Folsom Historic District

I haven’t been to this location in years and it’s great to see the new changes. The kids loved it.

Folsom Historic District is a great little downtown area to enjoy a slower pace than what I am used to living in the Bay Area. Parking is easy, the shops seem to be all locally own and the architecture is historically interesting to look at. We visited the area after spending the morning at the Folsom City Zoo Sanctuary. There were several galleries and antique shops to browse. Lunch options seemed a bit limited so most places were very crowded. The district also has a great little village green with a stage for events and bleacher style seating built in to grassy area. Cool little stop if you’re in the area-it’s not too far from Sacramento (about 15 miles I want to say,) and from my perspective is a more enjoyable experience than Sac’s old town area.

The Folsom Historic District is a shopping area in Folsom consisting of over 80 businesses. Most of them are located on Sutter Street which has numerous historic buildings. This area reminds me of Old Sacramento, except that the retail and dining establishments are not filled with novelty shops. Here you will find modern stores that just so happen to be located in historic spaces.
The easiest way to get here is by car. But if you don’t have one, you can also reach it by taking the Gold Line train in which the final stop, Historic Folsom is a short walk away from Sutter Street. Trains run every half hour. If you do take the train, note that the final train leaving Historic Folsom is at 7 pm daily so this would be a day trip.
Though I think a day trip is sufficient as the district is not very big and there isn’t a whole lot to see. All that there is pretty much to do here is walk around shops, take some building pictures and eat at one of the restaurants here. I think most people wouldn’t spend more than 3 – 4 hours here, if that. If you are looking for another place to visit nearby to pair with a visit here, there is an outlet mall nearby (Folsom Premium Outlets).
If you are looking for an attraction similar to Old Sacramento, the Folsom Historic District is a comparable option albeit out of the way in Folsom.

This is a very interesting place. Park your car in the garage or the side streets. Take a stroll and you get to experience the old architectures, antique lamp lights and interesting boutiques. It’s a great place to take a stroll with the family, get a gelato, take a look at whimsical shops and just sit at a bench and enjoy the sight.
I was here just passing time. Took a lot of Black and White photography. It was a lot of fun. I really enjoyed it and it has a lot of character. Especially in black and white photos. Bring the family over… and enjoy it.

Fun place to go miss the trees there. Great food and fun place to shop. but nothing like downtown Sac.

I love having such a charming and quaint place in my backyard so to speak. The street has loads of charm and bars and nightlife as well.

With over 80 unique businesses, locals and tourists alike frequent this heart of Historic Folsom. The famous Sutter Street dates back to the Gold Rush era where it was the center of commerce and exchange. It is impressive how they have managed to preserve its value, not only through the maintenance of its notable monuments, but also the perseverance of its thriving businesses.
Art galleries, food & spirits, museums (Folsom History Museum & Folsom Railroad Museum), shopping, and other services are scattered throughout this beautiful, rustic avenue. I’ve dined in a couple of restaurants, namely Sutter Street Grill and Hampton’s On Sutter, and had both wonderful experiences enjoying my meal outside their street patio, while people-​watching and soaking in the sunny weather. Their tiny shops are distinctive and interesting, full of things I don’t necessarily need, but definitely want :)
They also have an ice skating rink in the wintertime, tree lighting, and various festive events that promote the holiday spirit in town. Their roundabout rink might be on the smaller side, but who am I to judge, I’m no Olympian on ice…
I’ve heard many good things about their Second Saturday Artwalks and antique fairs, both I would love to check out. It’s a bit of a drive from where I live, but hopefully an occasion calls for it!

Wow, for a historic part of town this pace sure is a dump. Numerous antique shops, overpriced average cafés, a few crappy restaurants. I was under the impression that old, historic areas of towns are a place to visit and enjoy. This place just looks like a boneyard. It looks like it has been revitalized a little since the last time I was here but there are very few businesses that are modern or at least not entirely dumpy selling crap you can find in a dumpster. Mostly, it seems a bunch of old ladies dug up crap in their garage, slapped a coat of paint on it and are selling it for ten times it’s worth. There were a couple of cute places but mostly, who the hell needs 6 antique shops in a two block radius? Even old town Sac is better than this. They should just gut this place and renovate it to attract businesses that people actually want to frequent.

Do you like plastic surgery?
Do you like to watch 21-​year-​olds in bodycon dresses stumble around as they try to learn how to walk in heels while drunk?
Do you like to watch cougars try to steal men from their daughters?
Do you like to eat hot dogs at 2am?
Do you get annoyed when someone asks you five questions in a row?
Within a 24 hour time span, Sutter Street is anything from a train station, to an expensive shopping district, to an art gallery, to the place where seasoned clubbers go to die, to a vagabond screaming at you at 4am because you told him you don’t have a cell phone.
It’s kind of like a cross between Old Sac and midtown, but darker, with less traffic, and less trash on the ground.
Street fairs are kind of our specialty. Ever since Thursday Night Market was taken away a few years ago, we go at our farmer’s markets and antique fairs with a vengeance. There was a wicked antique fair out today. The whole street was packed, from the front of the steak house to the lightrail station, and then some.
When it comes to clubbing, we have Scarlett’s. That’s pretty much it, but you can also dance at Powerhouse, the hotel, La Hacienda, or maybe Sutter Club. (I miss Yager’s so very much!!!) There’s a nice handful of places to drink on top of those, and when you get the munchies, you can either hit up the 2am hot dog stand, or grab a taxi to Adanberto’s, which is really within walking distance for those who aren’t in heels.
For the loners and stoners, there are a couple of really nice courtyards if you look around, but I won’t describe them, because I don’t wish to share.
If you’re looking for someone to flirt with, it’s mostly valley girls and bros, but hey, in a pinch…

