By Mauricio Segura August 9, 2025
Photo: GBT Graphics
In a year brimming with exotic escapes and buzzy cityscapes, Sacramento, the California capital, has quietly elbowed its way into Travel + Leisure’s coveted list of the 50 best places to travel in 2025. For a city still shaking off its “cowtown” reputation, this is a win that brings more than just validation, it brings curiosity.
To make the cut, destinations must be far more than picturesque. They need to feel urgently now. Travel + Leisure weighed nearly 120 contenders and narrowed the field to the 50 most compelling places on the planet, prized for cultural resonance, culinary strength, outdoor access, or immersive luxury. Sacramento, described as offering “big city thrills,” placed itself among them with confidence.
So what is behind Sacramento’s rise from under the radar to front page worthy? First, there is the food scene, boldly billed as “America’s Farm to Fork Capital.” Restaurants here do not just garnish your plate, they trace each ingredient back to nearby farms, weaving a locavore narrative as rich as any aged wine. The city’s culinary approach has earned national acclaim, and Travel + Leisure clearly believed farm fresh authenticity belonged on the global stage.
Then there is the cultural beat. Yes, the Athletics play temporarily in town, but museums, music festivals, and visual arts give Sacramento depth. The Crocker Art Museum, one of the oldest public art institutions west of the Mississippi, houses treasures that span centuries. Add festivals like Aftershock, which draws rock and metal fans in enthusiastic hordes, and the city’s layered creative energy starts to look unignorable.
But do not mistake Sacramento for yet another sun drenched, traffic stalled tourist magnet. Its history hums along riverfront promenades and railroad remnants. It is the sort of place where urban development met ambition, where mule and steam gave way to government and infrastructure. Its capital city status has long been overshadowed by flash, but now that quiet authority is winning new fans.
Travel + Leisure put Sacramento in the company of Portland and Detroit, other American cities whose reputations have rebounded through reinvention and authenticity. That the A’s baseball stint was noted as a cultural draw offers a wink. It is not just scenic value but an unpretentious, living room friendly vibe that sells. Sacramento does not pander, it invites.
The real charm lies in its contradictions. Sacramento is both naturalist and urbanite, a place where cherry blossom lined parks neighbor government chambers, and where tales of gold rush legacies coexist with microbrew taps. It is not glamorous by typical standards, but its warmth, foliage, and proximity to rivers make it endearingly livable. That is the kind of destination Travel + Leisure smiled on when it chose Sacramento for 2025.
By earning a spot in the top 50 global travel destinations, Sacramento signals two things. First, that its understated power in food, culture, and community is resonating far beyond the farms. And second, that travelers are ready for unvarnished stories, for rooted experiences that do not scream but speak eloquently.
For readers scanning lists of tropical islands and trending metropolises, this is a nudge in a more grounded direction. Sacramento may not be battling overtourism, but it is ascending through sincerity, flavor, and a backbone of history. In 2025, if you care for depth over dazzle, this city is ready to be discovered.
