Delta history converges with Solano history
ALSO
Nature’s bounty on display in Solano County
Solano is home to watchtowers of fallen heroes
MCNAUGHTON
Delta history converges with Solano history
DAILY REPUBLIC STAFF
The camels of the Benicia Arsenal are well known to aficionados of Solano County history – and more than a handful of school-aged children wowed by the very thought that camels were once part of local military force.
For more than a century, the arsenal was the primary U.S. Army facility to supply troops on the West Coast.
The Camel Corps was part of that U.S. Army Ordinance from about 1855 to 1863. The barns are now part of the Museum of History Benicia.
But the arsenal, as well as the Benicia Barracks and the city itself –the onetime capital of the state – are part of the grander, meandering natural and cultural history of the 1,100-square-mile Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.
Rio Vista, Vallejo and the Suisun Marsh also are part of that Delta, which is formed by the confluence of the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers, which flow into the Suisun Bay, and in turn the San Francisco Bay, connected to the Pacific Ocean by San Pablo Bay.
Now, the Delta Protection Commission is working to implement a Tourism Brand and Marketing Plan that
The Benicia Arsenal, Storehouses and Engine House, also known as Camel Barns Building Nos. 7, 8, 9.
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS
Sunset on the Suisun Marsh the largest contiguous brackish wetland in the western United States. The marsh encompasses 116,00 acres and a critical part of the San Francisco Bay-Delta estuary ecosystem. It’s home to a wide variety of plants, fish and wildlife that depend on the careful balance of fresh and saline waters. The marsh provides ideal hiking, canoeing and sightseeing. Photo taken March 1, 2003.
HAMES/CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF WATER RESOURCES FILE (2003)
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will highlight the natural and cultural history of the designated Sacramento San Joaquin Rivers Delta National Heritage Area –the first heritage area in California and one of 62 nationwide.
‘When you go to places like the marsh, or Benicia, or Rio Vista or Vallejo, they are really special places and have a national importance and a deep heritage to them.’
They support historic preservation, natural resource conservation, recreation, heritage tourism and educational projects through public-private partnerships.
Sacramento San Joaquin Rivers Delta National Heritage Area includes a wide stretch of Solano County. Established by Congress in 2019,
— BLAKE ROBERTS, PROGRAM MANAGER
and managed by the Delta Protection Commission, the boundary extends from Sacramento to Stockton to Vallejo, with the junction of the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers at its epicenter. The NHA includes portions of Solano, Contra Costa, Sacramento, San Joaquin and Yolo counties. It encompasses 27 commu-
nities, including Vallejo, Benicia and Rio Vista.
Much of the Suisun Marsh is also part of the heritage area, and is viewed as the gem about which more people should know and, of course, visit.
“When you go to places like the marsh, or Benicia, or Rio Vista or Vallejo, they are really special places and have a national importance and a deep heritage to them,” Program Manager Blake Roberts said.
In all, the Delta communities total more than 500,000 residents. Advocates believe the tourism and recre-
A sign points to the Great California Delta Trail at Glen Clove Waterfront Park in Vallejo. AARON ROSENBLATT/DAILY REPUBLIC
ational opportunities generated from Delta National Heritage Area can be an economic boon to those and surrounding communities.
The Tourism Brand and Marketing Plan is based off a marketing plan developed in 2017, even before the heritage area existed. The plan will update what the heritage area is now, and how it can bring tourists to the Delta region.
As part of the marketing plan, a new Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta National Heritage Area’s Passport Program was recently introduced as a different way for visitors “to experience the cultural and natural riches” of the Delta.
The program will include stamping stations as part of the “Passport to Your National Parks.”
The sites will include museums, libraries to state Historic Parks and nature preserves in Solano, Sacramento, Yolo and Contra Costa counties.
The stations in Solano County, which opened Feb. 28, include the Benicia Capitol State Historic Park, home to the Arsenal, the
Other Solano County sites will be considered as the plan expands.
For more information about the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta National Heritage Area, go to https://delta.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/NHA-Fact-sheet-508.pdf. DS
Solano Real Estate Consulting & Sales Since 1979
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Rio Vista library and RioVision Gallery in Rio Vista.
Benicia Capitol State Historic Park.
GREAT THE Solano
Crystal Middle School and Natural Resources Group conduct an annual summer educational program in partnership with California Department of Water Resources in Suisun City. The education program is comprised of outdoor education, including a kayak tour, and classroom learning.
SARA NEVIS/CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF WATER RESOURCES
OUTDOORS
Nature’s bounty on full display across the county
Those who want to hike this spring and summer along scenic trails have ample opportunities to do so here in Solano County, both near the city and well off the beaten path.
BAY AREA RIDGE TRAIL
Bay Area outdoors enthusiasts have long dreamed of having trail systems circling the region along its hilltops and along its waterways.
The Bay Area Ridge Trail tackles the hilltop route. Some 330 miles of a targeted 550 miles of trails are open, including about 29 miles in Solano County. The Solano County portions pass through such areas as Lynch Canyon Open Space and Rockville Hills Regional Park in Fairfield and along McGary Road.
More should be coming in future years. For example, the Solano Land Trust bought what was then known as
the 1,500-acre Rockville Trails Preserve property in the hills above Suisun and Green valleys, providing the opportunity to extend the trail from adjacent Rockville Hills Regional Park toward Napa County. The Rockville Trails property has since been renamed the Patwino Worrtla Kodoi Dihi Open Space in honor of the native Patwin people who originally settled across the region.
GRIZZLY ISLAND
The Bay Trail envisions a 500-mile trail along the shorelines. Existing segments in Solano County include the Benicia Bridge and Carquinez Bridge pedestrian paths, as well as segments along the Benicia and Vallejo waterfronts.
MORE INFORMATION: Bay Area Ridge Trail, www. ridgetrail.org; Bay Trail, www.baytrail.org
BRANNAN ISLAND STATE PARK
This 365-acre park with its many waterways through the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta is located on the lower end of Brannan Island. The Sacramento River is on its west, Three Mile Slough to the southeast and Seven Mile Slough is on its northeast.
The park offers both day use and camping with a multiple-lane boat launch, picnicking, swimming, windsurfing and wildlife habitats within a maze of waterways. Anglers can catch a variety of striped bass, sturgeon, catfish, bluegill, perch and bullhead. Dogs are allowed but must be on a leash.
LOCATION: 17645 Highway 160, Rio Vista (Highway 160 a few miles south of the city of Rio Vista in Sacramento County) MORE INFORMATION: www.parks. ca.gov/?page_id=487
Grizzly Island Wildlife Area is a 115,000-acre Suisun Marsh showplace that contains 10 percent of the state’s remaining wetlands, as well as sloughs and upland habitat.
Much of the land is owned by 150 duck clubs and is off-limits to the public. The 8,600-acre Grizzly Island Wildlife Area, 10 miles south of Suisun City, is open. Owned by the state Department of Fish and Game, it provides a place where people can hunt, fish and bird watch. The state also owns other land in the marsh that forms what it calls the 14,300-acre Grizzly Island Complex.
On Grizzly Island itself, visitors can see such sights as tule elk, ducks, otters, herons, California clapper rails and many other types of wildlife. The Department of Fish and Games grooms land behind levees to grow vegetation favored by waterfowl, flooding and draining these areas at certain times of the year.
Some historians say the name “Grizzly Island” comes from grizzly bears that long ago traveled to the area from Mount Diablo to eat rosehips and other vegetation.
LOCATION: Department of Fish and Game headquarters at 2548 Grizzly Island Road MORE INFORMATION: 707-425-3828, https://wildlife.ca. gov/Lands/Places-to-Visit/Grizzly-Island-WA
JEPSON PRAIRIE
Jepson Prairie Preserve is one of California’s best remaining examples of a vernal pool ecosystem and native grassland prairie. Dry and dormant most of the year, the prairie is transformed each
Vintage Valley Trail, part of the Bay Area Ridge Trail
Grizzly Island Wildlife Area
spring by winter rains into a tapestry of stunning colors, and its vernal pools host a rich diversity of rare aquatic life. Enjoy an easy guided walk which may include portions of the preserve that are only accessible with a Jepson Prairie docent. Learn about vernal pools and see the aquatic invertebrate and flowering plants that depend on them.
The vernal pool flora at Jepson were first described in 1892 by botanist Willis Linn Jepson, but it took another 80 years for scientists and conservationists to gain enough momentum for protection. In the mid-1970s a committee was formed to protect Olcott Lake and the surrounding prairie.
Two years after the Nature Conservancy purchased the 1,566-acre site, it was dedicated as the Willis Linn Jepson Prairie Preserve in 1982. In 1983, the University of California brought the preserve into the University’s Natural Reserve System. In 1987 the National Park Service designated Dixon Vernal Pools, of which Jepson is the centerpiece, a National Natural Landmark.
Solano Land Trust assumes primary responsibility for the management of the land with the goal to preserve, protect and enhance the habitat for native plants and animals.
Knowledgeable docents share information during guided tours about the beautiful flowers, and certified dipper docents show participants some of the fascinating aquatic invertebrate that live
in the vernal pools.
LOCATION: Cook Lane off of Highway 113, 10 miles south of Dixon in rural Solano County.
MORE INFORMATION: Solano Land Trust. 707-432-0150; https://solanolandtrust.org/protected-lands/ jepson-prairie
JOICE ISLAND
Joice Island is a 2,150-acre property in Suisun Marsh that has been a state wildlife area since 1931, making it one of California’s first refuges.
The island is managed by the Department of Fish and Game as part of its Grizzly Island Wildlife Area. Joice Island allows less public access than Grizzly Island itself, which has the Department of Fish and Game headquarters. Waterfowl hunters can hunt on Joice Island during the duck hunting season by reservation only.
Joice Island is also the site of the annual wild pig hunt. Hunters during the spring can get permits to help control the wild pig population there.
LOCATION: About 4 miles south of Suisun City and Highway 12 near Grizzly Island Road
MORE INFORMATION: 707-425-3828 or wildlife.ca. gov/…-Visit/Grizzly-Island-WA.
