Crocker Art Museum

The easy pick for Old Sacramento: every room has its own bedroom door (bedtime solved), and you're across the street from the boardwalks.

A British pub in Old Sacramento for fish and chips a short walk from the Railroad Museum, with a kids' menu that includes a single banger and mash.

At the Old Sacramento end of downtown, a few minutes' walk from the Railroad Museum, with a rooftop pool and skyline views.

Sleep on a 1927 paddlewheel riverboat in Old Sacramento, a short walk from the Railroad Museum. Staterooms are small and most sleep two, so it works best with one kid (book one of the queen-plus-twin rooms).

Gold Rush streets on the river with wooden boardwalks and old-fashioned candy shops, a block from the railroad and history museums. Start at the visitor center on 2nd Street and just wander.

A riverside beer garden with a big lawn, lawn games and fire pits, plus wood-fired pizza. Kids eat free on Mondays; they just have to stay at your table.