Fulfillment of former mayor’s dreams? Elk Grove added to list of 7 Autumn day-trip destinations
Former Elk Grove Mayor Gary Davis’ long-sought dream of transforming the Sacramento bedroom suburb into a major travel destination appears, at least partially, to have been fulfilled.
In their latest online travel guide, the California AAA included Elk Grove on its 7 Best Day Day Trips For Fall Fun list.
Among the events AAA lists that make the city a day-tripper destination is the Cosumnes Community Service District’s Giant Pumpkin Festival. Additionally, the story notes the famous Pumpkin Regatta and urges a visit to Historic Downtown Elk Grove.
Unfortuately, this year’s Giant Pumpkin Festival will not include the popular Pumpkin Pie Eating contest. As seen in the video below, world-famous competitive eaters like Joey Chestnut and Miki Sudo traveled to Elk Grove in 2016 for the competition.
As noted, former mayor Davis spent considerable political capital promoting the city as a tourist destination. One of Davis’ tourist destination projects was the placement of wayfinding signs throughout the city to direct tourists to locations like city hall, the Elk Grove Auto Mall, and District56, and the development of the Explore Elk Grove website.
The AAA story said the following about Elk Grove as a day trip destination:
Just 16 miles south of Sacramento, Elk Grove makes for an ideal autumn escape. Browse its historic downtown brimming with antique stores and vintage homeware shops, or dine on braised meatballs and pesto seafood pasta at the Brick House Restaurant. The area overflows with festivities throughout October. Elk Grove’s Wackford Aquatic Complex hosts its annual Pool of Pumpkins, complete with a floating pumpkin patch in the shallow pool, games, and decorating stations. (For a more traditional pumpkin patch experience, visit nearby Fog Willow Farms.) At the Elk Grove Giant Pumpkin Festival, farmers bring their heaviest gourds—some weighing over a ton and so huge they require a forklift to move them—to compete for top prize. Later, brave souls hollow-out their massive produce to create makeshift vessels to race across the lake in the Pumpkin Regatta.
