Underground After-Hours Tour Shows Seedier Side Of Old Sacramento

OLD SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — The Underground After-Hours Tour begins at the Sacramento History Museum, but ends at the River City Saloon. After hearing some of the stories on this tour, you might need a drink.

"Many people don't have a nice thing to say about me and they might be right,"  said tour guide John Milligan.

San Juan Jack, a steamboat runner, is one the characters that will take you back in time on the underground after-hours tour. It's a history lesson about the seedier side of the city.

"I talk about the mayhem that has happened. I talked about many of the different madams I'm familiar with, gambling, there's also theater. People don't realize just how scandalous the theater used to be," said Milligan.

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The tour begins outside and eventually weaves it's way underground. The Sacramento History Museum aims to teach people the stories of the wild wild west.

"We tried to make the stories as spicy as possible," said Shawn Turner, Manager of tours.

"A lot of stuff they don't teach you in school, in Sacramento, that's for sure," said patron Rachel Atkinson.

Parts of the 90-minute tour are interactive, like the simulation of gambling, which was everywhere at the time. You also learn about the murders, mayhem, and madams.

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"Just the foundation of how much bad things happened, Realizing how much prostitution was going on back in the day," said patron William Beltran.

Tour guides give you their perspective, in character, taking you on a journey that brings history to life.

"I think it's a unique tour that kind of puts you back in the day in the life of someone during the gold rush of Sacramento," said patron Chris Atkinson.

Tickets are $25. The tours are on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays and run through October.