I would completely disagree with Marc O’s review. It sounds like he got off at the wrong light rail station and ended up at the Folsom Premium Outlet Mall which has a fine selection of the stores he talked about. Old Folsom (Sutter Street) did just go through a major renovation. This renovation updated a more than 100 year old infrastructure of clogged sewers and crumbling plumbing. It needed to be done and the renovation made this quirky little gold rush district into a place that highlights Folsom’s rich history and puts it front and center. Take for instance all of these that are available right on Sutter Street:
Gold Miners Village — A replica of a true gold miners village complete with miners cabin, gold panning, and even a working blacksmith shop! All of this is open to the public and completely free of charge.
Ice Rink — Between November and January Folsom hosts the most unique ice skating rink in the area. A circular rink is setup around the antique train turnstile with the city christmas tree right in the middle.
History museum — our history museum has all kinds of items that celebrate the history of Folsom from the gold rush area. They also change their items to so going to the history museum can be a new experience every time.
Historic markers — on Sutter street their are granite obelisks which provide detail and photos of Sutter street from past decades highlighting Folsom.
Murer House — an original home built by one of Folsom’s first residents Giuseppe Murer. he also owned the Folsom Hotel. You can take a tour of the house and they even offer Italian cooking lessons!
The Folsom Hotel and Saloon — Built in 1885 this Hotel is largely like it was back then. Don’t forget to look at the picture behind the bar showing men enjoying their libations from the 1800’s. If you look closely you will see a person at the bar on a horse!
All of the things listed above are right there on Sutter street and within walking distance. So I would say that Folsom’s historic Sutter Street has a ton of things to do. Some old, some new but now even better for the next 100 years!
Just a note, I don’t work for the Chamber of Commerce, Tourism Bureau, own a business on Sutter Street, live within walking distance of Sutter Street or anything else that would taint this review. I am a resident here and there is always friendly people and lots to see and do.

Nice place to spend a couple of hours strolling up and down the sidewalks. I really like the new and improved Saturday Farmers Market. Abundant free parking too!

The street improvements are excellent, but they need a better mix of shops and restaurants to really bring in the crowds. Lots of public events and mixers happening each month so there’s always a ton of stuff to do, but it can get a little stale after a while. It’s a fun place to drop in after a bike ride and see what’s going on too.

Love it! I love shopping here, taking family from out of town here, and the night life.

This was my first time at Old Folsom. There are a ton of interesting stores not to mention a chocolate shop and many great places to grab lunch.

What a fun and relaxing way to spend a late Sunday afternoon, especially when it was a beautiful spring day, which translates to lots of people were out and about. Strolling the few blocks of historic Folsom, window shopping, and getting your food fill is good times for all.

Ya know I’m on the fence with the re model of historic Folsom but it’s always a great place to visit for food family and entertainment

I grew up coming here when Old Folsom was tiny. It is all grown up now with several restaurants, shops, happening night spots & lofts to rent. The location is right next to the American River which makes for a nice walk across the bridge.

Old Folsom has really gone down hill.
As a kid, and even as a college student, I used to love wandering Sutter Street with my mom. The old buildings were fantastic and there were some incredible antique stores, as well. I remember one antique «mall» which featured both a vintage radio specialist (with some incredible old gems from the 40s that I just adored) and an antique watch man that I actually purchased a 100 year old pocket watch from.
But, now, Folsom is filled with crappy boutiques full of «country charm» and doilies and the antique stores are few and far between. The few that are left are filled to the brim with garage-​sale junk and too much glassware that looks like it belongs on your grandmother’s sideboard (and not in a good way). The addition of the Thomas Kinkaid gallery is the final nail in the coffin.
At least, the Folsom Hotel still offers a stiff drink at a cheap price in a building that hasn’t changed much over 100 years. The pizza up the street was pretty good and they did have Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale on tap, but Sutter Street, in general, was just a huge disappointment.
This place has NOTHING on the Highway 49 locales (i.e. Nevada City, Grass Valley, Jackson, etc.). It is really too bad that Sutter Street has decided to modernize. It’s lost nearly all of its quaintness.

Quaint 3 blocks on Sutter street in the Historic Sutter District with Restaurants, antique shops, clothing, jewelry, art, live theater, bars and speciality stores.
Limited free parking along Sutter and parking lots below Sutter Street.