
Your Tour Guide
Sacramento mom Jeannie Hanson highlights a favorite family destination and shares other kid friendly activities in Sacramento. Thanks, Jeannie!
One of the loveliest spots in Sacramento is William Land Park. Centrally located, huge trees providing shade in the summer, and enough amenities to satisfy most anyone. For sporty types there is a golf course, baseball and fishing (yes, fishing!), for artsy folk there’s an amphitheater and the annual Shakespearean Festival, for children there’s Funderland (an old-fashioned ride on the rails), the Sacramento Zoo and Fairytale Town (complete with Farmer McGregor’s garden, Jack’s house, Humpty Dumpty’s wall and regularly scheduled children’s plays). For nature lovers it’s the duck pond and, my favorite, the WPA Rock Garden. This little 1 acre garden consists of 35 granite-lined beds that contain a beautiful and diverse mix of trees, shrubs and perennials. From the street it looks like a nice shrub border, but enter this world and you’re transported. Artists and photographers often spend the day here and for parents with kids it’s a delight…the kids love to run the paths and the parents get to set a spell and admire the view.
Jeannie Hanson is a Sacramento mom and a gardener, www.genosgarden.com, and blogs to encouraging kids to get outside and enjoy gardening, wildlife and all that, www.gardensprouts.blogspot.com.
I realized I should have included info about FOOD, so, here it is (see the map link at William Land Park above for your starting point):
Mulligans, at the park golf clubhouse serves breakfast and lunch(916)227-1208…I haven’t been there, but one reviewer said he got pancakes, eggs, bacon and coffee for $5.
Next door at Ford’s Real Hamburgers on Sutterville Road near Freeport. A Sacramento institution, http://www.fordsrealhamburgers.com.
Guenther’s Ice Cream Parlor…2 miles away at 2801 Franklin…take Sutterville eastward to Freeport, go north on the Freeport jog and then continue on Sutterville til Franklin where you’ll go north. Lots of ice cream, plus a variety of simple sandwiches, hot dogs, etc.
Tower Cafe, for when you want something really GOOD! One of the most popular cafes in Sacramento. Take Land Park Drive 2 miles north to Broadway. You’re there.
Enjoy your day at the park! Jeannie
Jeannie in Sacramento’s last blog post.."M" is for Mediterranean Gardens, "N" is for Never Mind
Jeannie, Thank you so much for this GREAT info!!
Ford’s is a must do! Thanks for the info on Williams Land Park! We will be checking it out.