The best family hotels in Sacramento
Written October 2026
Where to sleep in Sacramento with kids, which room to ask for, and what each neighborhood gives up.
Picture a Sacramento afternoon in July: you've done the trains, everyone is sticky, and the only thing that matters is whether the hotel has a pool. Downtown gets hot, so the pool is not a bonus here. It's most of the plan.
Most downtown hotels say they welcome kids, which doesn't tell you much. So this page covers ten that hold up on what decides the booking: a bedroom door that closes, a kitchen, connecting rooms, a pool. Each one says which room to ask for and what you give up by choosing it.
It's sorted by where you sleep. Old Sacramento and the river put the Railroad Museum and the boardwalks on foot. Downtown and Midtown put you by the Capitol and Capitol Park. The suburbs are for people who'd rather have a kitchen, a children's museum and parking over a view.
Short on time? The easy Old Sacramento base: Embassy Suites. The one to tell people about: the Delta King, a real riverboat (best with one kid). A kitchen downtown: the Residence Inn at Capitol Park. A toddler trip: the Residence Inn in Rancho Cordova.
How we picked
These are hotels we'd send a friend with kids to. The facts under each hotel come from its own site or its brand's page for that property, and its Play Day listing. Where a hotel's own pages wouldn't load for us, we went by what those pages say in search results. If a fact is missing, we couldn't confirm it (not that the answer is no).
We left out hotels we couldn't find anything family-specific about, and a few where the pool or room setup couldn't be confirmed. Planning the days? Start with our 3 days in Sacramento trip (https://ourplayday.com/itineraries/3-days-in-sacramento) or the things to do with kids guide (https://ourplayday.com/guides/sacramento/sacramento-things-to-do-with-kids).
Old Sacramento and the river
Stay here if the trip is the Railroad Museum, the boardwalks and the riverfront, because you can walk to all of it. The Capitol is a short walk east and Land Park (the zoo and Fairytale Town) is a drive. What you give up: it's the touristy end of downtown, and parking is the usual city hassle.
Embassy Suites by Hilton Sacramento Riverfront Promenade
Old Sacramento
The easy pick. Every room is a two-room suite, so there's a door between you and a sleeping kid, plus a sofa bed, a fridge and a microwave in the living room. Ask for the two-queen suite if there are four of you.
The pool is indoors, which is what you want when the afternoon hits triple digits, and the cooked-to-order breakfast saves the first hour of every morning. Old Sacramento is across the street.
- Cribs
- Yes
- Suites
- Yes
- Pool
- Yes, indoor
- Free breakfast
- Yes
Delta King Hotel
Old Sacramento waterfront
The one to tell people about: you sleep on a paddlewheel riverboat moored on the Old Sacramento waterfront. Most staterooms are one queen bed and sleep two, so this is a one-kid hotel. If you have two, ask about the rooms with a queen and a twin.
Rooms have a little veranda over the river and Tower Bridge, which kids tend to love. There's no pool, so it's the pick for a cooler month or a short stay.
Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown-Arena
Downtown
A plain, practical hotel one block from the Old Sacramento waterfront and across from the Golden 1 Center. The reason to pick it is the rooftop pool, outdoors and seasonal, with skyline views.
It's the one to look at when you want the Old Sacramento walk without paying for suites. There's a restaurant on site, so breakfast is easy.
- Pool
- Yes, heated
Home2 Suites by Hilton West Sacramento
West Sacramento
Across the river and about half a mile from Old Sacramento, so it's a walk over the bridge for dinner. Suites come with a kitchen and a sofa bed, there's a heated outdoor pool, and breakfast is part of the stay.
It's near the River Cats' ballpark, and the hotel lists connecting rooms, so ask for them if you're a bigger group. You give up the walk to the Capitol: that's a longer trek or a short drive.
- Fridge
- Yes
- Kitchenette
- Yes
- Pool
- Yes, heated
- Free breakfast
- Yes
- Laundry
- Yes
Downtown and Midtown, by the Capitol
Capitol Park is a good place to let kids run, and the museums and the Capitol are close. The streets are quiet in the evening (it's mostly offices and state workers), so plan dinner before you go back to the hotel.
Hyatt Regency Sacramento
Capitol Mall
Across from Capitol Park and near the convention center, with the Capitol lawns close enough to walk to before breakfast. The pool is a saltwater one with cabanas and a hot tub, and it's heated for year-round use.
The hotel lists connecting rooms (subject to availability), so ask when you book. It's a big, full-service hotel, which is the trade: easy and comfortable, but not cozy.
