By Emily Haerter
Look out California, Visit Sacramento is determined to turn the Capital into the next serious tourist destination.
Whether it’s featuring Aftershock, the largest rock and metal festival on the West Coast, or the exciting Ironman triathlon competitions, the 99-year-old organization is constantly finding ways to show off the City of Trees.
Visit Sacramento is a Destination Marketing Organization for Sacramento city and county, also known as a DMO. Its purpose is to bring in visitors to the area by highlighting its culture, food and community through big events.
“Sacramento is this sort of ideal blend of a city with a lot going on and plenty to explore, while also remaining approachable,” said Kari Miskit, Visit Sacramento’s Chief Operating Officer. “You will feel like a part of the fabric here really in no time, even if you’re a visitor.”
And Miskit’s organization is finding avenues for out-of-towners to feel that connection: All of the conventions at the SAFE Credit Union Center in downtown have been planned by Visit Sacramento, with Comic Con and Shen Yun being some of the biggest hits.
In recent years, Sacramento has also been dubbed America’s Farm-to-Fork Capital. Visit Sacramento has helped realize that potential through hosting corresponding events, including the annual Tower Bridge Dinner. In 2025, Visit Sacramento partnered with Slow Food to create the first Terra Madre Americas event in Sacramento. That was one of the largest conferences and events in the U.S. focused on food and drink experiences, chef demonstrations and expert panels. For Visit Sacramento, it was yet another step in making the city a culinary destination that attracts foodie visitors from far and wide.
Miskit thinks one aspect of Sacramento that makes it a hidden gem is that tourism here doesn’t feel as “obvious” as it does in San Francisco or Los Angeles. She also notes that tourism is a significant reason that smaller businesses in Sacramento survive.
“Visitation comes from conventions, sports events, music festivals, even people coming to eat in a Michelin-rated restaurant,” Miskit reflected. “Most of our favorite neighborhood places can’t survive on local support alone; they need the boost of visitors to really make it work these days.”
To make sure that happens, Visit Sacramento needs a mission-driven team working towards the same strategic goals.
Stacey Kauffman is the organization’s Executive Advisor. She notes that Sacramento is often vying for conferences and conventions, and the stakes around landing those events involve the area’s long-term sustainability.
“We compete for events the way other cities compete for industry,” Kauffman observed.
Another way Visit Sacramento helps to make the region competitive is by operating a website that’s rich with hotels, day trips, museums and eateries that range from fine dining to dive bars. With visitor guides available at the end of a click, locals or non-locals alike can tune in to the events and activities happening in the city.
“One of our greatest strengths is diversity,” Kauffman pointed out. “That shows up in our food, our neighborhoods, our arts and our celebrations.”
So, how is Sacramento striking new visitors these days?
This writer recently caught up with a group of tourists, one of which was Bree Pasefika. She was visiting Sacramento from San Diego due to a work conference. Pasefika had made her way to the city’s old town riverfront and mentioned enjoying its historic architecture.
Another person walking the riverfront that day was Elijah Williams, who has lived in Sacramento since 2006. He’s come to realize that Sacramento has a lot of sights to see, while its community, in his view, is warm and engaging. Williams has heard of the Terra Madre Americas dinner, and he’s personally attended Aftershock, though he didn’t know both events had major funding from Visit Sacramento.
For Miskit and Kauffman’s team, the engagement is more important than who gets credit for it. Upcoming events that Visit Sacramento is involved with include the Capitol Beer Fest on March 7, Sac Comic Con on March 21, and March 22 and the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Regionals that runs between Mar 27 and March. The year-round event page for the organization can be found here.
“[This city] sits at the center of one of the largest economies in the world, yet the culture here is grounded, welcoming, and authentic,” Kauffman said. “What you find in Sacramento is community pride and approachability.”
This story is part of the Solving Sacramento journalism collaborative. This story was funded by the City of Sacramento’s Arts and Creative Economy Journalism Grant to Solving Sacramento. Following our journalism code of ethics, the city had no editorial influence over this story. Our partners include California Groundbreakers, Capital Public Radio, Hmong Daily News, Outword, Russian America Media, Sacramento Business Journal, Sacramento News & Review and Sacramento Observer. Sign up for our “Sac Art Pulse” newsletter here.