Capitol Park Sacramento: Come For the Building, Stay for the Park
Most of the thousands of visitors to the California State Capitol don’t stick around long enough to explore Capitol Park Sacramento. They’re missing out. Capitol Park Sacramento, which surrounds the Capitol building on all four sides in downtown Sacramento, is a splendid, 40-acre arboretum, with 450 species of trees and flowering shrubs, plus numerous monuments.
While elephants and donkeys stomp their feet under the Capitol dome, redwoods and cacti co-exist side-by-side in the park. It’s true: a redwood grove and a desert cactus garden are only yards apart at the northeastern corner of the park, even though these species are as different as San Francisco Democrats and Orange County Republicans. What they have in common is that they’re found in California; the park showcases flora found in different parts of the state (and beyond).
Along with the redwoods and cacti, the eastern end of the park along 15th Street features another apparent odd couple: the World Peace Rose Garden and Vietnam Memorial. Yet there’s a certain logic to this juxtaposition, too. The 1870 rose garden celebrates peace, with poems written by California schoolchildren about peace etched in granite. The powerful Vietnam Memorial—with its wall of names and lifelike depiction of soldiers killing and dying—is a painful reminder of what happens when the peace is broken.
Also found in different parts of the park are memorials to veterans of both world wars; fallen peace officers, firefighters and 9/11 victims; and historic figures in state history. Between the memorials you’ll enjoy strolling past flower gardens; an abundance of orange trees and towering palms; and fountains, a trout pond and a replica of the Liberty Bell.
Capitol Park has all the advantages and disadvantages of any urban park. There are benches, drinking fountains, bisecting walking paths and the sense of being in an urban oasis, with the state capitol building and Sacramento’s high rises rimming the park. There are also homeless people (though state police keep it fairly safe by patrolling the park on bike) and metered parking (but only $1.25/hour).
HelloSacramento Tip: Free park tours are offered most days from mid-June to Labor Day, which start from the capitol building basement (below the rotunda) on weekends or Room B-27 on weekdays. You can also snag a park map at these locations, which is where a free hourly tour of the capitol building commences, too.
Posted on Apr 12, 2011 by Bob Cooper
