THE GOLD RUSH... is not a time we can travel back to, in our magical, decades-besting carriage, the sort of time-spanning transport that can easily zip back through the centuries. But we can dig into the fabled era by visiting certain locations that still carry the air of what went on (and, of course, the distinctive look of the time, too). And few places in the Golden State are as golden, in spirit, as Old Sacramento, a destination that still has plenty of 1800s-style cachet. But a quick stop-by, while certainly a-ok, isn't the way to fully embrace what it was like to be a 49er; there are other ways to visit those long ago days, at least in the have-fun-and-learn sense. Look to the...
GOLD FEVER! GAMES, which give participants the chance to "... take on personas of characters in history — or 'real-life rascals' — who scratched and clawed their way to make this area the center of the Gold Rush." The one-hour games involve a ramble around the picturesque area, as those playing discover more about their character's fate (the good and the, er, less good). It's an all-ages kind of adventure, with an adult ticket going for $12 and children's tickets (ages 6 to 17) priced at $8 each. The games are back in Old Sac starting the first weekend in April 2019.
OLD SACRAMENTO UNDERGROUND TOURS, another local look-back like the Gold Fever! Games, might be billed as a history-fun gadabout. This favorite of history-fascinated visitors is marking its first decade, meaning plenty of people have taken a peek at what's below Old Sac while learning the "facts and legends" of the residents who called the area home well over a century and a half ago. Seeing "excavated foundations" as well as "interesting archeology exhibits" add to the tell-me-all allure of this event. Tickets? It's $18 for an adult, $12 for a young person (ages 6 to 17). Like the Gold Fever! Games, kids ages 5 and under are admitted free.
