Rooms for the Night
The Sacramento region has close to 11,000 hotel rooms, with the downtown area offering the most full-service hotels. There are an estimated 1,300 hotel rooms within a short stroll of the convention center. The city’s hotels meet all type of budgets. The two main convention hotels are the Sheraton Grand Sacramento and the Hyatt Regency Sacramento, each with 503 sleeping rooms. The CVB likes to call that combination the Sacramento Convention Package, meaning the convention center and those two major hotel choices are all within steps of each other.
For those groups that prefer to meet closer to the airport, the Natomas area is a good choice. Another option for meeting attendees is the Sacramento Point West Marketplace, with its abundant meeting facilities, and shopping, hotel, restaurant and entertainment options.
Several new hotel brands have recently arrived in Sacramento. They include the Kimpton, a 250-room boutique hotel, and the Citizen Hotel, part of the Marriott Autograph Collection. Testa said the fact that the city is able to attract these new high-end hotels indicates that the city is growing.
In Your Off Time
Sacramento is lucky to enjoy about 230 days of sunshine each year, and that means residents and visitors alike can enjoy many outdoor activities. The CVB’s website, Sacrament365.com, offers a daily list of things going on in the area. The easy-to-use calendar lets users filter and review activities by date, type and venue.
Food is central to much of what people like to do in Sacramento. California cuisine is world famous, and it doesn’t get much fresher. Wine is an honored tradition in the city. Many wineries offer free tastings, and you can arrange a tour to see up close the winemaking process and interact with the people behind the products.
History and Sports
Sacramento has plenty of history to talk about. The start of what would become California began here, and years later, the world poured into the region during the California gold rush. The city loves its 28-acre riverfront area in Old Sacramento. It has shops, an entertainment district, restaurants and historic attractions. Every Labor Day weekend, the streets of Old Sacramento are transformed into 1849 during the Gold Rush Days celebration.
The 23-mile river parkway is a waterway and a popular recreation area with whitewater rafting for adventurous visitors. The state Capitol is nearby and paints quite a portrait of the state’s colorful history, triumphs and tragedies. The area is teeming with 30 different museums, among them tributes to the gold rush and the Transcontinental Railroad, which changed transportation in the state forever. The largest railroad museum in North America can be found there, along with no less than 22 locomotives.
Sports are huge in this warm-weather haven. Celebrating its 10th anniversary, America’s largest cycling race will roll through Sacramento again this year. The Amgen Tour of California is an eight-day, 700-mile stage race that zips through some of the state’s most scenic territory. Sacramento will also serve as host to the U.S. Junior Olympics and many other sporting events. The sports travel market is huge. Adult and youth sports find a home and exciting competition in Sacramento. Both are also good for local tourism, as thousands of friends and family members follow the athletes on the road to their contests.
Sacramento, California
Location: Central California, 88 miles northeast of San Francisco
Access: Sacramento International Airport, interstates 5 and 80, Amtrak
Major Meeting Spaces: Sacramento Convention Center, Cal Expo, Memorial Auditorium, McClellan Conference Center, Sleep Train Arena
Hotel Rooms: 11,000 in metro area, 1,300 close to the convention center
Offsite Venues: State Capitol, Old Sacramento, 30 museums, river parkway, NBA’s Sacramento Kings
Contact Info:
Sacramento Convention and Visitors Bureau
800-292-2334
www.visitsacramento.com
