Restaurants:

Quick, close and reasonable:

Arden Fair Mall, only a mile away, hosts a whole variety of restaurants that stretch to Thai and Korean, and includes the 85*C cafe for sweet and savory between meal treats.

Only in Sacramento, or homegrown and flown:

Magpie cafe: iconic Sacramento farm to table restaurant and if you miss it while in town, the airport has a branch.

Dos Coyotes: Fresh, southwestern and local! Closest location is about 4 miles away in East Sac, or Folsom, if the outlet mall figures in your plans

Mylapore: First in Sacramento, and rapidly expanding across the country— be a VIP and try the VIP (Vada, idly and Pongal)—Folsom

Folsom is also home to Mantra (plant-based and vegetarian, excellent— appam and coconut milk, anyone?) and sister concern Sanskrit, which includes meat based dishes (generous thalis that are a steal)

If you liked Friday night dinner and want a lot more of that: The Grand Cuisine in Roseville

Also worth the drive:

Nixtaco: Tacos that stand up to SoCal taco snobs, with a Michelin Bib Gourmand designation

Also Michelin Bib Gourmand designated and excellent: Khin Thai Street Food (Thai, but may be not exactly like you’ve had before. Highly recommend.)

Or Canon— farm to fork, shared plates, perfect for foodies in biggish groups

Closer to the hotel is Mai Phan’s Thai and Vietnamese restaurant Lemongrass, neighborly, and excellent.

Things to do outdoors:

Walk or bike the American River Parkway, 29-to-32-mile stretch of protected greenbelt spanning nearly 5,000 acres along the American River in Sacramento County

Go Kayaking on Lake Natoma or take a lesson at the Sac State aquatic center where you can also windsurf, wakeboard or jetski.

Go whitewater rafting, where levels range from beginner to white-knuckle, especially at the rapids over the south fork of the American River

For the young ones, or the young at heart: feed the fish at the nearby Nimbus Fish Hatchery

Golf at the Haggin Oaks Golf complex about 5 miles from the hotel, or play a short round at , a mere 2 miles away.

Tennis? Or Pickleball? That’s a weighty dilemma but you could play tennis at public courts :

• Swanston Park: Located at 2350 Northrop Ave. It is approximately 1.5 miles east of the hotel and features 2 outdoor tennis courts.

• Ashton Park: Located at 4251 Ashton Dr. It is about 2.5 miles from the hotel and features 3 outdoor tennis courts.

• Arden Park Recreation & Park District: Located at 1000 La Sierra Dr. It is roughly 3 miles away and offers a dedicated community tennis facility

• For private club amenities and pickleball courts, consider booking courts with guest charges at Gold River Racquet club

For Shopaholics, there’s Arden Fair Mall, close by

and Folsom Premium Outlets, in Folsom, about a 25-30 minute drive away.