KING-SWETT RANCHES
The King-Swett Ranches are a hidden treasure yet to be discovered by most Bay Area residents. This recently protected 3,956-acre expanse of land straddles the southwestern corner of Solano County. Views from atop King Ranch sweep
across the Suisun Marsh all the way to the Sierras, with Mount Diablo rising to the south. On the western edge of Vallejo-Swett Ranch, views include the Golden Gate Bridge and Mount Tamalpais, the San Francisco and San Pablo Bays, and the Napa River and marshes.
The steep hilly grasslands, oak woodlands and riparian corridors provide habitat for a wide variety of species, including many that are rare and endangered. Johnny jump-ups provide habitat for rare butterflies. Several ponds provide prime habitat for the endangered California red-legged frog. Slivers of serpentine soils support native grasses such as purple needlegrass, blue wild rye and numerous wildflowers.
The hills are a raptor’s paradise where golden eagles, Northern harriers, burrowing owls, and Swainson’s, Cooper’s and red-tailed hawks scan the open grasslands for food. Birders will delight in spotting Northern orioles, towhees, Western bluebirds, Swainson’s thrushes, Western kingbirds, black phoebes, tree swallows, and western meadowlarks. Mammals include black-tailed deer, coyotes and ground squirrels.
The King-Swett Ranches are currently open to the public for staff- or docent-led activities only. A nature hike takes place from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. the first Saturday of the month most months.
LOCATION: Between Interstates 680 and 80 near Fairfield (to the northeast), Benicia (to the south) and Vallejo (to the west)
MORE INFORMATION: Solano Land Trust. 707-4320150, https://solanolandtrust.org/protected-lands/ king-swett-ranches
LAGOON VALLEY/ PENA ADOBE PARK
Lagoon Valley/Peña Adobe Regional Park offers a great mix of recreation and history for residents, with hiking and biking trails, a lake for fishing, picnic areas, a dog park, the Peña Adobe and the Goheen-Mowers Museum.
The two parks, which cover more than 470 acres, are run by Vacaville and are halfway between Fairfield and
Lagoon Valley
Vacaville on the south side of Interstate 80.
The 106-acre lagoon is the home to a considerable population of geese and ducks, as well as a nice backdrop for the many running and bicycling events that take place in the parking lot and use the trails that run through the surrounding hills.
Historic Peña Adobe was built in the 1840s by some of Vacaville’s first pioneers and hosts many spring and summertime youth parks programs. Both the adobe and the adjacent Goheen-Mowers Museum were renovated and reopened to the public more than a decade ago. Volunteers now offer demonstrations of early pioneer and American Indian life the first Saturday of every month in conjunction with the Rush Ranch Educational Council.
LOCATION: Entrance to both Lagoon Valley Park and Peña Adobe on Peña Adobe Road just off Rivera Road, just west of Vacaville MORE INFORMATION: Lagoon Valley Park: https://www. ci.vacaville.ca.us/government/parks-andrecreation/parks-fields/lagoon-valley-park. Peña Adobe/Goheen-Mowers Museum: 707-447-0518, www.penaadobe.org
LYNCH CANYON
Lynch Creek, at 1,039 acres, is home to a wide variety of flora and fauna that
includes buckeyes, oaks and wetland meadows, and deer, fox, bobcat, waterfowl, and many raptors to include red-tailed and red-shouldered hawks, and the majestic golden eagle. Also of interest are specimens of native grasses. A small reservoir provides a home to muskrats, great blue herons and endangered California red-legged frogs.
Lynch Canyon is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Fridays through Mondays. It may be closed on short notice in case of high fire danger, extreme rain or construction.
For those who want more of a handson experience, volunteer work days are scheduled from 9 a.m. to noon the second Saturday of most months. Guided horseback rides are available to experienced riders with fit horses on any day that a docent agrees to lead such a ride.
LOCATION: Just north of Interstate 80 between American Canyon Road and Highway 12 (Jameson Canyon Road)
MORE INFORMATION: Solano Land Trust. 707-4320150, https://solanolandtrust.org/protected-lands/ lynch-canyon
MARE ISLAND SHORELINE HERITAGE PRESERVE
Visitors to the preserve at Mare Island in Vallejo can take in both history and nature.
A trail leads to the top of a 284-foot hill overlooking San Pablo Bay, with distant views of Mount Tamalpais, Mount Diablo and Mount St. Helena. Those who don’t want to hike can still see Mare Island cemetery and century-old stone buildings at the old ammunition depot left over from the island’s long history as a naval shipyard.
Access to the preserve was restricted for several months due to wildfires that occurred there and on Mare Island in the fall of 2019. The preserve reopened to the community in the spring of 2020. Check ahead of time for access requirements.
LOCATION: Railroad Avenue at southern tip of Mare Island
MORE INFORMATION: Erin Hanford, erin.hanford@ cityofvallejo.net, 707-648-5406
PATWINO WORRTLA KODOI DIHI OPEN SPACE PARK
Patwino Worrtla Kodoi Dihi Open Space Park, formerly Rockville Trails Preserve, epitomizes the beauty, rural character and quiet splendor that is Solano County. Filled with stands of blue and live oaks, temporal vernal pools, wildflowers and wildlife, the preserve’s 1,500 acres provides a connection to the region’s past and a vision for the future.
As you explore this land, it is easy to imagine a time when Patwin Indians walked the oak forests and stood on the highest mesa to look out over the valleys below. The forests, rugged hills and high ridges that they saw hundreds of years ago are largely unchanged. This new natural park will be the gateway for visitors from the local community, the Bay Area and the Central Valley into the western hills of Solano County and beyond.
Solano Land Trust will preserve and protect Patwino Worrtla Kodoi Dihi Open Space Park and its biological and cultural resources for generations to come. The nonprofit values sustaining agriculture on this property and foresees
Patwino Worrtla Kodoi Dihi Open Space Park
compatible public access, education and scientif ic discovery as a means to connect this land with the community.
The property is only available for specified docent-led tours. Guided horseback rides are available to experienced riders with fit horses on any day that a docent agrees to lead such a ride.
MORE INFORMATION: Solano Land Trust. 707-432-0150, https:// solanolandtrust.org/protected-lands/patwino-worrtla-kodoidihi
ROCKVILLE HILLS REGIONAL PARK
The park includes 633 beautiful acres of grass lands and oak woodlands, with a dense mixed broadleaf forest. The rich, biological and diverse habitats provide shelter to a variety of wildlife that make the park their home. The park is main tained by the city of Fairfield and features hiking and mountain bike trails.
LOCATION: 2149 Rockville Road in Fairfield, about three-quarters of a mile west of the intersection of Rockville Road and Suisun Valley Road. Park entrance on the left side of the road.
MORE INFORMATION: www.fairfield.ca.gov/government/ city-departments/public-works/rockville-hills-regional-parkopen-space-661
Rockville Hills Regional Park
SOLANO IS HOME TO watchtowers of fallen heroes
A 9/11 memorial at the Suisun Fire Department includes steel beams recovered from Ground Zero. DAILY REPUBLIC FILE PHOTOS
Army Veteran and Fiesta Days parade grand marshal Dallas Jackson, center, blows a kiss and touches his hand to Solano County Vietnam War Memorial statue as he leaves the Memorial Day service in Vacaville in 2011.
Johnny Frederick served in four America-involved conflicts.
That included as a member of the Flying Tigers, the only American Volunteer Group unit to see combat in the Second SinoJapanese War. He also served during World War II, the Korean War – and was flying a mission over North Vietnam when, on Dec. 7, 1965, he and the pilot of the F-4 fighter, Maj. John H. Dunn, were shot down and taken prisoners.
The decorated Marine died in a Hanoi hospital shortly after contracting typhoid fever at the Son Tay prison camp – two months before the release of American POWs in the spring of 1973.
Travis Air Force Base played an iconic role, welcoming back 258 released prisoners from the Vietnam War as part of Operation Homecoming.
On the third Friday of September every year, National POW/MIA Recognition Day is observed.
Solano County has its own memorial near the Vacaville City Hall, 650 Merchant St., and each year, it too remembers those who were prisoners of war and those still listed as missing in action.
Nearly 30 Solano County military personnel are known to have been prisoners of war, while more than 81,000 American military personnel and civilians remain unaccounted for from times of war dating back to World War II. Solano County also proudly honors the law enforcement personnel who have been killed in the line of duty.
A garden Peace Officer Memorial is located at 530 Union Ave. in Fairfield. Vacaville Police Officer Matthew Bowen, who died in the line of duty on July 11, 2024, was the most recent to have his name added to the Memorial Wall. He was 32, and the 21st officer to be honored.
The others are John Howard, a Rio Vista watchman who died June 20, 1892; Frank Toal, a night watchman in Vallejo, who died Sept. 2, 1896; Jarvis Emigh, a Rio Vista town marshal, who died Aug. 29, 1914; Dan McKinnon, a Dixon constable, who died Nov. 22, 1918; and James Power, with the Solano County Traffic Bureau, who died March 25, 1925.
Sorenson, a CHP officer, who died March 15, 1963; Williams Easson Jr., Vallejo police officer, who died April 7, 1966; and Calvin Thacker, Vallejo police officer, who died April 7, 1966.
Others listed are Steven Armenta, a narcotics special agent with the state Department of Justice, who died Dec. 5, 1973; Gary Hughes, CHP officer, who died May 23, 1976; Albert Patch, a California corrections officer, who died Aug. 17, 1980; Arthur Koch, Fairfield police officer, who died July 29, 1984; and Jose Cisneros, Solano County sheriff’s deputy, who died Aug. 25, 1985.
The final five are George Butler, CHP officer, who died Dec. 8, 1986; Jeffrey Azuar, who died April 12, 2000, John Sandlin, Solano County sheriff’s reserve deputy, who died April 23, 2004; James Capoot, who died Nov. 17, 2001; and Kirk Griess, CHP officer, who died Aug. 10, 2018.
