "cow-catcher" front grilles and bulbous smokestacks. The old passenger station and freight depot, a block south on Front Street, now serve as the summer depot for a refurbished Central Pacific Railroad steam train (summer weekends 11am–5pm; $6), which makes a seven-mile, 45-minute round-trip along the river.

Further east, and isolated from downtown, the dome of the state capitol stands proudly in a spacious green park two blocks south of K Street Mall. Recently restored to its original elegance, and still the seat of state government, the luxurious building brims over with finely crafted details. Although you're free to walk around, you'll see a lot more if you take one of the free hourly tours (daily 9am–5pm).

Sutter's Fort State Historic Park (daily 10am–4.30pm; $3), on the east side of town at 27th and L streets, is a re-creation of Sacramento's original settlement, dating back to 1839. An adobe house displays relics from the Gold Rush, and on summer weekends volunteers dress up and act out scenes from the 1850s