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Biking, Rafting, and Wine Tasting Adventure in Beautiful Sierra Wine Country

Program Number: 20999RJ
Start and End Dates:
10/17/2013 - 10/22/2013; 10/24/2013 - 10/29/2013;
Duration: 5 nights
Location: Sacramento, California
Price starting at: $1,299.00 - Price may vary based on date, departure city
Program Type: Outdoor Adventures, Misc.; Food & Wine; Food & Wine Activity Level: t (see description)
Meals: 11; 5 Breakfasts, 4 Lunches, 2 Dinners    
Meal Options: Vegetarian    

Enjoy walking, biking and rafting while exploring some of the most important developments of our nation's history in the West: The Gold Rush and the building of the Transcontinental Railroad. Learn how these influenced the settlement of California. Discover the bounty of the Sierra foothills in fruit and wine.




Highlights

• Learn the history of Old Sacramento and discover today’s ethnic diversity on a walking, eating exploration.
• An easy bike ride through the vineyards provides firsthand knowledge of the rich bounty and why it’s called the “nation’s fruit basket.”
• Sample the wines and produce of Amador and El Dorado counties.



Activity Particulars

Walking up to three miles over the course of one day; biking 10 miles on flat, paved quiet country roads, Class III rafting, suitable for all abilities.



This is a FLEX program that includes a more flexible schedule with ample independent time and several meals on your own.



Coordinated by Road Scholar.




Sacramento

Platted in 1848, Sacramento became home to California state government in 1854. Only 90 minutes from the Bay Area and known for its magnificent Capitol Building and riverfront Old Town with wooden sidewalks and Mississippi-style riverboats, Sacramento has a style worthy of the capital city.
Accommodations
Centrally located, full-service hotel.
Meals and Lodgings
   Hyatt Regency Sacramento
  Sacramento, California 5 nights
 Hyatt Regency Sacramento
Type: Four-Star Hotel
  Description: Hyatt Regency Sacramento welcomes you to the history and charm of northern California. The AAA Four Diamond luxury hotel is ideally situated directly across from the Capitol Park and the State Capitol building, in the heart of one of the state’s most vibrant cities. Within blocks of the hotel are the city’s best shopping, restaurants and theaters. Walk to one of the many landmarks and museums or visit historical Old Sacramento. The hotel has recently completed an eighteen million dollar renovation.
  Contact info: 1209 L Street
Sacramento, CA 95814 USA
phone: 916-443-1234
web: www.sacramento.hyatt.com
  Room amenities: 503 stylish guest rooms include oversize showers, comfortable sitting areas and plush Grand Beds; with air-conditioning, data port for High-Speed Internet access, Wi-Fi Internet access (additional fee), iPod docking station, cable / satellite television, direct-dial telephone, alarm clock, radio, tea and coffee making facility, iron and ironing board, room service, in-room safe, mini-bar, daily newspaper, private bathroom with bathtub or shower, hairdryer.
  Facility amenities: Dawson’s Steak House and bar, Vine Café, complimentary Wi-Fi Internet access in lobby, foreign currency exchange, concierge desk, business center, gift shop, dry cleaning service, heated outdoor swimming pool, fitness center, Jacuzzi, spa and massage services. 100% smoke-free facility.
  Smoking allowed: No
  Elevators available: Yes
  Additional nights prior: Varies by program date. 
  Check in time: 3:00 PM
  Additional nights after: Varies by program date. 
  Check out time: 10:00 AM


Travel Details
  Start of Program:
Program Registration 4-5 p.m. in the hotel lobby on Day 1. You will be staying at Hyatt Regency Sacramento that night.
  End of Program:
After breakfast on Day 6. You will be staying at Hyatt Regency Sacramento the night before.
  Required documents:
The Road Scholar Health & Safety Form is required.
Transportation
To Start of Program
  Location:  Sacramento, California
  From End of Program
  Location: Sacramento, California
    (Additional transportation information same as above)
The prices listed for commercial services and facilities that are not included in the program cost, such as airport shuttles or extra nights lodging, are subject to change without notice. Since Road Scholar cannot guarantee the accuracy of these prices, we strongly suggest contacting the companies directly for the most up-to-date information.


Daily Schedule

Day 1: Arrivals and Welcome Orientation
(Thursday, October 17)

Note: Walking from hotel to local restaurant for orientation and dinner. Optional walking in the botanical gardens.
   
 Afternoon: Individual arrivals to the program. Hotel check-in from 3 p.m. 4-5 p.m. Program Registration in the hotel lobby. 5:30 p.m. Depart from hotel lobby to walk to Chops Restaurant for program orientation followed by dinner.
 Dinner: Dinner included.
 Evening: Take a walk through the State Capitol Botanical Gardens, across the street from the hotel.
   