As of the end of 2025, there were 24,412 names on the memorial in Washington, D.C.
Also on the memorial wall are Anson Burdick, a Suisun constable, who died Sept. 1, 1925; Hale Humphrey, a Solano County sheriff’s deputy, who died March 15, 1963; Charles
There are four 9/11 memorials in Solano County – in Fairfield, Suisun City, Rio Vista and Vallejo – honoring the firefighters and police officers who died that day. Each has a piece from the wreckage from the New York City site.
Of course, the Sacramento Valley National Cemetery near Dixon, the historic Mare Island Naval Cemetery and the Benicia Army Post Cemetery – all under the Department of Veterans Affairs National Cemetery Administration – are the final resting places for thousands of veterans.
And the Memorial Wall in front of the old courthouse on Texas Street marks the 487 names of those local men and women who died while serving their country.
There are 332 from World War II; 61 from Vietnam; 60 from World War I; 26 from Korea; and eight who died in the war on terrorism. DS
From left, Liz Bowen, her son, Mason, and Vacaville Police Chief
Chris Polen place roses on the memorial star for fallen Vacaville Police Officer Matthew Bowen during the Solano County Peace Officers Memorial Service in downtown Fairfield.
The Solano County War Memorial sits in front of the Old Solano County Courthouse in downtown Fairfield.
BENICIA Discover
Its status as a former state capital is part of California lore, but Benicia was also once destined to be called Francisca until Yerba Buena changed its name to San Francisco and the similarity spurred the town’s founder to select another name.
Robert Semple had wanted in 1847 to name the town after Gen. Mariano Vallejo’s wife, Francisca Maria Felipa Benicia Carrillo de Vallejo, and he still did. Semple just choose another of her many names.
The town’s residential and business districts are on its west side with a vibrant waterfront as well as the Benicia State Recreation Area along Southhampton Bay.
Benicia is home to events that range from Arts Benicia and the Benicia Peddlers Fair to The Holy Ghost Parade and the July 3 Torchlight Parade.
Its industrial side includes the Port of Benicia and the town’s largest employer, the Valero Oil Refinery, with its tanks, pipes and stacks that sprawl across a large area alongside Interstate 680.
The town could have been the center of California politics when the state in 1853
declared Benicia as its capital after deciding they were dissatisfied with Vallejo in that role. Lawmakers took over the Benicia City Hall, with its Doric columns and appearance of a Greek temple.
“So Benicia, the memorable ‘city of the Straits,’ ‘the rival emporium of the Pacific wealth and commerce,’ is to be vested with new dignities . . .” the Feb. 5, 1853, Daily Alta Californian reported.
The state Legislature met again in Benicia in 1854. It voted to make Benicia the permanent state capital. Then lawmakers quickly changed their minds when 100 people coming to the session couldn’t find lodgings and had to sleep in saloons. They moved the capital to Sacramento.
Another historical site is the Benicia Arsenal, built in 1849 as an ordnance supply depot. William Tecumseh Sherman and Ulysses S. Grant spent time there prior to going on to Civil War fame. Sherman became an admirer of the town.
“That Benicia has the best natural site for a commercial city, I am satisfied, and had half the money and half the labor since bestowed
upon San Francisco been expended at Benicia, we should have at this day a city of palaces along the Carquinez Strait,” he wrote in his memoirs.
The arsenal also stabled the U.S. Army’s only Camel Corps, which was disbanded in 1863. The Camel Barns, built in 1855, now house the Benicia Historical Museum. Union troops from the West gathered at the arsenal during the Civil War.
After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, 125 truck convoys were loaded at the arsenal. A total of 250 Italian and 400 German prisoners of war once resided at the arsenal.
Benicia was almost economically shattered in the 1960s when the arsenal closed, removing its economic foundation, but re-creation of the arsenal land as a successful industrial park that now contains the Valero refinery helped save the town’s economy.
The city is home to a thriving art community, many who live in the historic arsenal area, which dates back to 1849. The Clock Tower Fortress, also in the arsenal, built in 1859, is open for many community functions.
BENICIA CAPITOL STATE HISTORIC PARK
Benicia briefly served as California’s capital 150 years ago. Benicia Capitol State Historic Park commemorates the era of 1853 to 1854. The old capitol building remains and is open to visitors. Vallejo was the state capital before Benicia, but Gen. Mariano Vallejo failed to provide the promised buildings and lawmakers moved it. Benicia has a Greek temple-style capitol building, but this too failed to convince state lawmakers to stay in Solano County. Sacramento became the capital in March 1854. The Benicia Capitol building over the years served as a fire station, police station and even a dance hall. The Benicia Capitol is the only pre-Sacramento capitol building that remains.
LOCATION: 115 W. G St., Benicia
MORE INFORMATION: 707-745-3385, www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=475
BENICIA MARINA
Located between the Sacramento River Delta and San Francisco Bay, the Benicia Marina is a jewel located on the north side of the Carquinez Strait, with spectacular views from every slip in the harbor. It offers guest berthing, power, water and a safe environment. It is also only a short walk away from downtown Benicia’s charming First Street and its shops as well as walking and bike trails. Guest boats must check in at the marina office for berth assignments. Call in advance for the availability of either transient or overnight berthing.
LOCATION: 266 E. B St., Benicia MORE INFORMATION: 707-745-2628, www.benicia marina.net
BENICIA PLEIN AIR GALLERY
The Benicia Plein Air Gallery specializes in the work of local artists who capture the outdoor scenes in and around Benicia, the Carquinez Straits and the San Francisco Bay Area. Each month, the open-air gallery showcases the works of one of its many artists, with creations that range from classical landscapes to saturated pastels. The annual Paint Out event is returning May 29 through June 5. Join artists from all over to paint anywhere in this quaint and historic town. The event will culminate with a one-day exhibit on Saturday, June 6, during the Benicia Arts Festival from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
LOCATION: 307 First St., Benicia MORE INFORMATION: 707-771-6166, www.beniciapleinair.com
SEPAY GROVES OLIVE OIL IN BENICIA
Sepay Groves Olive Oil, the oldest olive oil store in Solano County, offers an expansive variety of award-winning extra virgin and flavored olive oils and serves as an outlet store for the oldest operating olive oil producer in Suisun Valley, who arguably produces the best Tuscan extra virgin olive oil in Northern California. All oils and vinegars are bottled by hand in small batches to maintain their integrity, with the oils sold in their first year of life.
LOCATION: 364 First St., Benicia MORE INFORMATION: 707-434-8222, www.sepayoliveoil.com
BENICIA CALENDAR OF EVENTS
Farmers Market: Benicia Main Street draws many people to its popular farmers market. The market offers fresh fruits and vegetables, baked goods, gourmet food, delicious hot foods, arts and crafts, live entertainment and face painting from 4 to 8 p.m. Thursdays, from April 30 through Aug. 27; 4 to 7 p.m. Sept. 3 throught Oct. 29.
Benicia Waterfront Weekend Festival: Benicia celebrates its picturesque waterfront locale with two days of live music, craft beer tastings, tasty foods, vendor village, and a children’s activity area from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. July 25-26 at the First Street Green, corner of First and East B streets. Info: 707-745-9791, www.beniciamainstreet.org.
BENICIA CAPITOL STATE HISTORIC PARK
BENICIA WATERFRONT WEEKEND FESTIVAL
DOWNTOWN BENICIA
Downtown Benicia offers myriad festivals and events for all ages. The spring and summer seasons offer plenty of seasonal activities, from a farmers market to wine- and food-tasting activities to various community celebrations and more.
MORE INFORMATION: 707-745-9791, www.beniciamainstreet.org
BENICIA STATE RECREATION AREA
The shores of Southampton Bay are home to one of Solano County’s few state parks. People come to Benicia State Recreation Area to walk, run, cycle, birdwatch and fish. The state lists the Dillon’s Point marsh as an area in the park particularly favored by anglers. A few motorhome campsites are available, though no tent campsites. It has 2.5 miles of roads and paths. Benicia State Park is also home to the Forrest Deaner Native Plant Botanic Garden. The only other Solano County state park is Benicia Capitol State Historic Park, though the county does have state wildlife refuges.
LOCATION: Columbus Parkway exit from Interstate 780 in Benicia
MORE INFORMATION: 707-648-1911, www.parks.ca. gov/?page_id=476
DOWNTOWN BENICIA
DIXON Discover
The city was going to be called Dicksonville after pioneer Thomas Dickson, who donated 10 acres of his property for a railroad depot, but a merchandise shipment in 1872 misspelled the name as Dixon.
Almost two years of trying to have the town formally named Dicksonville ended in 1874 when the county recorder filed the name Dixon on new maps. Dixon was a simpler name, he said.
The dairy cows that once gave Dixon the nickname The Dairy City are for the most part gone, though the Heritage Dairy is located a few miles from town. But Dixon is located amid the Dixon Ridge farming area of the Central Valley.
The town’s agricultural heritage draws from some of Solano County’s most fertile soil where farmers grow everything from tomatoes to alfalfa, ranchers run cattle and sheep, and orchardists grow almonds and walnuts.
The annual May Fair, which began in the late 1800s and is the longest continually running agriculture fair in California, helps keep Dixon’s farming heritage alive. Fall brings such attractions as the Cool Pumpkin Patch corn maze. The Dixon Fairgrounds hosts year-round events.
Solano County has a 548-acre area zoned for agricultural services next to Dixon. This area is to be home to processing plants and other businesses that help the farming economy.
Dixon has become more suburban in recent decades, with subdivisions swelling its population of commuters who travel to Davis and the Sacramento area to work.
The city was incorporated in 1878.
Dixon almost became home to a major horseracing center, but residents voted that down on the grounds they liked their town the way it was. The city also courted the idea of trying to land a movie studio that would have been built on the south side of town and produce family films, but the studio
never came about.
But agriculture still looms large. Just look at the city seal, which portrays an orchard and rows of crops in the foreground and buildings in the distance.
