Hilton Garden Inn Sacramento/South Natomas elevated our hotel stay with an extra welcoming staff, a lovely outdoor patio with firepit, and a convenient location two miles from downtown.
Sacramento is the “City of Trees”
When I think of California, I think of palm trees lining the streets. However, Sacramento, California had a different type of lush green landscape that included California sycamores and Fremont cottonwoods. In fact, Sacramento is known as the “City of Trees”, said to have an estimated ONE MILLION trees throughout the city!
Sacramento also holds the title of the “Farm-to-Fork Capital” of America, due to its impressive food scene “stemming” from strong locally sourced, farm fresh food. Annually, Sacramento hosts a popular Farm-to-Fork Festival. The restaurants located along the famous Sacramento River featured some of the freshest food that we’ve ever eaten.
Sacramento is also home to the iconic yellow Tower Bridge that is more stunning in person than in photos. Standing 160 feet tall and spanning 737 feet with two soaring towers, this bridge connects West Sacramento to the downtown riverfront district, accommodating both vehicles and pedestrians.
Historical Points of Interest in Old Sacramento
There are many historical facts about Sacramento. The city of Sacramento played a major role in the California Gold Rush from 1848 to 1854, serving as a major supply center for miners heading to the Sierra Nevada and was the ending point of the Pony Express postal system, the first transcontinental railroad, and the transcontinental telegraph.
This is still evident today as we witnessed this history when we explored Old Sacramento State Historic Park, a historic village with horse-drawn carriages and wooden sidewalks. Along with the historic Sutter’s Fort, there’s a network of fascinating underground tunnels that lie beneath the streets of Old Sacramento.
Historic buildings in this area include the 1849 Eagle Theater, 1853 B. F. Hastings Building, and 1855 Big Four Building. I’ll tell you more about Sutters Fort and the guided tour underground later on.
Accommodations in a Prime Sacramento Location
Prior to this trip, if you had asked me where Sacramento was located, I would have said near San Francisco. However, when I started planning our Sacramento trip, I quickly realized that this city, the capital of California, is actually more than 90 miles northeast of San Francisco. The Hilton Garden Inn Sacramento/South Natomas hotel made for the perfect accommodations both in amenities and location.
Located right off of Interstate-5 and Interstate-80, this Hilton Garden Inn was a quick 15 minutes from the Sacramento International Airport. Even better, the hotel’s free shuttle picked us up at the airport and then offered us shuttles throughout the week to downtown restaurants and other attractions. The downtown area was only two miles from the hotel and there were a handful of local restaurants.
The hotel, originally built in 1998 was renovated in 2016. And for a hotel that’s close to downtown, it’s actually located on a quiet street tucked away from the main thoroughfares.
We’ve stayed at a few Hilton Garden Inns in the past but this hotel stands out as higher quality in our opinion, by making us feel more welcome and comfortable than similar hotels that we considered mediocre at best.
The front desk staff at this hotel were friendly, knowledgeable, and personable, each helping us navigate our sightseeing itinerary and offering thoughtful suggestions for local dining like The Firehouse Restaurant, and attractions like the Old Sacramento Underground guided tour.
What Made This Hilton Garden Inn Stand Out?
Renovated in early 2016, this 154-room property features a bright lobby and lots of appreciated amenities. From the free airport shuttle, that is rarely offered at hotels these days, to an outdoor patio where we spent mornings soaking in the California sunshine and evenings under the stars, it was a visit that we’ll talk about for a long while.
There were also notable “frees” and extended service hours like free parking and free Wi-Fi along with a 24/7 store (food and drinks), 24/7 fitness center, and a 24/7 business center.
While other similar hotels, feature a pool, the picturesque pool area at this Hilton Garden Inn was what I would call “inviting” and spacious.
The Garden Grille and Bar onsite serves a hot breakfast including a buffet (not free) plus lunch and dinner. You can enjoy a sit down meal or order it “to go.” We liked that we could stay at the hotel to enjoy breakfast each morning in a relaxing setting. For lunches and dinners we ventured around Sacramento depending on where we were sightseeing at the time.
