Sacramento

We wanted to take Scott on a gold rush/California history field trip, but baseball was taking all of our Saturdays. One weekend was game-free so we booked a last minute trip for the night.

We drove up and had a picnic lunch. Jane stole my chips.

Our first stop was Sutter's Fort. For the price, I expected to have more hands-on activities or demonstrations going on, but there wasn't much to it.

I liked reading about everything, but the younger kids were getting bored.

The most entertaining thing they found was the cannon room. 

I tried to take a picture of Scott, but Jane could not be left out of a photo op.

Next we went to the railroad museum, which we'd been to when the older two were little, so we knew better what to expect.

There were still some areas closed because of covid, which was baffling. 

Scott's state park pass got us all free admission, which was awesome, though.

We could let the kids explore and touch things while still learning.

After being in the car and a stuffy historic park, Jane needed to play.

The model room reminds me of my grandpa.

Even the big kids liked the play area.

Then the big splurge for John's train-loving heart.

We got tickets for the actual train excursion at the museum.

It was old fashioned and fun.

Since it goes through the downtown area, it blasts the whistle near constantly, which was not everyone's favorite. We walked around the stores after, but there was a car show in town. It was really cool to see, but also very loud.

So we tried a local ice cream shop to heal our ears. It was supposed to be the best in state, but it was just fine. Of course the kids loved it and that's what counted.

We went to our hotel and the pool was not heated and there wasn't a hot tub, so our evening plans were scratched. We went to a local park and played until it was dark. The playground was huge and the kids got lots of energy out, but it was also falling apart and made us appreciate the one we have by us.

Since we decided last minute to go, we didn't make gold digging plans like I was hoping. Instead, we decided to drive back early and stop at the Jelly Belly factory.

It isn't huge, but it's fun.

Lots of cool bean creations.

Jane's favorite was Frozen.

It was a quick getaway, but Scott and Jonah got to see in person some of the 4th grade sites.