Dixon was born in 1851 when pioneer Elija Silvey founded the town of Silveyville, which was located a few miles from present-day Dixon. He set up a hotel and saloon for mule teams traveling between San Francisco and the gold fields in the Sierra Nevada and put up a red lantern to make certain people could find it.
By 1865, Silveyville had about 150 residents and boasted a store, blacksmith shop and a post office, with Silvey serving as postmaster. But the Central Pacific railroad came through in 1868 several miles away and Silveyville died. A new town sprung up along the railroad tracks, with people moving many of the Silveyville buildings there on rollers.
In a twist of irony, one of the few buildings to survive from Silveyville was a church that was too large to be hauled over the railroad tracks. When a massive fire burned down much of Dixon, the church survived quite literally because it was on the wrong side of the tracks.
The Nov. 19, 1883, fire started in the kitchen of the Centennial Hotel, where the Moose Lodge is now located, and almost completely destroyed the town. Winds up to 60 mph spread the fire and the town’s saloons and six churches were destroyed within hours.
A city ordinance that followed set brick or tin as the building material of choice.
The city is a true Central Valley town amid a county that is considered part of the Bay Area, with more in common geographically with Sacramento than San Francisco. It has the flat expanses of land and hot summer temperatures of the valley.
And, of course, it has the vast expanses of farmland at its borders.
DIXON
Spend the day, see some sights
DIXON MAY FAIR
The fair returns May 7-10. This year’s theme is “Tradition” and will celebrate the fair’s 149th year. Livestock will once again be at the fair, featuring young agriculturalists showcasing their skills. Talented artists, photographers, crafters, bakers and more will once again be able to show off their skills to the community during the four-day event. Carnival rides, live entertainment, food and fun are planned for the fair.
LOCATION: 655 S. First St. MORE INFORMATION: https://dixonmayfair.com
SACRAMENTO VALLEY NATIONAL CEMETERY
The Sacramento Valley National Cemetery is the seventh national cemetery built in California and the 124th in the nation. It opened to burials in 2006. It is located on Midway Road between Vacaville and Dixon. The cemetery should serve the needs of the area for the next 50 years.
LOCATION: 5810 Midway Road, Dixon MORE INFORMATION: 707-693-2460, www.cem.va.gov/cems/nchp/ sacramento.asp
FAIRFIELD Discover
Apublic art event in 1995 asked “Where is Fairfield?” and a plane flew over the city with that question on a banner. At NorthBay Medical Center, babies were given T-shirts that posed the same question.
Halfway between San Francisco and Sacramento is the easy answer – although residents might note that description overlooks the rich history of Fairfield.
The city is the Solano County seat and home to Travis Air Force Base – along with attractions that include Jelly Belly, Solano Town Center mall and the Rancho Solano and Paradise Valley golf courses.
Fairfield began in 1856 when nearby Suisun City had waterfront shipping access crucial for pioneer-era communities. A treeless plain is how one writer described Fairfield.
But an offer to the county of land to build a government center was too good a deal for voters to pass up and in 1858 they approved moving the county seat from Benicia to
Fairfield. The city’s population doubled between the late 1850s and 1880. A century later, more than 44,000 people lived in the city – a number that more than doubled by 2000. Buildings constructed for government are among Fairfield’s most impressive structures.
Renovation of the 1911 county courthouse was recently completed while the modern six-story county Government Center dominates downtown.
By World War II, after decades of playing second fiddle to Suisun City, Fairfield was on its way to becoming the second largest city in Solano County. The U.S. Air Force decision in 1942 to build a major base installation on land east of Fairfield boosted the area economy. Travis Air Force Base was annexed to Fairfield in 1966.
The city now is targeting development on two fronts. The Fairfield-Vacaville train station for Amtrak and bus riders, located about a mile from Travis Air Force Base, is seen as a boon for residents and the economy and is the
site of current development. A project to help the city’s central business district to grow and match the downtown turnarounds that other Bay Area cities is in its formative stages. Recent projects to support the effort include ongoing work to update Allan Witt Park on West Texas Street and a project completed in Spring 2022 to modernize and update the streetscape at the downtown’s entrance on the west end of West Texas Street at Interstate 80.
Fairfield at nearly 40 square miles is almost the physical size of San Francisco, if not a match in population or cable cars that climb halfway to the stars. Its location along Interstate 80, Interstate 680 and Highway 12 between the Bay Area and Central Valley makes it a regional crossroads.
The rich past of Fairfield may be rivaled only by its future. In 2003, as Fairfield celebrated its 100th anniversary as a city, officials buried a time capsule at City Hall, with an opening date of 2103.
DOWNTOWN THEATRE
Playing host to hundreds of community events each year including concerts, festivals and seminars and performances, the Downtown Theatre is the cultural hub of the Fairfield area. Also home to an art gallery, new works are shown each month at the center. Admission to the gallery is free during hours of operation. The award-winning, 360-seat theater received an exterior facelift in August 2018 with the addition of a state-of-the-art lighted marquee. The theater and other facilities can be rented out to host your special event as well.
LOCATION: 1035 Texas St., Fairfield MORE INFORMATION: 707-940-0700, www.downtowntheatre.com
JELLY BELLY VISITOR CENTER
From being a local secret to world-famous, the pint-sized jelly bean offers a variety of flavors and colors at the Jelly Belly Candy Co. Starting in the lobby filled with jelly bean art and eclectic decorations, guests can tour the factory daily. Tours leave every 10 to 15 minutes and last about 40 minutes. Free samples of Jelly Belly products are available. During the 40-minute walking tour, Jelly Belly guides will show guests a working factory where more than 150 different sweet treats are made. The factory, however, is not in operation during the weekends and on major holidays. Learn the secrets to how they create the legendary Jelly Belly jelly bean and discover why it takes more
than a week to make a single bean.
LOCATION: 1 Jelly Belly Lane, Fairfield MORE INFORMATION: www.jellybelly.com
SOLANO TOWN CENTER
Solano Town Center mall is one of Solano County’s major shopping and restaurant areas. The two-story mall has about 130 storefronts, ranging from department stores to recruiting offices to movie theaters. It is also a destination for various walking clubs that want to escape the weather. Children can climb and explore the bright, colorful play area filled with animal characters, large puzzles and plenty of space to stretch their legs. Developed in the late 1970s and early 1980s, the mall has gone through various renovations through the years. The latest brought an $8.5 million, 33,000-squarefoot dining court to the mall in April 2011. The mall was renovated end-to-end in 2006 at a cost of $20 million.
LOCATION: 1350 Travis Blvd., Fairfield MORE INFORMATION: 707-425-1164, www.solanotowncenter.com.
FAIRFIELD AQUATICS COMPLEX
Whether it’s exercise, a birthday party or swim lessons, the Fairfield Aquatics Complex offers a lane or slide for all occasions. The center features a natatorium with retractable roof, a zero-depth entry play area, a lazy river current for fun and a six-lane activity pool with a slide and diving board. The outside shallow play area for kids includes slides, climbing structures, water-dumping toys and water-spray toys adjacent to a grass area for families to lounge and enjoy the sunshine. There is also a picnic area for large groups to use for the day or rent the entire facility after hours for company parties, school field trips or special occasions.
SOLANO TOWN CENTER
JELLY BELLY VISITOR CENTER
DOWNTOWN THEATRE
rooms for smaller groups to enjoy the facilities and catered to in a private setting. A concession stand provides hot and cold drinks and food.
LOCATION: Allan Witt Park, 1741 W. Texas St., Fairfield
MORE INFORMATION: 707-428-7428, www.fairfield.ca.gov
TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE AVIATION MUSEUM
The Travis Air Force Base Aviation Museum holds an extensive collection of aircraft and artifacts detailing the history of Travis Air Force Base, airlift, space exploration and military air power. Founded in 1983, the center is surrounded by an impressive collection of restored historic
military aircraft that includes the B-29 Superfortress, a Vietnam-era B-52 Stratofortress, an F-4C Phantom Fighter, a C-124 Globemaster II, a C-47 Skytrain and an F-86 Sabre fighter. Inside, there are exhibits containing artifacts, documents, aircraft models, uniforms, aircraft nose art and photos from the dawn of military air power in World War I to present-day military and humanitarian operations around the world. Due to post-9/11 security concerns, aviation lovers will need a base visitor’s pass to see the Travis Heritage Center.
LOCATION: Travis Heritage Center, 400 Brennan Circle, Travis Air Force Base
MORE INFORMATION: 707-424-8180, www.travisafbaviationmuseum.org
SONOMA HARVEST OLIVE OIL & WINERY
Sonoma Harvest Olive Oil & Winery’s stylish tasting room offers complimentary tastings of almost all of the available Sonoma Harvest food products, including its gourmet olive oils, vinegars, mustards, honey, tapanades, jams, sauces and more. A wine tasting includes the full flight and features four varietals. The tasting room features a well-equipped kids’ club so the little ones can be entertained by puzzles, games, and movies while the adults sip some wine, sample yummy bites and shop among wine country merchandise. Sonoma Harvest’s tasting room is open from noon to 4 p.m. daily.
LOCATION: 770 Chadbourne Road in Fairfield MORE INFORMATION: 707-389-4815, www.tastesonomaharvest.com
FAIRFIELD CALENDAR OF EVENTS
Blues, Brews & BBQ Cook-off: The fifth annual Blues, Brews and BBQ Cook-off is back on April 18 from noon to 4 p.m. on the County Green (corner of Texas and Jefferson streets) in downtown Fairfield. Fee. Info: www.fairfield.ca.gov/our-city/ city-events/blues-brews-bbq.
Suisun Valley’s Passport Sunday: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. April 19. The event will feature 12 distinguished establishments showcasing their renowned wines and specialty items. Attendees will be provided with a commemorative wine glass adorned with the event’s logo, along with a tasting pass granting access to sampling sessions at all
participating venues. Fee. Info: https://visitfairfield.com/event/ passport-sunday.