Accommodations: Hyatt Regency Sacramento
Meals Included: Dinner

Day 2: Walking and Eating Through Sacramento's History
(Friday, October 18)

Note: Walking on city streets approximately 5 miles over the course of the day. Walking and standing on guided walking visits. Using public transportation
   
 Breakfast: Full American breakfast buffet In the hotel restaurant.
 Morning: Take public transportation (or walk on your own and meet up with group) to Old Sacramento. Explore Sacramento’s History Museum and walk the streets of Old Sacramento and underground city. Return to the hotel via public transportation.
 Lunch: Lunch included.
 Afternoon: A leisurely stroll explore's immigration and ethnic diversity via a culinary walking and tasting adventure through Sacramento's city eateries.
 Dinner: Your choice to explore local fare.
   
Accommodations: Hyatt Regency Sacramento
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch

Day 3: Railroad History and Biking Wine Country
(Saturday, October 19)

Note: Walking and standing up to one hour in the museum. Biking 10 miles on mostly flat terrain with one stop at a winery mid-way.
   
 Breakfast: Full American breakfast buffet In the hotel restaurant.
 Morning: Take Public transportation to California Railroad Museum. At the California State Railroad Museum in Old Sacramento, discover the role railroads have played in the development of our economy, lives, and culture here in the Golden State. Learn about the Transcontinental Railroad, one of the defining accomplishments of western United States history and the completion of America's first coast-to-coast transportation system.
 Lunch: Picnic lunch at a winery.
 Afternoon: Travel by motorcoach to Clarksburg, in Wine Country for a 10-mile bike ride through the vineyards. As well as stopping en route for a wine tasting break, learn about the area’s irrigation system and how these vineyards were established. Complete the circuitous ride back at the winery and finish with a second wine-tasting before returning to Sacramento by motorcoach.
 Dinner: Your choice to explore local fare.
   
Accommodations: Hyatt Regency Sacramento
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch

Day 4: Gold Country & Rafting on the American River
(Sunday, October 20)

Note: Walking and standing up to one hour on a guided visit of Historic Colluma Gold Discovery Site. White water rafting is up to Class III, suitable for any level of experience. No prior rafting experience necessary.
   
 Breakfast: Full American breakfast buffet In the hotel restaurant.
 Morning: Depart by motorcoach to the American River in Coloma, for a morning of rafting on this Class III river, suitable for any level of experience.
 Lunch: Buffet lunch with a presentation by a Native American interpreter.
 Afternoon: At Coloma State Park, explore the spot, where James W. Marshall discovered gold in 1848 on the South Fork of the American River in the valley the Nisenan Indians knew as Cullumah. This event led to the greatest mass movement of people in the Western Hemisphere and was the spark that ignited the spectacular growth of the West during the ensuing decades. The gold discovery site, located in the still visible tailrace of Sutter's sawmill, in present day Coloma California, is one of the most significant historic sites in the nation. Continue to Wakamatsu Silk and Tea Farm, where in 1869, the first group of Japanese people arrived with the purpose of settling in California establish a tea and silk farm, in all likelihood the first group from Japan to arrive and settle in the United States.
 Dinner: Your choice to explore local fare.
   
Accommodations: Hyatt Regency Sacramento
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch

Day 5: Art & Wine Country
(Monday, October 21)

Note: Walking and standing up to one hour on docent-guided museum visit.
   
 Breakfast: Full American breakfast buffet In the hotel restaurant.
 Morning: Take Public Transportation to Crocker Art Museum. The Crocker Art Museum is one of the leading arts institutions in California, and the longest continuously operating art museum in the West, since 1885. The Museum boasts one of the state’s premier collections of Californian art dating from the Gold Rush to the present day, a world-renowned collection of master drawings, European paintings, one of the largest and most comprehensive international ceramics collections in the U.S.
 Lunch: Your choice to explore local fare.
 Afternoon: Depart the city by motorcoach to visit Eldorado and Amador counties, America’s “fruit basket: Seventy percent of all fruits and vegetables produced in the United States are sourced from the Sacramento Delta region. Taste artisanal olive oil, seasonal fruits and of course, wine.
 Dinner: Farewell dinner barbecue at a winery.
   
Accommodations: Hyatt Regency Sacramento
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 6: Departures
(Tuesday, October 22)
   
 Breakfast: Full American breakfast buffet In the hotel restaurant.
 Morning: Individual departures. Check out of hotel by 10 a.m.
   
Meals Included: Breakfast
Important information about your itinerary: Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy and completeness of the information featured on this website. Itineraries are based on our best information at this time. Circumstances beyond our control may require us to adjust itineraries or other details. We regret any inconvenience this may cause and appreciate your understanding. Information will be sent to you from your Program Provider approximately three weeks prior to the program start date. The prices listed for commercial services and facilities that are not included in the program cost, such as airport shuttles or extra nights lodging, are subject to change without notice. Since Road Scholar cannot guarantee the accuracy of these prices, we strongly suggest contacting the companies directly for the most up-to-date information.

What’s included in this Road Scholar program?



Except for the occasional meal on some programs, Road Scholar programs are all-inclusive. That means there are no extra “options,” no passing the hat for tips and no surprises. From lectures and field trips to gratuities and accommodations – the price you pay up front is the price you pay.

Specifically, this program includes:


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