California’s capital city of Sacramento is plating up a lot of tasty fare for meetings and conventions, with a burgeoning “farm-to-fork” scene backing up its stature as perhaps the agricultural capital of the nation, if not the world.
“Sacramento is front and center of the meetings industry trend calling for locally sourced food,” says Steve Hammond, president & CEO of the Sacramento CVB. “The Sacramento Convention Center, hotels and restaurants have embraced the ‘farm-to-table’ concept, which is not a reach in Sacramento, recognized as ‘America’s Farm-to-Fork Capital."
Set in the hyper-productive San Joaquin Valley, with some 1.5 million acres of active farmland nearby, Greater Sacramento also supports some 200 wineries and 35 craft breweries to wash down the locally sourced produce.
The region’s bounty can be enjoyed at downtown restaurants such as Ella Dining Room & Bar, a favorite hang of capital city politicos and which features a wine sommelier. The family-owned restaurant, which has wowed Sacto diners for more than 20 years, specializes in locally sourced produce and meats, with highlights being its lamb shank and a richly decadent bone marrow appetizer.
Beyond its burgeoning restaurant scene, Sacramento also boasts a number of museums that befit its standing as the capital of the nation’s most-populous state, with founding families playing benefactor from riches stretching back to the Gold Rush and Railroad Era.
The Crocker Art Museum, established in 1885, has the distinction of being one of the first art museums in the U.S., and boasts one of the most well regarded collections of Californian art, as well as ceramics and collections from international sources. The museum neighbors founder Edwin B. Crocker’s—brother of railroad baron Charles—mansion, itself a bit of a museum piece.
An immensely intriguing museum located in the city’s authentic Old Town district is the California State Railroad Museum, comprising six buildings and offering 225,000 square feet of vintage railroad glory that attracts a half a million visitors from around the world annually. Highlights include 21 lovingly restored locomotives and cars, a Pullman-style sleeping car and a dining car filled with authentic railroad china. During a visit by Meetings Focus, we actually witnessed a young boy literally crying to his mom, begging not to leave!
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Sports fans will find a field of dreams just across the Sacramento River from downtown in West Sacramento at Raley Field, home to the Sacramento River Cats, now the AAA affiliate of the World Series champion San Francisco Giants, and a great venue for corporate outings and events. The stadium features a full-time staff of events professionals, with venues that include the Beer Garden, Solon Club, Party Suite and Right Field BBQ. Groups can even stage their own softball game on the field.
The big news on the sports scene, though, is the Sacramento Entertainment & Sports Center, currently under construction downtown. The project will bring two hotels, including a 250-room boutique hotel, residential units and be within walking distance of the convention district. Home to NBA’s Sacramento Kings, the facility will feature state-of-the-art technology that will make it a prime venue for large meetings and events.
Major hotel properties in the Central Business District include a Hyatt Regency, the Sheraton Grand and Capitol Plaza Holiday Inn.
For that upscale historic feeling, delegates will enjoy The Citizen Hotel, a sumptuously designed 196-room Joie de Vivre property that is the “in” place to stay in town. With 9,900 square feet of meeting space, including a nearly 3,000-square-foot, fully enclosed Metropolitan Terrace with panoramic views of the State Capitol. A repurposed bank building dating to the 1920s, The Citizen boasts the Grand Restaurant & Bar—another farm-to-fork favorite—and is adorned with a captivating collection of political cartoon art throughout.
Capping it all off is the recent $1 billion expansion of Sacramento International Airport, and the city’s favorable price point—especially in relation to nearby San Francisco, about 90 miles away—and location only about three hours west of the jewel of the national park system, Yosemite. mf