Wings Over Solano: Gates open at 9 a.m. April 25-26. Spend the day at Travis Air Force Base with an open house and air show, an opportunity to interact directly with Travis airmen and see the capabilities at Travis AFB on full display. Featuring the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds, aerial demonstrations, modern and vintage military aircraft, a wide variety of booths and a kids zone with Science, Technology, Engineering and Math interactive displays. Info: www. wingsoversolano.com/home.
Fairfield Farmers Market: 3 to 7 p.m. Thursdays, May 7 through Sept. 24. Jefferson and Texas streets. Info.: www.fairfield.ca.gov/ our-city/city-events/fairfieldfarmers-market.
Tomato & Vine Festival: 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Aug. 15, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Aug. 16, downtown Fairfield. The community’s celebration of all things tomato, the event typically includes a VIP wine and food pairing on Day 1, a classic car show on Day 2, live music, and a carnival throughout. Details to be announced. Info: www.fairfield. ca.gov.
FAIRFIELD AQUATICS COMPLEX
WINGS OVER SOLANO
TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE AVIATION MUSEUM
SUISUN VALLEY Discover
Suisun Valley offers city dwellers a place to escape crowded streets and see the country, buy fresh produce and taste wines. It is located just west of Fairfield. It has fertile soils with a Mediterranean climate good enough to grow grapes for fine wines, just as in the neighboring, world-famous Napa Valley.
The valley has its scenic attractions, framed as it is by oak-covered hills, with acres of vineyards, orchards and other farming areas. It has buildings such as the 1900, one-room Gomer School, complete with bell tower. It has small commercial areas such as Manka’s Corner with restaurants and other businesses.
Wine is a big part of the valley. Suisun Valley in 1982 won federal recognition as the Suisun Valley Appellation, making the valley an American Viticultural Area. Grape varieties ranging from Sauvignon Blanc to Chardonnay to Gamay to Pinot Noir to Riesling are grown in the valley.
Several small wineries have tasting rooms. In addition, other wineries have grouped together to run a cooperative tasting room on Suisun Valley Road.
A big winery has come to Suisun Valley. The Wagner family, owner of Caymus Vineyards in Napa Valley, is building a winery at the very southern end of the Suisun Valley appellation capable of producing 5 million gallons of wine annually. It plans to bring grapes and wines from other locations to the Cordelia Road site for bottling, as well as grow grapes there.
But Suisun Valley is more than grapes. People can go there to buy corn, strawberries, dried fruit and nuts and other produce from small, family run produce stands. They can buy olive oil made from olives grown and processed in the valley.
Solano County wants to get the word out. It has designated Suisun Valley to become an agritourism area. Goals include creating several more small centers with businesses that cater to valley visitors.
Spend the day, see some sights AMERICAN ARMORY
MUSEUM
The American Armory Museum strives to educate future generations about, and impress upon them, the sacrifice, bravery and enduring
significance of the U.S. military. Numerous vehicles are on display, with some available for rides. Various static displays are also set up to illustrate life in the field while in the armed forces. The museum features such military vehicles as the 1955 Larc amphibious cargo hauler, the M35A2 cargo truck, the 1944 M5A4 artillery tractor, the M936A1 wrecker and recovery truck, the FV433 Abbot selfpropelled artillery vehicle, the HET 1070 heavy equipment transport, an Israeli M-5 half track armored personnel carrier, a Ford GWP jeep, the M561 Gama Goat amphibious vehicle and the Super Mack heavy-duty truck. Ask in advance about ride fees. The museum opened in May 2016. Admission is free, although donations are accepted. Open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday and by appointment. Ride fees for vehicles are to be determined and are subject to change without notice.
LOCATION: 4144 Abernathy Road, rural Fairfield in Suisun Valley MORE INFORMATION: 707-389-6846, info@AmericanArmoryMuseum.org, www.americanarmorymuseum.org.
AMERICAN ARMORY MUSEUM
MANKA’S CORNER
Manka’s Corner is a small commercial area amid the farmlands of Suisun Valley. Solano County is promoting Suisun Valley as an agricultural tourist draw and Manka’s Corner is a key part of the plan, given that it has restaurants and shops where valley visitors can stop. The area’s name comes from Christley Manka, a pioneer to Suisun Valley around 1850. He established a tavern at what is now Manka’s Corner.
LOCATION: Mankas Corner Road and Clayton Road, rural Fairfield. MORE INFORMATION: www.suisunvalley.com
GLASHOFF SCULPTURE RANCH
Home to an eclectic array of art and sculptures, the late Phil Glashoff’s ranch in Suisun Valley can be toured by appointment. Much of the art is made up of salvaged rusty machinery, fire extinguishers, compressor covers, motorcycle tanks and other items that had been abandoned and scattered around the farm. The sculptures have brought Glashoff attention from around the world. Those who appreciate art find there is goodwill and humor in each piece.
LOCATION: 5402 Williams Road, rural Fairfield MORE INFORMATION: 707-639-7076, glashoffgallery@aol.com
SUISUN VALLEY-GREEN VALLEY WINE TASTING
Solano County has its own wine country in the Suisun and Green valley areas, and they offer plenty of tasting opportunities. Visitors can try locally produced wines at several locations:
BackRoad Vines at Village 360: Tasting room at Village360, 4949 Suisun Valley Road, Fairfield. 707-759-0185, http://backroadvines.com.
Bally Keal Estate: 4266 Suisun Valley Road, Fairfield. Info: 707-646-2901, www.ballykeal.com.
Blue Victorian Winery: 5071 Suisun Valley Road, Fairfield. Info: 707-422-8025, www.vezerfamilyvineyard.com.
Caymus-Suisun Winery: 4991 Suisun Valley Road, Fairfield. 707-286-1776, www.wagnerfamilyofwine.com.
GV Cellars: 1635 Mason Road, Fairfield. 707-864-2089, www.gvcellars.com.
Mangels Vineyards: 4529 Suisun Valley Road, Fairfield. www.mangelsvineyards.com.
Rock Creek: 4610 Green Valley Road, Fairfield. 707-8642471, rockcreekvineyard.com.
Ryan Darrall Wine: 4994 Gordon Valley Road, Fairfield. 707-440-2242, www.ryandarrallwine.com.
Sonoma Harvest Wine and Olive Oil Tasting Room: 770 Chadbourne Road, Fairfield. 707-389-4815, www.tastesonomaharvest.com. Suisun Creek Winery: 2350 Morrison Lane, Fairfield. 707-864-1818, www. suisuncreekwinery.com.
Sunset Cellars: 4495 Suisun Valley Road, Fairfield. Info: 415-566-2910. sunsetcellars.com.
Tenbrink Vineyards: 4185 Chadbourne Road, Fairfield. 480-7334, www. tenbrinkvineyards.com.
Tolenas Winery: 4185 Chadbourne Road, Fairfield. 707-372-1434. www. tolenaswinery.com.
Vezer Family Vineyard: Mankas Corner Winery, 2522 Mankas Corner Road, Fairfield. 707-429-3958, www.vezerfamilyvineyard.com.
Village 360: 4949 Suisun Valley Road, Fairfield, 707-863-0646, https:// village-360.com.
Wooden Valley Winery: 4756 Suisun Valley Road, Fairfield. 707-864-0730, www.woodenvalley.com.
RIO VISTA Discover
Water helped give life to this Solano County community and, in 1862, helped to destroy it.
That was when the Sacramento River rose and 12 feet of water covered Rio Vista.
The community was re-established on higher ground about 2 miles from its original location where the Cache Slough meets the Sacramento River.
A wharf was built and the first church, for Catholics, was erected 1862. A Congregational Church was also built the same year.
A salmon cannery was among businesses of the river town, which has seen rapid growth recently. Its population nearly doubled between 2000 and 2010 and California State Department of Finance projections foresee continued growth.
The Sacramento River often doubled in films as the Mississippi River – most notably playing a starring role in numerous Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn films dating back to the early 1900s. Dozens of other notable movies – from silent to talkies – brought in famous stars and directors such as William Desmond, John Ford, Cecil B. DeMille, Jackie Coogen and perhaps even John Wayne, when “The Big Trail” was filmed there in 1930.
Along with human visitors, wayward Humpback whales occasionally make their way to Rio Vista, attracting enough attention to gridlock the tiny hamlet. The most recent were in 2007 – a mother and calf named Delta and Dawn. Humphrey’s 1985 visit, however, is immortalized on a plaque at the foot of Main Street by City Hall.
The Chamber of Commerce likes to note that Joseph Strauss, architect of the Golden Gate Bridge, designed the community’s largest landmark, the Helen Madere Memorial Bridge, or the Rio Vista Bridge as its known, “situated on the historic Sacramento River with a silhouette of the rolling Montezuma Hills to the south.”
Madere was a former Rio Vista city councilwoman.
The business group also boasts how Rio Vista “still maintains an easy-going small-town attitude even though it is central to the two largest population centers in Northern California.” Moreover, the community is known to have some of the best sport fishing in the state and is host to the West Coast’s oldest striped bass derby each October – the Rio Vista Bass Derby and Festival.
The Rio Vista Airport on the outskirts of town makes flying in for a day of business,
lunch or just to explore the area easily accessible. The community is also home to home to “world-class” Percheron horses, buffalo and the only endive producer in the United States.
Whatever you’re looking for, you will find Rio Vista a friendly, fun place to visit, right in the heart of the California Delta.
Rio Vista is trying to stay ahead of the pace by upgrading the town’s infrastructure and modernizing downtown. The community is counting on its location to continue growth, as Rio Vista did during the days when being next to the Sacramento River allowed the town to capitalize on trade between San Francisco and Sacramento.
Now Fairfield and Lodi, each about 20 minutes away on Highway 12, are the larger nearby cities. Stockton and Sacramento are only half an hour away on nearby Interstate 5.
The town is home to a number of highly popular events in addition to the venerable Bass Derby and Festival. The city offers shopping downtown, several restaurants and the Rio Vista Museum where people can learn some Rio Vista and Delta history.
Nearly 6% of the city exists within neighboring waterways – and the community’s future may match its river past.
