Jane Jacobs Walks
Part urban planning lesson, part local history tour, Jane Jacobs Walks are part of a national series of events happening every May, showcasing places that embody the principles described in Jacobs' pioneering work, The Death and Life of Great American Cities. Written when most cities, including Sacramento, were destroying their downtowns for highways and parking lots, Jacobs called for active sidewalks, mixed use, and adaptive reuse of old buildings for new, creative uses. Our collaborative tours combine our organization's long-term interest in local history, urban planning, and bike riding. May is Preservation Month, Bike Month, Asian-American/Pacific Islander History Month, and Affordable Housing Month; this year’s tours will include all of these, and more.
Several of these tours will be organized and held by Preservation Sacramento, while others are run by other local organizations that we have selected for their applicability to the principles of Jane Jacobs Walks, and, in the case of the bike rides, Jane Jacobs Rolls, including ReWild Sacramento, American River Trees, and Strong Sactown.
All are free and open to the public, but some will require advance registration; use the links below to register.
Jane Jacobs Walk & Roll Events 2025 Schedule
Walk for Wildlife (American River Trees)
Date: Sunday May 4, 9:30 AM-Noon
Description: Join the peaceful walking protest along the American River, in response to the Army Corps of Engineers’ plan to remove hundreds of trees, trails, beaches, river access, and wildlife habitat along the river. Event link has full details of starting points and agenda for the walk and protest.
More information: https://www.americanrivertrees.org/events/walk-for-wildlife
California Preservation Conference Walking Tours
The statewide California Preservation Conference is taking place in Sacramento, and it includes multiple free walking tours that are open to the public. Full details of all walking tours can be found on the conference Web page, including registration information.
K Street Bar Crawl (Preservation Sacramento)
Date: Wednesday May 7, 7:30 PM-9:30 PM
Starting Location: California State Railroad Museum, 101 I Street
Description: Stumble through the pages of history through what Mark Twain called “the City of Saloons!” We'll take a leisurely “drunkard's walk” from Old Sacramento through Downtown, generally along K Street, Sacramento's original main street, visiting historic saloons and bars of the past and present, ending safely (we hope) at the convention hotel bar, in the only building in downtown Sacramento designed by master architect Julia Morgan. Tickets are free, but pre-registration is suggested.
Pub Crawl: Exploring Sacramento’s Historic R Street Corridor (Preservation Sacramento)
Date: Thursday May 8, 8:00 PM
Starting Location: Fox & Goose, 1001 R Street
Follow the tracks of California's first railroad on a bracing stroll along R Street! The R Street historic district is a preservation success story, where local activists' vision of a mixed use neighborhood that reused industrial buildings won out over proposals for dreary office towers and parking lots. We'll visit some of Sacramento's most legendary bars, and learn the hidden story of how a disused industrial district became a bustling residential neighborhood through the power of organizing, persistence, and many strong drinks. Tickets are free, but pre-registration is suggested.
Lavender Heights and LGBTQ+ History Experience (Preservation Sacramento/City of Sacramento)
Date: Saturday, May 10, 10:00 AM
Starting Location: Lavender Library, 1414 21st Street
Sacramento's award-winning LGBTQ+ Historic Experience project revealed many stories about the legacy of Lavender Heights, Sacramento’s historic LGBTQ+ neighborhood. This walking tour, facilitated by Sacramento city staff and the principal authors of the report, begins at the Lavender Library and visits historic sites in the surrounding neighborhood. Several stops will also include special guest speakers -- members of the local LGBTQ+ community who made a difference through their activism, cultural impact, and support for one another. The tour will end at the weekly farmer’s market held at the heart of Lavender Heights, allowing tourgoers to experience the vibrant historic neighborhood up close.
