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Central Valley
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Central Valley Overview
The Central Valley is predominantly farming community. If not for the large dams that control water flow from the Sierras and the Shasta Cascade, this region would be completely marsh and swamp land. The multitude of dams provide the central valley with many recreational lakes. The State Capitol is located in the northern portion of the valley as well as many other historic sites.
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None in this region.
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Old Sacramento is several square blocks of preserved and rebuilt gold mining era buildings. These buildings now house touristy shops and restaurants. The state railroad museum is on the same property. MORE DETAILS
Sutter's Fort was Sacramento's first non-indian settlement and was the main destination for settlers crossing the Sierra Nevadas. In 1847, the first few men from the Donner Party reached the fort and aid was sent to save the remaining settlers. MORE DETAILS
Brannan Island is 336 acres surrounded by the Sacramento River and offers an abundance of camping, picnicking, fishing and boating. MORE DETAILS
San Luis Reservoir Is located in the Pacheco pass and prefered by windsurfers because of its strong wind gusts. Activities include boating, windsurfing, camping, fishing, swimming, hiking, biking and picnicking. MORE DETAILS
Millerton Lake Is a large lake with activities include boating, windsurfing, camping, fishing, swimming, hiking, biking and picnicking. MORE DETAILS
Fort Tejon Is a historic fort located in the 'Grapevine' south of Bakersfield. It was garrisoned by the U.S. Army on August 10, 1854 to control a local indian reservation. Workers dress in era clothing and perform reenactments of life in the 1800's. MORE DETAILS
Governor's Mansion was constructed in 1877 and has been the home to California Governors since 1903. Earl Warren and Ronald Reagan were among the last to stay at the mansion. Visitors are welcome to tour the mansion on docent-led tours. MORE DETAILS
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Wild Water Adventures has a tropical theme with water rides like Bonzai Pipeline, Thunder Falls and Blue Wave pool. MORE DETAILS
The Island Water Park has a caribbean theme with water rides & attractions like The Shark Tank, The Drop Zone and Shipwreck Island. MORE DETAILS
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California Living Museum is a small zoo with local species on display. MORE DETAILS
Chaffee Zoo is a large city zoo with hundreds of animals from around the world on display. MORE DETAILS
Micke Grove Zoo is a small county zoo with mostly local species on display. MORE DETAILS
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SaveMart Center is host to large events including professional hockey, basketball, concerts, ice skating and more. MORE DETAILS
Fresno Convention Center is located in downtown Fresno and hosts many different events including theatrical plays, concerts, basketball, expos and much more.. MORE DETAILS
Rabobank Arena, Theatre & Convention Center is located in downtown Bakersfield and hosts many different events including professional hockey, basketball, concerts, boxing, theatrical plays, ice skating, and much more. MORE DETAILS
The Dome is located in Bakersfield at the corner of 22nd and V Streets. This venue hosts alternative concerts, boxing, dance parties and more. MORE DETAILS
Dinner Cruises aboard a luxury or historic yacht with Hornblower Cruises. Cruise the Sacramento River in style while sipping champagne, dining on sumptuous fare and dancing to hit songs. Cruises depart from Old Sacramento. MORE DETAILS
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Vacaville Outlets is a collection of 120 outlets for stores like Banana Republic, Calvin Klein, Mikasa, Reebok, Polo Ralph Lauren and more. MORE DETAILS
Tracy Outlets is a collection of 120 outlets for stores like Liz Claiborne, Lane Bryant, OshKosh B'Gosh, Van Heusen, Rockport and more. The Outlets are located off Interstate 205 and MacArthur Drive in Tracy. MORE DETAILS
Fig Garden Village is a popular outdoor mall with over 50 stores and restaurants include Ann Taylor, Eddie Bauer, The Vault, Bombay Company, Inc. and more. MORE DETAILS
Fashion Fair Mall is a mix of traditional mall and outdoor shops with over 100 stores and restaurants include Macy's, No Fear, Limited, Hollister Co., Forever 21, Lucky Brand and more. MORE DETAILS
Sierra Vista Mallis a traditional mall with over 50 stores including Anchor Blue, Bath & Body Works, New York & Company, Teddy Town USA, Mervyn's and more. MORE DETAILS
Valley Plaza Mall is a traditional mall with over 100 shops and restaurants including Abercrombie & Fitch, Lane Bryant, Macy's, No Fear, Robinsons-May and more. MORE DETAILS
