Cal Expo

Came to the expo home show with my grandma today and had a blast. It was a great crowd with plenty of vendors to talk to. Adoption business outside had a bunch of very cute medium sized dogs I was so tempted to take Billy home lol. Had a fun time here can't wait til they have the bigger one in February. Wish they had tap beer and taco stand the tri tip sandwich guy was alright

Unfortunately had a poor experience at the horse races. One of the ladies here is very disrespectful and makes the environment negative. One of the kids I brought here accidentally knocked down a chair and the screw came off, not only is that the fault of the establishment for having chairs with loose screws, that is not a reason to yell at them and slam things. Do better.Along with that, the food is very poor quality and is pretty expensive for a bag of chips or a soda.

The location is alright. It's in Arden so the surrounding area isn't the best. There is plenty of parking both at the location and on nearby streets.The venue itself is dated and is in dire need or either renovation or a full replacement. It's American Brutalist style so it's mainly blank concrete. The state fair has been going downhill every year here. Less vendors, and things to do every year. The exhibits, shows, and musical talent are also on their way down every year. I remember when it was in its hay-day and was the talk of the town. It's a yearly tradition for me to come to the state fair so I have a lot of memories here. It's more of a 3.5 stars in actuality but I love the monorail, horse racing, and hypnotist show. Additionally, the fair is really clean and the staff here does a great job. I've heard the county and city fairs down in SoCal are much bigger and better, we need to work on making the State's fair the best!The state fair is normally during the peak of July (one of the hottest summer months). They need to move it to October or so. Moreover, the prices for the food here are pretty expensive. Most of the food is greasy and not healthy but some of the items are oh so good (deep fried Oreos). The entry itself is like $16 so 2 people will be about $30 making it a ($$) for me. It's cheaper than most amusement parks but its value feels less and less worth it every year.Bottom line/TLDR: great and memorable fair experience.

I was overcome with nostalgia as soon as I spotted the iconic letters: C A L I F O R N I A. They were previously at the entrance of Disney's California Adventure. CAL EXPO in Sacramento, CA, is their new home, the site of the California State Fair and hundreds of other events annually. Disneyland Resort donated the letters in May 2012 to the non-profit, Friends of the California State Fair, and were dedicated in a 2013 ceremony on opening day of the 160th California State Fair.I actually had no idea the letters were here, so this stop wasn't in our agenda for the day! I only remembered the letters were moved to make way for an expanded entrance at Disney's CA Adventure. It just so happened that the letters were easy to spot from Exposition Boulevard as we were enroute to 18 Grams Coffee Roasters. The letters still look great and my family & I were able to take the usual photos of us either sitting on a letter, standing beside our initials or making out our name, like my son's name is NICO! :-)

Cal Expo is a good place for a ton of different events. We visited recently for the State Fair and we hadn't been in years! Overall, the staff was great and there was a variety of rides and different food items, however something felt different. Maybe it's just because we're older now. Also be sure to check the bag size online before you go to make sure you can bring your belongings inside.

The grounds themselves are nice is you stay being the fence and guards. The neighborhood around the grounds is rough. The trail that runs behind the grounds is littered with homeless.

7/22/2023Whew.. it's a hot one today..Purchased the fun pack online as soon the tickets were available..smooth and easy..Arrived right before 10 am..(best time to come)..Parking pass worked great!Got a second front row.. parking..Also used my clear backpack ( from Amazon)..This year was special-both son's were able to join us..First stop the cinnamon roll !Next cool off in the exhibits and see what new products..Then to the art and cannabis exhibits..On the way out- son got his turkey leg!Crowded as we were walking out.. great to see!Next year- bring a big wide hat!

I accompanied my hubby to Cal Expo for The Avalanche Sale, Sacramento's largest ski and snowboard sales. If you haven't been, it's basically a large warehouse room with different vendors and areas divided up that have ski/snowboard boots, jackets, pants, goggles, boards, skis, you name it - this event has it all. Parking to get into the event is $10. I would recommend you come in on the first day while the selection is hot. But if you come on the 2nd/3rd day, they offer incentive discounts.

First time to Cal Expo. We specifically went for Global Winter Wonderland. So disappointed. This is the Christmas season and not one thing is Christmas...outside of a machine that blows fake snow in one small little area. High prices on the food. So not worth the money or the time.P.S. On the way out we found a VERY small area with Christmas blow ups. Otherwise, it looked more like fall and summer with all the pumpkin and sea life blow-ups.

We traveled to Cal Expo for day one of the Country in the Park event, so while Cal Expo was just the host site, I thought it's important to share as to hope governing bodies see and take action to improve/renovate a very old, dungy, and dirty facility. Parking: The parking crew, so super nice, efficient, and friendly, but $15/day for parking? Would have been a plus to have staff direct traffic at end of night, as we happen to stumble onto an auxiliary exit that roughly 9/10 cars didn't know about. Grandstand: The staff again were very friendly, but this building shows signs of just how old it is. I don't imagine the building maintenance fund is huge, but tender love and care is surely needed. Turf Club: Exceptional staff again is the theme. Whether it was the one gentleman working a very busy bar, who was simply a class act, or the staff managing the buffet style dinner we enjoyed, the staff were excellent. We enjoyed a few of the artists later in day from the Turf Club, with great experiences with usher and wait staff. Phenomenal!!Buffet Food: Food we ate was cooked correctly, but not many options to select from. Won't complain too much here, though this dinner was a part of our ticket, so our dinner being underwhelming was not expected. Pricing: Unsure as to whether Cal Expo set the prices, or CITP Event, but seems drinks should be able to cover the artists fees without taking into account any other revenue received from ticket sales, etc. In summary, the people working at Cal Expo are the real hero's! The buildings are sorely needing renovation and maintenance, while the parking staff are also operating with a touch of class at every customer contact. We will be back for Day 2 of the CITP event today, as we paid for two day VIP pass, but after that, we won't be running back given the missing charm.NOTE: If you have #AT&T mobile service, be aware it takes, on average, about 30 minutes to 4+ hours to send/receive text messages.