Sacramento

The Gold Rush district on the river, more than 50 brick and timber buildings from the 1850s to 1870s, where the Pony Express stopped and the first transcontinental railroad began, now with saloons and restaurants.

💡 Come in the late afternoon, when the heat drops, and walk to the middle of Tower Bridge for sunset over the river. The Sacramento History Museum, on the waterfront, rounds off the walk. Price: district free to access.

Frank Schulenburg / CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)

The home of railroad baron and governor Leland Stanford, later an orphanage for nearly a century, restored with its chandeliers and Victorian drapes and visited only on free guided tours.

💡 The house can only be visited on a free guided tour, on the hour from 10am to 4pm, by online reservation. Tours can be cancelled during official events: call the house the day before to make sure. Price: free.

TravelingOtter from Houston, Texas, USA / CC BY-SA 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)

A neoclassical capitol completed in 1874, its 64-metre dome inspired by Washington's, with restored early 20th-century offices, a marble rotunda and a 16-hectare park of trees from every continent.

💡 The Capitol can be visited free of charge on weekdays, from 9am to 5pm; it is closed at weekends and on most public holidays. Allow for a security check at the entrance, and call the tour office for the times of the guided tours. Price: free.

Photograph: Radomianin / Public domain (Wikimedia Commons)

A green corridor following the American River for 37 km, with a continuous 51 km cycle path to Folsom Lake, herons, deer, an autumn salmon run and summer rafting.

💡 Hire a bike downtown and set off from Discovery Park, at the confluence, in the morning before the heat; carry water, as there are few refreshment points. The river water stays cold and the current strong in early summer: wear a life jacket. Price: free access on foot and by bike; car parks paid.

Leidelar78 / CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)