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Miscellaneous Recommendations
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Kern Wildlife Refuge More coming soon. MORE DETAILS
State Capitol is located in the heart of Sacramento. Tours of the Capitol are led daily on the hour except on major holidays. Grounds include 40 acres of park which contains gardens and memorials to important Californian figures and veterans of war. MORE DETAILS
State Railroad Museum displays historic trains and railroad industry artifacts. Train rides follow the beautiful Sacramento River. MORE DETAILS
Wineries can be found along the foothills of the Sierra Nevadas on the east side of the valley. Towns like Lodi and Madera are quickly becoming known for their wines. Wineries such as Oak Ridge, Gallo and Almaden can be found here. MORE DETAILS
Recreational Lakes are located throughout the Central Valley and offer activities like houseboating, water-skiing, boating, fishing, camping and more. Some of the largest lakes include Folsom Lake, Lake Camanche, Millerton Lake and Pine Flat Lake. MORE DETAILS
Madera Wine Trail is a collection of 7 wineries (at the time of this writing - 2006) that surround Highway 99 in the town of Madera. MORE DETAILS
Horseback Riding is available through multiple stables and ranches in the Central Valley. Traverse the Sierra Nevada foothills following creeks and stopping at panoramic vista points. MORE DETAILS
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Central Valley Hotels With so many great hotels, inns, resorts and bed & breakfasts we can't see making this page any longer than it already is. Visit our Hotels page for accommodations we personally recommend or that receive overwhelmingly high ratings from former guests. These recommendations were determined according to price, cleanliness, location, service and proximity to local attractions. MORE DETAILS
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Central Valley Restaurants With so many great restaurants, we can't see making this page any longer than it already is. Visit our Restaurants page for restaurants we personally recommend or that receive overwhelmingly high ratings from former patrons. Dine at the places that locals frequent for a reason. These recommendations were determined according to price, ambiance, portions, outstanding views and/or one-of-a-kind flavors. MORE DETAILS
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Sacramento airport for access to the northern valley. MORE DETAILS
Fresno / Yosemite International for access to the central and southern valley. MORE DETAILS
Other options to consider would be
San Jose, or Oakland airports.
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Traffic & Transportation
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Interstate 5 is the fastest route going north and south in the Central Valley. Much of Interstate 5 has a 70 mph speed limit. Due to its lack of populated cities, Interstate 5 can be a little more boring and seem longer than Highway 99 to the east. Expect heavy traffic during the holidays of Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Highway 99 runs north and south through the Central Valley and is the quickest link to the western slope of the Sierra Nevadas. It disconnects and reconnects with Interstate 5 several times. Many populated towns are connected via Highway 99 including Sacramento, Modesto, Merced, Fresno and Bakersfield. This makes for a more interesting drive that makes time and distance seem faster. Expect heavy traffic during the holidays of Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Highway 41 is the Fresno/Yosemite Freeway that travelers from the south use to access Yosemite National Park. It runs from Yosemite all the way to Morro Bay on the Central Coast. This is a major freeway running through the heart of Fresno, so expect traffic during weekday morning and evening rush hours. Carry chains and expect road closures during the winter when entering Yosemite.
Highway 140 runs east and west from Merced into Yosemite Valley. Carry chains and expect road closures during the winter when entering Yosemite.
Interstate 80 runs east and west from San Francisco to North Lake Tahoe and beyond. Expect traffic during weekday morning and evening rush hours from Sacramento to the Bay Area. Carry chains and expect road closures during the winter between Auburn and Lake Tahoe, although this is usually the last highway to close in the Tahoe region.
Highway 50 runs east and west from San Francisco to South Lake Tahoe and beyond. Expect traffic during weekday morning and evening rush hours in Sacramento. On summer weekends, the popular Gold Country town of Placerville can become conjested and slow traffic on the highway. Carry chains and expect road closures during the winter between Placerville and Lake Tahoe.