Hidden Housing Bike Tour (Strong Sactown)
Date: Sunday May 11, 2 PM-5 PM
Starting Location: 2709 2nd Avenue Sacramento, CA 95818
Tour Leader: Steve Schweigert, Strong Sactown
Description: We'll bike to 4 different locations to learn about the process of building these housing projects, meet owners, and take a look inside! The ride will be fairly short at only 3 miles total and will finish at McKinley Park. We are limited space to only 40 attendees, so if you can't make it please cancel and let someone else have your spot.. More information: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/hidden-housing-bike-tour-tickets-1318307526299
Land Park Tree Tour (ReWild Sacramento)
Date: Saturday May 17, 10 AM-Noon
Starting Location: William Land Park, parking area near restroom between 12th & 13th Avenue, Riverside Blvd & 13th Street
Tour Leader: Alex Binck, arborist and ReWild Sacramento founder
Have you ever wondered what kinds of trees make Sacramento the city of trees? Join this Jane Jacobs Walk led by local arborist Alex Binck and ReWild Sacramento to learn about the fascinating trees that keep the William Land Park shady and cool. From towering redwoods to stately oaks, get to know the common and uncommon trees of Sacramento and find out what you can do to ensure our urban forest keeps us cool for decades to come.
Chinatown Tour: The Lasting Impact of Redevelopment (Preservation Sacramento)
Date: Saturday May 17, 2 PM
Starting Location: Pai Fang Gate, 4th & J Street
Led by historian Katie Buesch, this is a repeat of the tour held last week for California Preservation Foundation’s annual conference, but in simplified form and open to the public. This tour will explore Sacramento’s Mid-century Chinatown, and discuss why it was created, how it differed from other local redevelopment projects, and explore the possibilities for its future.
Register for the Chinatown Tour
Preservation Roundtable and Oak Park Walking Tour (Preservation Sacramento)
Date: Sunday May 18, 10 AM-1 PM
Starting Location: Classy Hippie Tea, 3200 Broadway, Sacramento CA 95817
May's Preservation Roundtable takes place on Sunday, May 18.
Updates from the City of Sacramento's Preservation Department
Preservation Sacramento's 49th Historic Home Tour: South Land Park Hills Eichler District
Building a More Relevant Preservation Movement: Resilience and Relevance
Oak Park Walking Tour: Updates and New Stories
More items may be added to the agenda.
Drip coffee, iced tea, and light pastries will be provided free of charge; espresso drinks and other food items will be available for sale, along with a wide selection of specialty coffees, teas, and pastries.
The Roundtable will be followed by a walking tour of the Oak Park historic district; this tour will take approximately one hour, covering a distance of about one mile, and will return to Classy Hippie at the end of the tour.
While we request a $5 voluntary donation to offset the cost of snacks and coffee, nobody will be turned away for lack of funds.
Colonial Heights Bike Ride (Preservation Sacramento/Colonial Heights Neighborhood Association)
Date: Sunday May 25, 10:30 AM-12:30 PM
Starting Location: Colonial Park Pavilon, 9th Avenue between 53rd and 54th Streets
The Colonial Heights Bike Ride is a celebration of the listing of the newest landmark in the Sacramento Register of Historic & Cultural Resources, San Francisco Boulevard's tree rows, and the neighborhood of Colonial Heights, an early 20th century streetcar suburb. Meet up at the Colonial Park pavilion, on 19th Avenue between 53rd and 54th Street in Colonial Park, where we'll depart at 10:00 AM. Destinations will include San Francisco Boulevard, the Roemer House, 21st Avenue (former route of the electric railroad that connected Sacramento to Stockton), Tahoe Park, and more! Guides and pre-positioned docents will tell the stories of this neighborhood on this leisurely, 5 mile bike ride.
For more information about Jane Jacobs Walk events, contact Preservation Sacramento at preservation.sacramento@gmail.com or call (916) 604-8320. Visit www.preservationsacramento.org or www.janejacobswalk.org for more information about Preservation Sacramento and other Jane Jacobs Walk events.