- Pool
- Yes, heated
Sheraton Grand Sacramento Hotel
J Street
A 1920s market building turned hotel a couple of blocks from the Capitol. The outdoor pool sits between the hotel's wings, shaded and quiet, which is a good place to end a long museum day.
Cribs and rollaways are available on request. Ask about a room with two beds, since rollaways in a standard room get cramped fast.
- Pool
- Yes, heated
The Citizen Hotel, Autograph Collection
J Street
A 1925 building turned boutique hotel with a restaurant downstairs. The hotel's own page says it offers connecting rooms and suites, and its FAQ says cribs are available on request, so it's a real option for a baby or toddler trip.
There's no pool, so a kid who lives in the water won't be happy. Rollaway beds aren't offered, which means a family of four needs a connecting pair or a suite.
- Cribs
- Yes
- Connecting rooms
- Yes
- Suites
- Yes
Residence Inn Sacramento Downtown at Capitol Park
Capitol Park
The downtown kitchen pick. Suites have a full kitchen and a living room, and the two-bedroom suites sleep five or six with a second bathroom, which is a small apartment when everyone needs a door.
Breakfast is part of the stay and there's an outdoor pool. It sits across from Capitol Park, so the first stroller walk of the day has somewhere to go.
- Kitchenette
- Yes
- Pool
- Yes
- Free breakfast
- Yes
The suburbs: Rancho Cordova and Folsom
Out Highway 50 it's quieter and more spread out, and you'll want a car for everything else. It's the choice if a toddler is the reason for the trip, or if day three is Folsom.
Residence Inn Sacramento Rancho Cordova
Rancho Cordova
The toddler pick. The Sacramento Children's Museum is about a five-minute walk, and the suites come with a kitchen and a pull-out sofa. The two-bedroom suite sleeps five.
The pool is indoors and heated, so it works in any season. You give up downtown: Old Sacramento and the Capitol are a drive.
- Fridge
- Yes
- Kitchenette
- Yes
- Pool
- Yes, indoor
- Free breakfast
- Yes
- Laundry
- Yes
Lake Natoma Inn
Historic Folsom
An independent inn at the edge of Historic Folsom, close enough to walk to Sutter Street and the river bike trail. The double-queen rooms and the Premium Suites sleep four.
The pool and hot tub are outdoors and seasonal, so don't book it for a winter swim. It's the one for a quieter trip built around Folsom, and it's the furthest of these from the Capitol.
- Fridge
- Yes
- Pool
- Yes
Pools in the heat
Sacramento summers are hot enough that the pool decides the day. Embassy Suites and the Residence Inn in Rancho Cordova have indoor pools. The Hyatt Regency, Sheraton Grand, Residence Inn at Capitol Park and Home2 Suites have outdoor ones, and the Holiday Inn's is on the roof and seasonal, like Lake Natoma Inn's. The Delta King and the Citizen don't list a pool.
Getting around
Downtown is walkable from Old Sacramento to the Capitol, but Land Park, the zoo and Fairytale Town are a drive or a rideshare away. If you're staying out in Rancho Cordova or Folsom, plan on a car.
Questions
Which Sacramento hotels have a pool for kids?
Embassy Suites by the river and the Residence Inn in Rancho Cordova have indoor pools. The Hyatt Regency has a saltwater pool with cabanas, the Sheraton Grand has a shaded outdoor pool, and the Residence Inn at Capitol Park and Home2 Suites in West Sacramento have outdoor pools too.
Where should we stay in Sacramento with kids?
Old Sacramento, if the trip is the Railroad Museum and the riverfront. Downtown by the Capitol, if you want Capitol Park and the museums on foot. Rancho Cordova, if a toddler and the Children's Museum are the point.
Which Sacramento hotels have kitchens or connecting rooms?
The Residence Inns at Capitol Park and in Rancho Cordova and Home2 Suites in West Sacramento have kitchens. Connecting rooms are listed by Home2 Suites, the Hyatt Regency and the Citizen Hotel, so ask for them when you book.
Can you sleep on a riverboat in Sacramento with kids?
Yes, on the Delta King in Old Sacramento. Most staterooms sleep two, so it works best with one kid, or ask about the queen-plus-twin rooms for two.
Which Sacramento hotel is best for a toddler?
The Residence Inn in Rancho Cordova, a short walk from the Sacramento Children's Museum, with a kitchen and an indoor pool. Downtown, the Citizen Hotel offers cribs on request.
Photos
Delta King Hotel: Quintin Soloviev (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Hyatt Regency Sacramento: Xnatedawgx (CC BY-SA 4.0) · The Citizen Hotel, Autograph Collection: BriefEdits (CC BY-SA 3.0) · Lake Natoma Inn: Almondox (CC BY 3.0)
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