Flights to Sacramento
 

The Golden State’s capital and oldest incorporated city was established in 1849. Today, Sacramento's 2.5 million residents primarily concern themselves with government and education, though health care and tech are gaining steam as well. There’s something typically American about this friendly town, which may explain why it’s been the setting for televisions shows from Eight is Enough to The Mentalist — and it has an easy way about it that makes visitors feel right at home.

Sacramento owes a lot of its early growth to the California gold rush and you can experience some of that history firsthand in Old Sacramento, a 28-acre registered landmark on the banks of the Sacramento River. When you stroll its dirt roads and wander through its shops, museums and Old West buildings, you’ll feel like a real Forty-Niner. There’s more history nearby at the California State Railroad Museum, the largest of its kind in North America, which displays 21 restored locomotives that date back to the 1860s.

Sac-Town residents love their sports, and the biggest local draw is the NBA’s Sacramento Kings. If you’re feeling adventurous and have a car, get out of town for a spell and take in the nearby Eldorado National Forest. Located in the Sierra Nevada mountain range, it's only about an hour away but its nearly 800,000 acres of spectacular views make it well worth the drive.