It was a graveyard smash

3 historic cemeteries in Sacramento, CA

Roses bloom around headstones in a cemetery

The Old City Cemetery is famous for its antique rose collection. | Photo by Jean via Flickr, CC by 2.0

While cemeteries are often synonymous with ghosts, dreary nights, full moons, and other Halloween tropes, they are quite often the opposite: calm, reflective, and deeply reverential places.

They’re also great places to learn about our city’s history. With that, here are three historic cemeteries in Sacramento worth checking out any time of the year.

⚰️ Old City Cemetery, 1000 Broadway

This Victorian Garden-style cemetery was established in 1849. Today, the 30.44-acre outdoor museum marks the final resting place for 25,000+ Sacramentans — including city founder John A. Sutter Jr., art collector E.B. Crocker, and many other city officials.

A gravestone reads "MY HUSBAND" — An example of a headstone at the Old City Cemetery

The park is noted for its ornate headstones and green spaces, such as its world-renowned collection of ~500 antique roses that can be found in “abandoned sites, homesteads, cemeteries, and roadsides in Northern California.”

Experience the cemetery firsthand with daily walking tours — including evening tours guided by the light of a lantern.

⚰️ Sloughhouse Pioneer Cemetery, 12705 Meiss Rd., Elk Grove

As one of the county’s first cemeteries, the Sloughhouse Pioneer Cemetery was marked as a historic landmark in 1972. Its history is tied to Thomas Rhoades — a pioneer who struck gold during the California’s Gold Rush + traveled with the Donner-Reed party.

⚰️ East Lawn, 4300 Folsom Blvd.

Formerly known as Twin Oaks Farm, the award-winning East Lawn Memorial Park has served the community for over 100 years. Its location on relatively high ground in Sacramento is significant, as its creation was in response to the Edwards Break flood of 1904 that was strong enough to carry away headboards from the low-lying Old City Cemetery.

A row of graves at the East Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery — East Lawn Memorial Park has been serving the community for over 116 years.

At the park, you might see the gravestones of former mayor William Land, Sacramento Bee editor C.K. McClatchy + businesswoman Florence Clunie. Can’t make it out? Check out the memorial park’s virtual historic tour.

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Tuesday, October 18

Bonobo - Fragments Live Tour | Tue., Oct. 18 | 7 p.m. | Ace Of Spades, 1417 R St., Sacramento | $38.50 | The electronic musician brings his silky, slow dance-friendly house beats to the R Street Corridor.
Flor de Toloache World Tour | Tue., Oct. 18 | 7 p.m. | The Sofia, 2700 Capitol Ave., Sacramento | $23.00-$33.00 | The Grammy-winning, all-female group performs traditional mariachi music with a modern perspective, such as jazz-inspired trumpet lines.
Tipsy Tuesday Trivia | Tue., Oct. 18-Tue., Dec. 27 | 7-9 p.m. | Flatstick Pub, 630 K St. #120, Sacramento | Free | Come thirsty for knowledge + have fun racking your brain for answers with your team of two to six people.

Wednesday, October 19

CRC Journalism Department Speaker Series | Wed., Oct. 19, Wed., Nov. 2, Wed., Nov. 16 | 5-6 p.m. | This is an online event, Sacramento | Free | Journalists from the Equity Lab at The Sacramento Bee will discuss how to include diverse voices in reporting.

Thursday, October 20

Cage Match | Thu., Oct. 20, Thu., Nov. 3, Thu., Nov. 17 | 8-9 p.m. | Sacramento Comedy Spot, 1050 20th St., Suite 130, Sacramento | $6.00 | Two teams take the stage to battle it out with mental mettle for an improv crown, but there’s a catch — the audience decides the winner.

We have a monthly guide filled with events + activities you can plan for in advance. Click the button below to bookmark ideas for upcoming date nights, family outings, and time with friends.