FOSTER’S BIGHORN BAR
FOSTER’S BIGHORN BAR
If you’re looking for big horns – literally – look no further than Foster’s Bighorn Bar in Rio Vista. Along with an extensive menu of barbecue, steak, seafood and a fully stocked bar, the restaurant boasts a private collection of more than 250 big-game hunting specimens from Africa and North America. The collection was put together by Bill Foster in the 1930s and ’40s. Several exotic and prized animals from his travels to Africa, Canada and Alaska hang on the wall, including heads of an African elephant and giraffe. Foster, a native of Hayward, was involved in bootlegging. Running from the law, he moved his wildlife collection to Rio Vista, where it has remained for more nearly 100 years.
LOCATION: 143 Main St., Rio Vista MORE INFORMATION: 707-374-2511, www.fostersbighorn.com
SANDY BEACH
Located on the Sacramento River near Rio Vista, the half-mile-long Sandy Beach is a great Solano County location to cool off during the spring, summer and fall and enjoy some time outdoors throughout the year. It’s open the entire year and has a 24-hour boat launch, campsites and areas to picnic that include tables, barbecue pits, volleyball courts and a horseshoe pit.
LOCATION: 2333 Beach Drive, Rio Vista
MORE INFORMATION: 707-374-2097 (maps and reservation information available), www.solanocounty.com/depts/rm/countypark/sandybeach.asp
RIO VISION GALLERY
Rio Vision Gallery offers art of the Delta region by local artists. The gallery features monthly artist receptions.
LOCATION: 116 Main St., Rio Vista MORE INFORMATION: 707-360-5244, www.riovisiongallery.com
RIO VISTA MUSEUM
Step back into history when you enter the Rio Vista Museum. Local mementos from years gone by range among a wide array of artifacts –from photos and newspaper headlines to vehicles, farm equipment to clothing, books to kitchen items. Opened in 1975, it is in a converted blacksmith shop. Friendly and knowledgeable docents are available to answer any questions.
LOCATION: 16 N. Front St., Rio Vista MORE INFORMATION: 707-374-5169, www.riovistamuseum.com
RIO VISTA CALENDAR OF EVENTS
Riverfront Arts Fest: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. May 2 in downtown Rio Vista. Art show, live music, wine pavilion, vendors and gourmet food trucks. Info: 707-646-1710, https://riverfrontartsfest.com.
Rio Vista Farmers Market: 4 to 7 p.m. first and third Thursdays, June 4 through Sept. 17. Front and Main streets. Info: www.rvfarmersmarket.com.
SUISUN CITY Discover
Possibly the most mispronounced city in the county, Suisun City’s roots date back to the 1850s.
Things have changed in those 170-plus years, yet there’s still plenty of history.
The city dates back to 1850 when Josiah Wing, a schooner captain, found an island in the Suisun Marsh and built a wharf and warehouse there. It soon became the major agriculture shipping point for the farms and orchards in the Suisun Valley and Green Valley areas.
A train depot was built. Suisun City was bustling with several hotels along Main Street. Fairfield was the smaller of the two towns, but that changed with World War II and with construction of what’s now Travis Air Force Base and Interstate 80. After that, Suisun City’s growth tapered off.
The train station on Main Street opened in 1914. Historic homes line the old part of town. The Lawler House, home to an art gallery, is one of them. It was built in 1857 as a ranch house on the land now occupied by Dover Terrace South. It was moved to its present location by a truck and barge in 1979.
Suisun City has weathered some tough years. In the early 1980s, a survey of San Francisco Bay Area communities called the town the least attractive place to live in the area, which spurred then-Mayor Jim Spering to take on an ambitious redevelopment effort.
Waterfront properties were redeveloped and a crime-ridden neighborhood was razed and replaced with a Victorian-style development. Improvements continued with the construction of a senior center, community center and library.
Suisun City’s new face earned it accolades such as Sactown magazine’s description of it as “a sweet and delightfully surprising vacation spot.”
The city now includes the modern Kroc Center near the library. The old and the new merge in both locations as the Kroc Center has come to serve as a community center.
The downtown area hosts the city’s events such as an annual Waterfront Festival and Christmas celebration. Downtown is also home to many popular restaurants. A state-of-the-art Blue Devils Bingo Center operates in the Marina Shopping Center.
An alliance of local and regional performing arts groups now offer performances at the Harbor Theatre on Main Street and the historic train depot wrapped up its facelift recently.
One of the city’s best-kept secrets may be the Suisun Wildlife Center, which is home to a variety of wildlife. Some residents will call it home forever. Others are there with hopes of being released back into their native habitat.
Those who have a paranormal bent can take part in a ghost walk, to potentially hear from any number of spirits that “haunt” the downtown area.
There’s Victoria, who reportedly died in 1923 when she was 7 and is often found at the Lawler House. Michael was reportedly murdered by drowning in 1924 after he got involved in rum-running operation that resulted in him losing some of the illicit booze and paying for that mistake with his life. The spirits of a series of prostitutes identified by paranormal experts as Iris, Hillary, Eleanor, Sweet Marie and Frances can be found at various spots along Main Street near the hotels and pool halls where they plied their trade in the decades before World War II.
SUISUN CITY WATERFRONT
A bevy of festivals, Independence Day fireworks, shops, restaurants and cafés beckon local residents and visitors to the Suisun City waterfront. Fishermen, dog walkers and people just taking a stroll can be seen at the waterfront almost daily. Much of the activity is centered around the Harbor Plaza at Main and Solano streets, which has hosted concerts
SUISUN CITY CALENDAR OF EVENTS
and plenty of community activities. The waterfront is often referred to as “a jewel.”
LOCATION: Main Street, Suisun City
MORE INFORMATION: www. suisunwaterfront.com
RUSH RANCH
Whether you’re a child or an adult, a hiker, birdwatcher, biologist, teacher,
trails. Rising out of the northeast edge of the Suisun Marsh, Rush Ranch stretches across 2,070 acres of marsh and rolling grassland. Purchased in 1988 by Solano Land Trust, Rush Ranch provides recreational and educational opportunities to thousands of visitors each year. Rush Ranch is open to the public seven days a week year-round, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Nov. 1 through Feb. 28, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. March 1 through Oct. 31.
LOCATION: 3521 Grizzly Island Road, approximately 2 miles south of Highway 12
MORE INFORMATION: www. solanolandtrust.org
Imagine Fest: 5 to 7 p.m. May 16 at the Joseph Nelson Community Center, 611 Village Drive. A free family event that celebrates creativity, culture and community. Step into a world where imagination comes alive with local maker and craft vendors, live music, food vendors, art exhibits and hands-on activities. Info: www. suisun.com/eventsdirectory.
SUISUN CITY WATERFRONT
RUSH RANCH
VVACAVILLE Discover
acaville is a people-oriented city and as such, takes immense pride in its community events, such as springtime’s Fiesta Days, the Christmas Festival of Trees, which raises money for the town’s homeless shelter, and Merriment on Main, which packs the downtown every year.
Sprinkled between these offerings are myriad events that draw the community together and attract others to the city to experience the city’s charm.
The city has a welcoming downtown with a host of small businesses, including stores and restaurants, with an active town square that hosts entertainment events on many weekends. The adjacent Creekwalk and Andrews Park are also often entertainment venues.
A thriving downtown and large, popular shopping areas – including Vacaville Premium Outlets and the Nut Tree shopping center – make Vacaville a popular shopping destination.
The city has always prided itself on being a forward-looking town, as evidenced by its biotech industry, the arrival of Icon Aircraft,
large number of electric vehicle charging stations and its family oriented community with a network of parks and youth programs.
Vacaville was founded in 1851 by pioneer William McDaniel, when he bought part of an 1843 Mexican land grant held by Manuel Cabeza Vaca with the promise that McDaniel would name the town Vacaville. The city was incorporated in 1892.
Vacaville’s most famous restaurant, the Nut Tree, opened in the 1920s as a produce stand located under a large oak next to the main road that linked Sacramento with the San Francisco Bay Area. While the Nut Tree closed in 1996, its legacy continues in the Nut Tree shopping center, which opened in 2009.
Vacaville is not a city stuck in the past, but many residents are sweet on the old Nut Tree and what it represents.
When a sign along Interstate 80 marking the former business was taken down in March 2015, devotees of the old Nut Tree were there to mourn and memorialize the moment of cement and glass that took two years to build – and a day to take down.
Two of the 12-ton panels of the 72-foot-tall sign that marked the site of the Nut Tree restaurant, the historic site where a San Francisco mayor was once said – erroneously he insisted – to have met with the Mafia, were preserved.
Vacaville, like much of California, boomed after World War II. Population now puts the municipality at third in Solano County, behind Vallejo and Fairfield, although many Vacaville residents would say that’s a contest they’re not entering.
Rather than look at numbers, Vacaville’s boosters say its benefits include a thriving downtown and a quality of life unmatched in Solano County.
For the sizable population of commuters, Vacaville is equidistant from the Sacramento area and the San Francisco Bay Area, connected to both by Interstate 80, which cuts the town in half.
The hills west of town shelter Vacaville, giving it warm summers with average highs in the upper 90s and mild winters with lows that can drop into the mid-30s.
northeast Vacaville, is an entertaining blend of the old and new, with a wide host of retail businesses sharing the land with a family oriented town plaza that features the restored Nut Tree train and a carousel. The plaza inherited the legacy of the original Nut Tree, which was founded in 1921 when the Power family set up a small fruit stand under a large oak tree beside the road that is now I-80. It grew into the most popular road stop between Sacramento and San Francisco, offering a restaurant, dried fruits, toys, children’s rides, aviation books, souvenirs, gemstones and a post office. The original Nut Tree closed in 1996, only to be reborn as the Nut Tree Plaza, which offers a mix of more than 40 restaurants and businesses that includes Fenton’s Creamery, See’s Candy and major businesses such as Best Buy. Nut Tree’s town plaza offers special events such as the Vacaville Jazz Festival.