Highway 4 runs east and west from Stockton to the very popular Gold Country towns of Angels Camp, Murphys, Sonora and Jamestown and over the Sierras to the Nevada border. Carry chains and expect road closures during the winter between Murphys and Bear Valley. Road closes in winter beyond Bear Valley. The road also narrows and becomes extremely windy and steep beyond Bear Valley - motorhomes over 25 feet are not advised.
Highway 152 runs east and west and is the main connector from the Central Valley to the coastal communities of Santa Cruz, Salinas, Monterey and Carmel.
Highway 180 runs east and west and is the northern connector from Fresno to Sequoia Kings Canyon National Park. Carry chains and expect road closures during winter.
Highway 198 runs east and west and is the southern connector from Visalia to Sequoia Kings Canyon National Park. Carry chains and expect road closures during winter.
Public transportation is good in the large city regions of Sacramento and Stockton and in the towns along Highway 99. Due to low populations in towns along Interstate 5, public transportation options are minimal.
SACRT (Sacramento Regional Transit) offers bus services to the Sacramento region.
Yolobus offers bus services to Yolo County including Woodland and Davis.
Grape Line offers bus services throughout the city of Lodi.
San Joaquin RTD offers bus services to the San Joaqiun region including Stockton, Tracy, Manteca, Lathrop and Ripon.
MAX (Modesto Area Express) offers bus services to the Modesto urban area.
BLAST (Bus Line Service of Turlock) offers bus services between Turlock and Denair.
THE BUS offers bus services to Modesto County including Merced, Los Banos, Atwater, Dos Palos and more.
MAX (Madera Area Express) offers bus services to Madera County including Chowchilla, Oakhurst, Coarsegold, Ranchos, Yosemite Lakes and more.
FAX (Fresno Area Express) offers bus services to the city of Fresno and surrounding cities of Pinedale, Clovis, Malaga, Calwa and Highway City.
Visalia Transit offers bus services throughout Kings County including Visalia, Porterville, Hanford, Tulare, Dinuba and more.
GET bus (Golden Empire Transit District) offers bus services throughout the Bakersfield region including Oildale, Greenacres, Stockdale and Greenfield.
Consider a rental car for travel along Interstate 5 or into the Sierras to the east. Amtrak offers service to towns along Highway 99 and Greyhound bus connections to other regions. Note that train service is not offered between Bakersfield and Los Angeles. Bus connections are necessary to cross the Grapevine.
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Winter brings lows in the 30's and highs in the 60's. Heavy rain is common often with strong wind gusts.
Spring brings lows in the 60's and highs in the 80's. Rain decreasing to misty mornings and FOG... Serious fog.
Summer brings lows in the 80's and highs in the 100's. Cloudless skies with little to no precipitation. Heavy winds can sometimes create sand storms that can hamper visibility and ruin vehicle paint jobs.
Fall brings lows in the 40's and highs in the 70's. Wind and Rain increasing to thunderstorms. FOG increases in the lower regions giving way to heavy thunderstorms with occassional hail.
NOTE: See our TIPS page for precautions when driving in fog.
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Feb 11-12, 2012 - Madera Wine & Chocolate Weekend Traverse the Madera Wine Trail stopping at wineries to pair Ports, Muscats and other dessert wines with everything from chocolate to chocolate sauce, cheesecakes, chocolate chip-cherry brownies and more. This might possibly be the most sinful weekend in all of California. WEBSITE
Aug 31-Sep 3, 2012 - Sacramento Gold Rush Days features three days of 49er fun where the streets of Old Sacramento are covered with dirt and the glory days are reenacted by hundreds of costumed performers. Festivities include dancers, street shootouts, wagon rides, gold panning, storytelling, musicians, carriage rides and more. WEBSITE
Sep 8-9, 2012 - California Capital Air Show features two days of military air power in action at Mather Airport. See modern-day war birds such as B-1 bombers, Stealth Fighters, A-10 Warthogs, Apache helicopters and more on display on the ground and air. Show finales include the Blue Angels Flight Demonstration Squadron. Come here to see the best of the best in action. WEBSITE
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