100+ MORE EVENTS

Weather

85º | Partly cloudy | 10% chance of rain

Arts

The City has provided $10,000 to 45 local artists through its Seeding Creativity program, which invests in the development, presentation, or research for new work in Sacramento County. One project will investigate our tree canopy disparity, while another will create Aztec dance regalia. See the full list. (Sacramento City Express)
Sacramento’s Film + Media office is rerunning its film-incentive program to encourage movie and TV production in the River City. This time, two application rounds will each provide three $10,000 funding packages for production projects along with one $5,000 grant for post-production. Learn more. 🎥 (Sacramento City Express)

Civic

The City’s second hotel conversion project to provide supportive housing for those experiencing homelessness has opened in Natomas at 140 Promenade Cir. The space — known as Vista Nueva — can provide homes for up to 116 families and features studio, 1-BD, and 2-BD layouts. (Sac Biz Journal)

Open

Two local running stores have laced up the details on new locations in the area. Gold Country Run & Sport has opened a store at 6835 Lonetree Blvd. in Rocklin, while Fleet Feet has officially relocated it’s Elk Grove spot to 7460 Elk Grove Blvd. 👟 (Sac Biz Journal)

Kids

All a-boo-ard — the Track-or-Treat train ride is a new Halloween-themed event for kids in Old Sac from the California Railroad Museum. The 45-minute experience features games, candy, photo ops, and music until Mon., Oct 31. Grab tickets. 🚂 (KCRA3)

Number

$359,334. That’s how much the City of Roseville provided in grants to 21 local nonprofits through its Citizens Benefit Fund. The fund was established in 1993 with proceeds earned from the sale of the Roseville Hospital. See the full list of recipients. 💰 (Roseville Today)

Environment

A project seeking to address fish habitat damage caused by a 1930s-era dam near Lincoln is in the process of establishing a new passage for salmon and Steelhead to more easily access headwaters in the area. The team behind the effort has already removed a migration barrier created by the dam. 🐟 (KCRA3)

Community

Gov. Gavin Newsom visited Lemon Hill’s Pacific Elementary last week to celebrate national Know Your Classmates Day with a reading from his new book, “Ben and Emma’s Big Hit.” The book tells the story of a young boy with dyslexia who overcomes a fear of reading by comparing the act to baseball.

DYK

Did you know we want to see your artwork on our products? We’re looking for freelance graphic designers in Sacramento to work with us through our online retail store, and yes, you’d be getting paid for it. First, let’s get to know each other.

Beauty

Want glowy, model-off-duty skin? Try this serum by responsible luxury beauty brand MERIT (that one you’ve seen all over Instagram recently). It contains hyaluronic acid + niacinamide to instantly hydrate and plump skin for a healthy glow that’s lightweight and layerable under makeup. Bonus: Free bag with first purchase.*

The Buy

Everyone should love their smile. Enter: SmileDirectClub, the easiest way to straighten your teeth in just 4-6 months — for 60% less than Invisalign or braces. Your results are guaranteed for life, and getting started is easy with their free, 30-second smile assessment. 🦷 *

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A local legend rocks again 🎸

The Boardwalk reopens in Sacramento, CA

An art deco sign reads "The Boardwalk, est. 1987"

The Boardwalk has its encore after a 9-month closure. | Photo by u/InTheEyeOfTheNorth

Scene kids rejoice. Orangevale’s The Boardwalk is back after announcing its closure earlier this year.

After the space’s former owner announced that it would shutter in January, the space and intellectual property rights were purchased by the locally-based Palm Tree Brewing Company. Under its leadership, the venue now serves Polynesian and American food during the day and rocks out on weekend nights.

Community members are clearly excited about the news. The Boardwalk’s first show — which was held last Friday and featured Florida-based Red Jumpsuit Apparatus and local bands Yunger and Self Continuum — sold out days before the doors opened.

The Wrap

Today’s issue was written by Matt.

Editor’s pick: The Criollo Cacao Mocha from Pachamama is about the spiciest cup of coffee I’ve ever had, and I loved it. I found the throat-burning heat to mix perfectly with the rich espresso flavor, keeping me pleasantly warm on a chilly morning walk over the weekend.

Missed yesterday’s newsletter? We had a lot to taco ‘bout in our round up of nine Sacramento’s taquerías.

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Editorial: Jordan Radach, Matt Marcure, Trevor Peters, Britt Thorson, Ashlea Hearn, Emily Shea | Send us a scoop, question, or feedback.

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