Sacramento, California, is a wonderful city to visit. There are a lot of things to do, exploring the history of the state and local outdoor life. One great way to spend a day, especially if you are traveling with children, is to visit Willam Land Park, on the city’s south side.
William Land Park is about four miles south of Old Sacramento, along the Sacramento River. It is named for one of the early European residents of Sacramento. He is best known for building the Western Hotel in town in 1875. The park has many attractions, including picnic areas, running paths and a public golf course on its 207 acres.
Duck PondOne place to start your visit is at the Lotus Pond. It was built originally as a duck pond. In 2005, park gardener Daisy Mah planted on lotus flower in the pond. Over the years that one plant has multiplied to cover almost the entire area of the pond.
Nearby is Fairytale Town. This is an attraction for children with activities based on many traditional fairy tales and nursery rhymes. Unfortunately, I could not visit Fairytale Town because adults must be accompanied by a child, and I was on my own.
A short walk will bring you to Funderland, an amusement park for children. Funderland has about a dozen rides for kids, including a small roller coaster, a train, and some cars to “drive”.
The main attraction is the Sacramento Zoo. The zoo opened in 1927 with forty animals on four acres. Today it’s more than fourteen acres house over five hundred animals. Among those are giraffes, which you can help feed (for an extra fee). You can also see a red panda, orangutans, chimpanzees and many others. The Zoo also offers many educational stations, including tables staffed by zoo keepers.
Flamingo’s
African Hornbill
Tapir
Red Panda
Chetah
Feeding the Giraf
Gibon
Orangutan
William Land Park is in the middle of the Land Park neighborhood, where there are many restaurants to eat at. The Sacramento River Bike Path is also nearby.
Nuts and Bolts:
Fairytale Town is open daily from March – Oct and Thu – Sun from Nov – Feb. The entrance fee is $6 on weekdays and $7 on weekends.
Funderland is open Tues – Sat. from March-Oct. Along with some days in November. Fees are $20 – children/ $15 – adults/ $10 – seniors.
Sacramento Zoo is open daily except Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Admission prices vary by the day you visit, and how far in advance you buy your tickets but run around $20/person.