LOCATION: East Monte Vista Avenue at Nut Tree Road
MORE INFORMATION: www.nuttreevacaville.com
and Main streets, Vacaville’s downtown is an active and entertaining neighborhood with activities that range from summertime farmers markets and town square concerts to major events such as Merriment on Main and the Art, Wine and Brew Festival. It is a historically well-preserved town center with more than two dozen restaurants, cafes and bars sharing the sidewalks with a healthy selection of small shops and businesses that run the gamut from bicycle stores and travel agencies to photo studios and fitness centers. The downtown’s business-supported activities include the very popular Fiesta Days festival, the mid-spring to mid-fall Certified Farmers Market, the SingerSongwriter Competition, the community’s Fourth of July celebration, the Merriment on Main Christmas spectacular, the Creekwalk Concert series and a host of smaller music and food events.
VACAVILLE PREMIUM OUTLETS
It’s easy to spend an entire day shopping at the impressive collection of more than 120 retail outlets in the Vacaville Premium Outlets. The retail campus is one of the largest shopping destinations in the Sacramento/San Francisco Bay area. Reviews by shoppers laud its wide selection of stores that includes major names such as Calvin Klein, Nike and Polo Ralph Lauren, as well as some really good deals for those who are willing to hunt. Reviewers’ only downside is the sheer size and its popularity for everyone from local shoppers to tour buses, which can make finding weekend parking an adventure of its own. For those who want a break from all the bargain hunting, there is a good selection of sit-down restaurants such as The Olive Garden and fast food joints such as In-N-Out Burger within walking distance.
LOCATION: 321 Nut Tree Road, Vacaville
MORE INFORMATION: 707-447-5755; www. premiumoutlets.com/outlet/vacaville
VACAVILLE MUSEUM
Since it was established in 1984, the Vacaville Museum has prided itself on preserving and educating the public about all of Solano County’s cultural and historical heritage. The museum has produced more than 40 exhibits on the area’s history, from American Indian artifacts found in and around Vacaville to the region’s famous fruit industry. It does not offer any permanent exhibits and produces two temporary exhibits every year. It also hosts public events such as Sallie Fox Day, which teaches local schoolchildren about the life and times of California pioneer girl Sallie Fox.
LOCATION: Area surrounding Merchant and Main streets
MORE INFORMATION: 707-451-2100; www.downtownvacaville.com
VACAVILLE CALENDAR OF EVENTS
En Plein Air 2026: The second annual Arts & Culture weekend event, 2 to 7 p.m. April 17 and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 18 in downtown Vacaville, Town Square and Andrews Park. This two-day festival captures the spirit of both Vacaville’s gorgeous landscapes and its art and culture scene. Featuring local arts organizations, landscape painting demonstrations, artist craft talks, painting workshops, artwork for sale, live music and dance
performances and an extended Farmer’s Market. Info: www.visitvacaville.com.
Fiesta Days: Everything from carnival rides to food to soapbox derbies, May 21-24. Parade takes place at 10 a.m. May 23 along Merchant Street. The event is in its 65th year. Info: www.vacavillefiestadays.org.
Peña Passage Lagoon Valley Trail Race: June 13. The inaugural trail race presented by Altra welcomes runners and hikers of all levels to
LOCATION: 213 Buck Ave., Vacaville MORE INFORMATION: 707-447-4513; www.vacavillemuseum.org
experience the park’s rolling hills, scenic lagoon views, winding track trails and fire roads. Includes a 5K, 10K, 30K and Kids Fun Run. Start times are 7 a.m., 8 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. at 4627 Pena Adobe Road. Info: www.visitvacaville.com.
Downtown Vacaville Farmers Market: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays, year round. Creekwalk Plaza at Andrews Park. Info: https://downtownvacaville.com/ farmers-market.
NUT TREE PLAZA
SVALLEJO Discover
olano County’s largest city is classic Bay Area.
For one thing, Vallejo is located along the Mare Island Strait and San Pablo Bay, so water dominates its views. On days when such county cities as Dixon are broiling under 90-degree heat, Vallejo might have gray skies from the coastal overcast.
Also, the older parts of Vallejo have more of an urban than suburban atmosphere found in many of the county’s cities.
One of the county’s biggest tourist attractions is in Vallejo: Six Flags Discovery Kingdom. The amusement park features such theme rides as The Joker, Wonder Woman Lasso of Truth, Kong and Batman: The Ride.
Animal shows and attractions at Discovery Kingdom feature giraffes, seals, sharks, butterflies and other creatures.
The 149-acre Solano County fairgrounds is located nearby. It is home to the county fair each summer, but also hosts events year-round.
Vallejo is home to a ferry that links it with San Francisco. Riders can take catamaran
ferries that reach almost 40 mph and make the trip to the San Francisco Ferry Building in about an hour. Ferries are also available to Pier 41, Angel Island and Oracle Park.
Mare Island gives people the chance to see a former naval shipyard that was founded prior to the Civil War and closed in 1996. Buildings from various eras are visible, from the 19th-century brick buildings and Victorian homes to massive, World War II-era industrial buildings.
The excellent Mare Island Strait led the Navy in 1852 to buy land for Mare Island Naval Shipyard. The first commander was David Glasgow Farragut, who later gained fame during the Civil War for capturing Mobile, Alabama, and for operations along the lower Mississippi River.
The shipyard was a mainstay of the Pacific Fleet’s presence through World War II and the Cold War prior to its closure. Vallejo has since redeveloped Mare Island as an industrial area work in progress as well as home to institutions such as Touro University, which occupies the old hospital building, and residential subdivisions.
Mare Island also plays host to a portion of
the San Francisco Pacific Flyway Festival each February, with hikes along the picturesque shoreline and viewing of the various migratory birds.
Visitors can hike in Mare Island Shoreline Heritage Preserve. Among the features there are a 284-foot-high hill overlooking San Pablo Bay, the Mare Island cemetery and century-old stone buildings at the old ammunition depot.
Gen. Mariano Vallejo, a powerful civil and military leader when Mexico ruled California, lent his name to the city.
Vallejo in 1850 wanted to establish a city that would become the capital of the newly formed state of California. He saw the location as “the true center of the state, the true center of commerce and the true center of travel,” according to Frank Keegan’s book “Solano: The Crossroads County.”
Modestly, Vallejo wanted to name his city “Eureka.” Others insisted it be called “Vallejo” in his honor and their viewpoint won out.
Vallejo is among the nation’s most diverse cities.
Vallejo Convention & Visitors Bureau: 800-4-Vallejo, 642-3653, www.visitvallejo.com Vallejo Chamber of Commerce: 644-5551, www.vallejochamber.com
Spend the day, see some sights
MARE ISLAND MUSEUM
The former Mare Island Naval Shipyard was the first permanent naval installation on the West Coast when founded in 1854. It built more than 500 ships in its 142-year service to the United States before closing in 1996. Today, much of Mare Island’s historical artifacts are carefully being preserved by the Mare Island Historic Park Foundation. It’s housed in Building 46, a 50,000-square-foot space built in 1855.
LOCATION: Eighth Street and 1100 Railroad Ave., Vallejo
MORE INFORMATION: 707-557-4646; www.visitvallejo. com/listing/mare-island-museum
EMPRESS THEATRE
Vallejo’s Empress Theatre opened in February 1912, hosting a vaudeville act. It was re-opened in 2008 after nearly 20 years of non-use due to damage from the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. The one-room movie house has undergone complete renovation and seismic retrofit. Operated as a nonprofit, it now shows movies, hosts live performances and is rented for private events.
LOCATION: 330 Virginia St., Vallejo
MORE INFORMATION: 707-552-2400, www.empresstheatre.org
SIX FLAGS DISCOVERY KINGDOM
Known years ago as Marine World/Africa USA for its ocean and continental wildlife, Six Flags Discovery Kingdom is now known more for its rides. Take a topsy, turvy spin on the thriller coaster, Superman, or one of the many other thrill, family or children’s rides. See cougars and dolphins, walruses and penguins, among other animals. Take in a wildlife show, eat some food and take in an exhibit. The park also transforms during some holidays, adding special attractions for Halloween and Christmas and a Fourth of July celebration that includes fireworks. Season passes are available.
LOCATION: 1001 Fairgrounds Drive, Vallejo (From Fairfield: Take Interstate 80 westbound. From Interstate 80, take the Discovery Kingdom exit) MORE INFORMATION: 707-643-6722 for recorded information; 707-644-4000 for administrative office, www.sixflags.com/discoverykingdom
CHILDREN’S WONDERLAND PARK
Acres of pure childhood joy await at this Vallejo park, with castles, a giant teapot, fire truck and other play structures as well as Cinderella’s carriage and modern play structures. A fully fenced park with plenty of high-imagination play areas, picnic facilities, open space, a craft area and an outdoor theater, Children’s Wonderland provides plenty of fun for the youngsters. Birthday party packages are available as well as multiple-visit passes.
LOCATION: 360 Glenn St., Vallejo
MORE INFORMATION: 707-980-8004, www.gvrd.org/ children-s-wonderland
VALLEJO NAVAL AND HISTORICAL MUSEUM
The Vallejo Naval and Historical Museum is a required stop for fans of local history and the Navy. The museum, which is located in Vallejo’s historic old City Hall, features five galleries devoted to the history and cultures of Vallejo and the U.S. Navy at Mare Island. It also sponsors educational and cultural programs. It is a lot of history to cover, because Vallejo traces its roots to 1844 with the arrival of Gen. Mariano Vallejo, and Mare Island Naval Shipyard traces its own history to 1852, when Congress bought the island. While three of the galleries are devoted to permanent exhibits, the other two offer a constantly changing menu of visiting exhibits pulled from other museums and private collections. One of its more unusual features is the working submarine periscope that can be found at the top of the museum’s grand staircase, where visitors can get a sub’s-eye view of surrounding Vallejo.
