Page 173 - 2015 Travel Guide to California

U.S. BICYCLING HALL OF FAME, Davis, right;
Stockton waterfront, below; flower farming in
the Central Valley, opposite center; having fun
at the Big Fresno Fair, opposite bottom.
City & Town
Bicycles outnumber cars in college-town
Davis, with more bikes per capita than any
U.S. city. Hotrods and Modesto were the
stars of American Graffiti—and auto fans still
flock to the valley city. Fresno’s architectural
history includes brick warehouses along the
Santa Fe railroad tracks and the 1928 Pan-
tages Theatre.
CENTRAL VALLEY TOURISM ASSOCIATION; MICHAEL BROOKING/CREATIVE COMMONS/FLICKR. OPPOSITE; SAMI YOUSIF AND FRANK KOVALCHEK/CREATIVE COMMONS/FLICKR
The Great Outdoors
A sprawling web of rivers twists through the
Central Valley—from the Sacramento to the
San Joaquin to the Feather. The best place to
enjoy river life is in the Sacramento Delta,
with lush wetlands and vast orchards. The
Sutter Buttes—considered the world’s
smallest mountain range—rise above the
flat valley at its northernmost point.
Heritage & Culture
Agriculture has drawn a diverse group of
people to the Central Valley over the years,
including migrant workers from Latin
America, Dust Bowl-era farmers and enter-
taining country music masters. Visitors are
always welcome to join regional celebra-
tions, from Basque festivals to harvest days
to Portuguese festas—which include blood-
less bullfights.
Family Fun
Families who love wide-open spaces will
find plenty to do in the Central Valley.
Escape the summer heat by tubing down the
Sacramento River, discover the amazing
Forestiere Underground Gardens in Fresno,
wander through the delta town of Locke, or
gawk at restored military aircraft at the
Castle Air Museum.
DRIVE
»
TOUR
It may be tempting to cover
the Central Valley by zooming
along on Interstate 5, but
instead, take the slower
HIGHWAY 99—often referred
to as “California’s Main Street,”
and the very same road the
fictional Joad family traveled
in The Grapes of Wrath. Start
in oil-town BAKERSFIELD and
head north toward FRESNO,
MERCED and MODESTO. As
you pass from the San
Joaquin Valley into the
Sacramento River Delta, take
a jog over to Interstate 5 to pass to the west of Sacramento and into
Yolo, Colusa and Glenn counties at the north end of the great
Central Valley.
2015 T R AV E L G U I D E TO C A L I F O R N I A 171