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Best Places In Sacramento To Take Family Photos

Your loved ones are special and unique, so there is no reason your family photos should look like cookie-cutter prints taken in a discount department store. Sacramento is a city rich with trees, rivers, art and architecture, and getting great photos will be a snap when loved ones gather here. Create lasting memories amid the natural settings that make Sacramento a great place to be.

capitol rose garden
(credit: worldpeacerosegardens.org)

McKinley Park and Rose Garden
3330 McKinley Blvd.
Sacramento, CA 95816
(916) 277-6060
www.cityofsacramento.org


McKinley Park is a hub of activity in East Sacramento and is a great spot for photos either formal or fun. The park's famous garden, the setting for many weddings, features more than 1,000 colorful and fragrant rose bushes. The nearly 32-acre park has a well-groomed walking and running path, perfect for snaps of your active family and Fido. Small children in particular love the pond and its multitude of ducks and geese, and the kids' gleeful reactions make great photos.

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WPA Rock Garden
15th Ave. off Land Park Drive
Sacramento, CA 95818
www.cityofsacramento.org

The Rock Garden is something of a hidden treasure as it is one acre tucked away between the parking areas for Land Park and Fairytale Town. An unassuming sign leads down picture-perfect winding pathways featuring a gorgeous array of native California plants and trees. Rich succulents, fragrant cedars and purple salvia meet sweeping magnolia trees and flowers bursting with gold, red and other vivid colors. This intimate feast of plant life, randomly dotted with stone seats and wooden fence rails, creates a perfect, natural setting for photos of families and loved ones.

Related: Best Dog Walking Services In Sacramento

water-intake
(credit: cityofsacramento.org)

City of Sacramento Water Intake Facility
Jibboom St.
Sacramento, CA 95814
(916) 808-5200

While a municipal pumping station may not seem a likely setting for a family portrait, this unique structure will change your mind forever. The glass and steel building has an artistic, modern look, and the platform provides a backdrop of the downtown skyline, the Sacramento River and the mesmerizing golden Tower Bridge. If the weather is warm and your family members have a great sense of humor, pose them around the flat fountain. The setting is beautiful and you might get an entertaining shot of them when water from the fountain spurts up in unexpected places.

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Delta King (Credit, Valerie Heimerich)

1000 Front St.
Sacramento, CA 95814
(916) 444-5464
www.deltaking.com

For a truly one-of-a-kind family photo, climb aboard the Delta King, an authentic restored riverboat originally built in 1927. Now in Old Sacramento, it is a floating hotel with restaurants, a wine school and two professional playhouses. The historic ship offers exceptional views of the Sacramento River, unique buildings, Old Sac and the stained glass and polished brass of the grand riverboat. A favorite spot for weddings, the Delta King is a great place to pose with your loved ones.

Sacramento Capitol Park (Credit: Valerie Heimerich)
Capitol Park
1301 10th St.
Sacramento, CA 95814
(800) 777-0369
www.parks.ca.govNo matter how you lean politically, a family photo taken by the California state capitol will be a winner by a landslide. The 40-acre park offers many possible backdrops, including lines of majestic palms framing the walkway to the capitol dome. The park offers ample evidence of Sacramento's reputation for greenery, from lush expanses of lawn to 450 different kinds of flowering shrubs and trees. Flowers, both native and exotic, offer perfect scenery for photographs.

Related: Best Railroad Experiences In Sacramento For Kids

Valerie Heimerich is a freelance writer out of Sacramento. She typically covers animals and community issues. She has volunteered and worked for many organizations helping animals and people.
Her work can be found at Examiner.com.

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