LOCATION: 734 Marin St., Vallejo
MORE INFORMATION: 707-643-0077, www.vallejomuseum.org
SAN FRANCISCO BAY FERRY
Used by both commuters and tourists headed from Solano County to San Francisco, the San Francisco Bay Ferry offers another option to traveling to the interior Bay Area. The ferry leaves the Vallejo waterfront several times daily to bring travelers across San Pablo Bay to the San Francisco Ferry Building. Ferry commuters avoid the traffic and get stunning views of the region. The trip takes about an hour. Some ferries also stop at Pier 41. In addition to the daily trips, the ferry offers special service to San Francisco Giants games. There is a fee to park.
LOCATION: 289 Mare Island Way
MORE INFORMATION: 877-643-3779, www.sanfranciscobayferry.com
VALLEJO CALENDAR OF EVENTS
Vallejo Ferry Fest: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. April 18, Mare Island Historic Core, 1024 Nimitz Ave. Bring the whole family for a free, fun-filled day on the Mare Island waterfront. Enjoy food trucks, local vendors, live music, raffles, giveaways and more. Info: https:// sanfranciscobayferry.com/ferryfest.
Decked Out at the Quarters: Noon to 4
p.m. April 26 at 1015 Walnut Ave., Mare Island. This free event for all features more than 20 musical acts spanning jazz, folk, R&B and rock on six stages, family activities including face painting, food vendors and beverages. Info.: www.visitvallejo.com/events/ upcoming-events.
Earth Daze: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. April 25,
Virginia Street. Celebrate the planet and experience a creative, sustainable and family-friendly experience.
Solano County Fair: June 11-14, 900 Fairgrounds Drive. Carnival rides, live entertainment, classic fair food, shopping, animal and livestock exhibits, and more. Info: https:// scfair.org.
SIX FLAGS DISCOVERY KINGDOM
NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES
SOLANO COUNTY Discover
Solano County is among the most geographically diverse of California’s 58 counties.
Vallejo, in the southern corner of the county, sits along San Pablo Bay and has the graceful Carquinez suspension bridge to take Interstate 80 motorists over the Carquinez Strait. Here, summer skies are often gray in the morning from the high fog that streams through the Golden Gate on the opposite end of the bay.
Benicia’s views are also dominated by water. The city sits along the Carquinez Strait and Southhampton Bay. Solano County is considered part of the Bay Area and the Vallejo/Benicia area shows why.
In the northernmost county near Dixon, the Bay Area seems a world away. The flat Central Valley land is dominated by agriculture. Summer temperatures often soar into triple digits and winter brings a type of fog called the tule fog. There are no major waterways to be seen, though there are canals that bring irrigation water to farms.
Eastern Solano County is Delta country. Here, near the small city of Rio Vista, the Sacramento River and a network of sloughs are a watery highway for boats. Summer temperatures are hot here, unlike those in Vallejo. The Real McCoy II ferry takes travelers on Highway 84 over Cache Slough to Ryer Island, a farming community behind levees.
The western county has oak-studded hills and valleys, in places presenting an appearance similar to the Wine Country of Napa and Sonoma counties. Not coincidentally, this is Solano County’s own wine country, with acres of vineyards and several wineries in Suisun Valley.
The central county near Fairfield and Suisun City is a land of transition between the Delta and the bays. Among its features are Suisun Marsh, the largest contiguous estuarine marsh in the United States. Duck clubs dominate this land of tules and wetlands. State preserves feature such sights as tule elk.
Solano County, with 444,500 residents, retains a rural feel. A voter-passed law funnels most growth into the county’s seven cities. Fairfield has established open space buffers between it and Vacaville to the north and Benicia and Vallejo to the south.
That leaves agriculture as the main land use in rural Solano County. Farmers grow everything from tomatoes to peaches to sunflower to alfalfa. Ranchers have sheep, cows and other animals. Crops in 2020 had a value of $357.16 million, according to the county’s most-recent crop report.
The county’s rural areas also provide places for recreation. People can boat and fish in local sloughs, hunt in Suisun Marsh and hike in Lynch Canyon, Rockville Hills and Lagoon Valley parks. They can camp along Putah Creek at Lake Solano park and along the Sacramento River at Sandy Beach park.
More information: www.co.solano.ca.us
From the Western Railway Museum east of Suisun City to Stonedene in Fairfield, Solano County is full of historic buildings and sites. At least 20 Solano County structures are on the National Register of Historic Places. Some of the historic places, such as the Benicia state capitol and the Pena Adobe near Vacaville, are open to the public. Others, such as the Samuel Martin House – also known as Stonedene – are privately owned, but can still be admired for their exterior architecture. The county sites on the historic register are:
• Benicia Arsenal, Army Point: Interstate 680, Benicia. www.beniciahistoricalmuseum.org.
• Benicia Capitol State Historic Park: First Street and G Street, Benicia. Owned by state. 707-745-3385, www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=475.
• Bird and Dinkelspiel Store: 2145 Collinsville Road, Birds Landing. Privately owned.
• Jackson Fay Brown House: 6751 Maine Prairie Road, Dixon. Privately owned.
• Will H. Buck House: 301 Buck Ave., Vacaville. Privately owned.
• Carr House: 165 E. D St., Benicia. Privately owned.
• Crooks Mansion: 285 W. G St., Benicia. Privately owned.
• Old Masonic Hall: 106 W. J St., Benicia. Privately owned.
• Joseph Fischer House: 135 G St., Benicia. Owned by state. 707-745-3385.
• Hastings Adobe: Northeast of Collinsville. Privately owned.
• Mare Island Historic District: including the old shipyard, on Mare Island. Federally and privately owned.
• Samuel Martin House, or Stonedene: 293 Suisun Valley Road, Fairfield. Privately owned.
• Peña Adobe: in Lagoon Valley/Peña Adobe Regional Park on Peña Adobe Road. Owned by Vacaville. 707-447-0518, www.penaadobe.org.
• Pleasants Ranch: 8212 Pleasants Valley Road, Vacaville. Privately owned but available for some events. https://joyfulranch.org.
• Saint Vincent’s Hill Historic District: In Vallejo bounded by Mare Island Way almost to Sonoma Boulevard and from Quincy Alley to Kissel Alley. Owned by private parties and local government.
• Suisun Masonic Lodge No. 55: 623 Main St., Suisun City. Privately owned.
• Vacaville Town Hall: 620 E. Main St., Vacaville. Owned by Vacaville.
• Vallejo City Hall and County Building Branch: 734 Marin St., Vallejo. Owned by Vallejo.
• Vallejo Old City Historic District: Bounded by Sonoma Boulevard and Monterey, Carolina and York streets in Vallejo. Privately owned.
• Western Railway Museum: 5848 Highway 12. 707-374-2978, www.wrm.org.
WESTERN RAILWAY MUSEUM
Electric trains still rumble through rural eastern Solano County, just as they did some 75 years ago. Today, it’s all for fun, rather than providing mass transit between the Sacramento and Oakland areas. The Western Railway Museum runs classic trains on a portion of the old route near the Montezuma Hills. Volunteers care for the tracks, overhead electrical wires and old street cars and trains. Visitors can go for a ride, explore dozens of restored street cars and learn about the history of urban and interurban electric train services in Solano County and California. The library also hosts periodic activities and events.
LOCATION: 5848 Highway 12, between Suisun City and Rio Vista
MORE INFORMATION: www.wrm.org, 707-374-2978
LEARN TO RIDE PUBLIC TRANSIT WITH CONFIDENCE THROUGH TRAVEL TRAINING
SOLANO TRANSPORTATION
AUTHORITY
WHAT IS TRAVEL TRAINING?
Solano Mobility offers a Travel Training Program that provides both one-on-one instruction and group learning opportunities to help people travel independently using fixed-route public transportation in their community.
This free service teaches participants how to navigate public transit with confidence – covering everything from reading transit schedules to paying fares and planning trips. Training can also include travel within Solano County and connections to neighboring counties.
bus features such as bike racks and accessibility lifts. Some sessions may also include a bus tour or a group ride.
3. Group Travel or Field Trip Trainings
During the 2024-2025 fiscal year, the program conducted 170 trainings (including individual sessions and group field trips) and delivered 35 presentations, reaching 842 individuals.
TYPES OF TRAVEL TRAINING
Several types of training are available to meet different needs and experience levels.
1. Personalized One-on-One Training
Designed for first-time riders or those who have not used transit in some time, this training focuses on travel to and from a specific destination. A Travel Trainer rides with you and provides guidance until you feel comfortable completing the trip independently.
2. Group Presentations
In a classroom or workshop setting, participants learn the basics of using public transit. Topics include how routes work, how to read schedules, where to board, how to pay fares, and how to use
These hands-on experiences introduce participants to multiple transit options across the San Francisco Bay Area. Small groups travel together while learning how different transit systems connect, emphasizing social engagement and exploring destinations accessible by public transportation.
4. Do-It-Yourself Training Videos
Instructional videos are available at solanomobility.org for individuals who prefer to learn at their own pace.
5. Accessible Travel Training
Personalized instruction is also available for individuals with disabilities, helping ensure that transit options are accessible and easy to use.
WHAT PARTICIPANTS LEARN
Through the Travel Training program, participants learn practical skills such as:
• Reading transit schedules and planning trips using printed materials or online tools
• Purchasing transit fares
• Boarding and exiting buses safely
• Identifying the correct bus or train
• Making transfers between routes and transit systems
• Locating nearby stops and stations
• Practicing travel safety and security tips
• Using technology that assists with trip planning, bus tracking, and fare payment
• Connecting to destinations across cities and counties
• Learning about programs and services available through Solano Mobility
WHY TRAVEL TRAINING MATTERS
Travel Training provides the knowledge and skills needed to confidently navigate public transit. Learning how to use available transportation options can help people maintain independence and mobility – especially if driving becomes difficult or a personal vehicle is not available.
Becoming familiar with public transit can make the transition from driver to rider much smoother while expanding opportunities to travel throughout the region.
LEARN MORE
Visit www.solanomobility.org to learn more about the Travel Training program or other programs offered by Solano Mobility. Stay informed about upcoming group Travel Training trips by following Solano Mobility on Facebook, or call 800-535-6883, Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., to schedule a free training session.
