In Northern California there are a lot of Old Towns. Old Towns are particularly common in Northern California and especially in the Sacramento region. Folsom is just one of the many cities in the region to have an Old Town. While other cities nearby may have their own Old Town Folsom’s Old Town is worth going to over many of them. While Folsom Old Town may not be the biggest like Sacramento Old Town it is big and unlike Sacramento’s Old Town it still has the ambiance and feel of a charming small Old Town.
Folsom’s Old Town is about 3 blocks long. Unlike other similar locations such as Old Town Placerville Folsom’s Old Town has all of its stores open. With the recession a large number of stores in many other nearby Old Towns have gone under but business in Folsom stays strong. Old Town Folsom has many of the kind of stores you would expect in any Old Town. Old Town Folsom has many antique and collectible stores. Most of these stores are located in the middle section of Old Town. Most of the antique stores are also located on the same side of the street, the side closest to the river.
Old Town Folsom has an inordinately large number of restaurants. While many Old Towns have restaurants Old Town has some of the best restaurants in the area. The bar scene is also very popular in Old Town Folsom. Some great places to eat in Old Town Folsom include Pizzeria Classico which many like but my experience with it was very negative. I much prefer Chicago Fire for my Pizza in Old Town Folsom. Yaggers is a very popular bar that is found in Old Town. Snooks is by far the most famous candy store in Old Town. The Stage Coach Grill is a new one that I have heard good things about but I hear it is expensive. Those are just some of the food options available in Old Town.
On Thursday nights during the summer Old Town Folsom is home to the Thursday Night Market. The Thursday Night Market used to be the Friday Night Market but the shops already were busy on Friday night so they demanded the day be changed to help pick up business on slower days. To be honest I think the Thursday Night Market has gone downhill in the last few years. You do not see as much fresh fruit as you used to. Many of the good places to eat are gone. The Thursday Night Market has become overcrowded and for a lesser quality experience from what it was a few years ago you really do not want to go to something that is more crowded but gives you less.
Parking in Old Town Folsom like most Old Towns has been hard to come by. However recent expansions has made parking better in recent years. More changes are being made and parking added as the city is trying to fix up and grow the area. Some places fix these parts of town up and they no longer have the old time charm but Folsom has done a good job of keeping the new development in line with the look and feel of the old. Old Town Folsom is also on the light rail line which makes it more accessible for some people and brings in a lot of business from outside of Folsom.
I would suggest you take a trip to Old Town Folsom. I would also suggest you try to go sometime when no activities are going on. If you can I would suggest you visit Old Town Folsom during the weekday if possible.
