Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento hosts two kinds of baseball now. The A’s, formerly the Oakland A’s, play their home games there, and so do the Sacramento River Cats, the region’s own Minor League team. Both play at the same park, and the park sits just across the river from downtown Sacramento, which is why a game rarely stays a two-hour errand.
The park has its own food vendors, from hot dogs and peanuts to ice-cold beer, and plenty of people still eat before they go. Making a day of a game is a local habit, and the blocks around the park are built for it. Here is what is there, and what it asks of you to use it.
The season runs from early April into late September, so the same day plan works whether you go in spring or at the end of summer. Only the weather changes.
WHAT IS ACTUALLY WALKING DISTANCE FROM THE PARK
Drake’s: The Barn sits within walking distance in West Sacramento. It is a family-friendly craft brewery and tap room with a beer garden of about two acres, plus outdoor picnic tables looking out over the river, fire pits, a grass area for lawn games, and plenty of seating. Along with its own beer it pours wine and cocktails, and it serves wood-fired pizzas, burgers, pub-style appetizers, and dessert. It also hosts watch parties for the season opener, with food and drink specials, a DJ, and a big screen.
Franquette is the more polished option, a French-inspired wine bar and cafe steps from the park, with quiche, open-faced sandwiches, salads, and a large selection of French wines. Tree House Cafe is a block away and does coffee, pastries, salads, sandwiches, and other lunchtime bites in a shaded garden, and it often keeps extended hours on game days.
OLD SACRAMENTO IS ONE BRIDGE AWAY
A short walk over the Tower Bridge puts you in Old Sacramento, which is the better pre-game stop if you have kids along or hours to fill. You can watch the boats on the waterfront, walk the Gold Rush-era boardwalks, or play mini golf underground. A number of restaurants there run game-day specials, among them Bear & Crown, Fanny Ann’s, and Frankie’s Pizza, and local shops discount souvenirs and gifts.
With more time you can take a horse-drawn carriage ride or a river cruise with City Cruises or the Sac Brew Boat, which offers game-day discounts. The Sacramento History Museum runs tours above and below ground, and the California State Railroad Museum covers the history of train travel and offers excursion train rides.
THE COMPARISON I REACH FOR, AND WHERE IT STOPS WORKING
A game day here works a lot like a county fair that happens to have a baseball field in the middle of it. The same things pull people in. A reason to be outside, food you eat standing up, and a crowd that arrived in a good mood.
That comparison holds right up until you try to use it as a plan. A fair is one gate and one schedule you drift through. A ballpark day has a first pitch, a gate that opens at a set time, and thousands of people who all leave at once. The fair picture also breaks on commitment, because the game is the fixed part of the day and everything around it is what you build. Show up at the wrong hour and the fair is still fun. Show up at the wrong hour at the park and you missed the thing you came for.
WHAT A GAME DAY ACTUALLY ASKS OF YOU
- Heat. Day games in the valley summer are hot, and a lot of the seating is in the sun. An early afternoon start in July is a different experience from an evening start in May.
- The bridge walk. Old Sacramento is close, but the walk over Tower Bridge and back is on foot, and it is longer at the end of the night than it looked at the start.
- Parking fills early. The surrounding lots are small. Arrive close to first pitch and you pay for the nearest space you can find.
- Restaurants get slammed. The places within walking distance fill with the same crowd that is heading to the game, so a table before first pitch needs a reservation or a much earlier arrival.
- Two teams, two crowds. The River Cats and the A’s draw different evenings. Check who is home before you build a plan around the park.
HOW I WOULD PLAN ONE
For an evening game, eat first and walk over. Drake’s or Old Sacramento both work for that, and the walk to the gate is the part of the day people seem to enjoy most. For a day game, flip it. Go early while it is cooler, get into shade or indoors at the museum or a restaurant, and head to the park nearer the start. If you are driving, arrive early and plan to sit in traffic on the way out, because everyone leaves at the same time.
If the park is part of why you are looking at West Sacramento, I collect the area writeups at the neighborhoods hub, and the questions people ask before a move are answered at the FAQ page.
Question for you: would you go to the ballpark for the game, or for the walk back afterward? Those two answers point at different houses in different parts of town.
Adapted from The Perfect Game Day: Things to Do Near Sutter Health Park, originally published by Windermere Signature Properties at windermerecalocal.com.
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