Old Sacramento is the waterfront district where the city began. It is a National Historic Landmark District running between the river and Interstate 5 from I Street to the Capitol Mall, and Old Sacramento State Historic Park occupies about a third of it.
Virtually all of its buildings date from the 19th century, most from the rebuilding after the disastrous fire of 1852. By the 1960s the area had fallen into disrepair, and a large effort restored it as an outdoor living history center. Many tunnels remain under the district. Today it holds museums, restaurants, shops and the Delta King riverboat hotel.