The Pavilion Pantry at the hotel sells travel-related items, snacks, refrigerated and frozen meals, beverages, beer, and wine.
I thought it was a fun hotel perk to offer free “USA Today” newspapers in the lobby on weekdays. The hotel also has a coin-operated laundry.
This is a pet-friendly hotel but as you can expect has a strict pet policy and charges a daily non-refundable fee.
Guest Rooms and Suites
From the minute you step into the hotel lobby, you will appreciate the appealing bright teal and orange colors amidst modern, playful décor including beautiful floral couches and a large fireplace. Well, that modern design carries over into the guest rooms and the orange pillows on the teal-colored couch are eye catching.
We had a standard guest room with a King size bed plus a sofa bed where we could relax, read a book, and watch TV on the 49-inch LCD HDTV. The desk area was perfect for checking in at work, because we always work while traveling. The high speed internet was impressive. The room also had a microwave, mini-fridge, and Keurig coffee/tea maker.
Bathrooms are a mix of granite countertops, wallpaper, and wood-look flooring. I am always excited to find complimentary bath products and this hotel did not disappoint as the toiletries were Neutrogena brand!
Despite being a busy hotel, the guest room was quiet during the day and night. And I can’t stress enough how this hotel made us feel like we were at home. We were comfortable in the room, walking the halls, in the lobby, and using the outdoor pool, patio, and firepit areas.
Note: Children aged 4 to 17 stay for free, making it an excellent choice for families.
Some Must-See Nearby Attractions in Old Sacramento
Sacramento can be described as a fun travel destination, from historical attractions to outdoor adventures to shopping and dining, we were never bored on this trip. Old Sacramento State Historic Park is only 2 miles from the hotel, and there were many things to see in that area including 50+ historic buildings!
Sutter’s Fort State Historic Park – Walk around the grounds and inside the oldest restored fort in the West, and get up close to where gold at Sutter’s Mill was discovered in 1848. The fort is so big that it takes up 2 city blocks.
Underground Tours – Do not miss the one hour guided Old Sacramento underground tour! Discover how Sacramento lifted itself up out of the flood waters during the 1860s and 1870s. Note: Wear closed toe walking shoes. Well worth the $30 ticket price.
California State Capitol – This was another fascinating guided tour through the building that looks like a mini replica of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.
In addition to the Crocker Museum of Art, California State Railroad Museum, and the California Automobile Museum, we also visited the super cute Fairytale Town designed for kids, the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament, and Leland Stanford Mansion State Historic Park.
And while we loved all of the Sacramento attractions, McKinley Park was a memorable highlight for us as we were truly impressed by the rose garden and spent more than an hour peacefully enjoying our walk around the park’s lake.
As for our favorite dinner, it was at The Firehouse Restaurant. One entrée was the Barbacoa Mac & Cheese made with fresh jalapenos, pickled red onion, smoked gouda, shaved Easter radish, and micro cilantro. The other entrée was the Spring Pea Gnocchi made with hot Coppa, Ricotta di Bufala, Spring onion, Sofrito, baby leeks, and grass-fed butter. The Chocolate Whiskey Tart for dessert sealed the deal as the most impressive meal of our Sacramento visit.
Takeaways of the Hilton Garden Inn Sacramento/South Natomas
- Convenient location to downtown attractions
- Accommodating, welcoming, personable staff
- Rooms are quiet, clean and spacious
- Hotel is great for families; children aged 4 to 17 stay for free
- Relaxing outdoor pool and hot tub
- Onsite restaurant/bar serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner
- Onsite store sells food and drinks 24/7
Originally from Long Island, New York, Donna Wright now calls Deland, Florida her home. An avid traveler, she has journeyed by air, land, and sea, to many cities in the United States, Canada, and the Caribbean to exciting destinations like California, Arizona, Las Vegas, San Diego, Myrtle Beach, Lake Tahoe, Reno, and more.
This content is provided for general informational purposes only and should not be considered travel or consumer advice. Inn amenities, prices, policies, and availability may change. Readers should verify all details independently and use their own judgment when planning travel.