Hands Down, The 5 Best Shopping Malls To Visit In Sacramento, According To Visitors

Sacramento's farm-to-fork farmers markets may be one of the reasons locals love the city, but the breadbasket of the California Central Valley also boasts an impressive selection of malls. From local retailers to national chains of all kinds, Sacramento's top shopping destinations offer not only shopping but also the chance to spend time with friends or relax on your own.

These recommendations are primarily based on my experiences visiting malls in Sacramento. Although I live in the Bay Area, I travel often to Sactown to visit friends and frequently escape the oppressive heat or surprisingly wet winters at one of the malls. I've included indoor and open-air malls within the Sacramento city limits, or those so close that excluding them on a technicality wouldn't be helpful advice for people visiting California's "City of Trees." In areas where my experience fell short (such as dining options at Sacramento Gateway), I turned to reviews provided by local shoppers and visitors on Google Reviews, Reddit, and Tripadvisor.

You won't find the designer shopping of glitzy locations like Miami or Beverly Hills' Rodeo Drive here. However, Sacramento offers a collection of lifestyle centers, high-end outdoor malls with a focus on dining, and everyday shopping destinations where you can buy essentials, grab a bite, or catch a movie. 

If you only visit one mall in Sacramento, it should be the Downtown Commons (DOCO). Filled with public art, a huge outdoor plaza, and its own condos, DOCO fits the bill of a modern lifestyle center. It's the kind of place you can take your family, meet up with friends, or spend the afternoon solo. Spread over six blocks in the heart of downtown, this open-air mall lies within walking distance of Old Sacramento's Gold Rush-era buildings, shops, and dining.   

Formerly Westfield Downtown Plaza, the space underwent a complete transformation in 2017, including the addition of the massive Golden 1 Center, a 17,600-seat arena home of the Sacramento Kings. Stop into the shops before a concert, or grab a post-game drink at Tom's Watch Bar, where patrons can view the screens from every single seat in the house. There's a good mix of sit-down restaurants like Revival at the Sawyer and grab-and-go places. In terms of shopping, you'll find Macy's and Urban Outfitters, plus specialized offerings, like Lids Kings Locker Room and the Sacramento Kings Team Store. However, the mall focuses more on food and drink than shopping. 

I recommend planning your trip around the DOCO Makers Market. These quarterly markets turn the plaza into a makers fair, featuring local artisans and vendors of all types. Even though the mall has an open-air design, there's some shade, but the market area can get a bit hot. Consider bringing an umbrella and planning a meal at one of the air-conditioned restaurants. 

Named for the Arden-Arcade area, Arden Fair technically lies within Sacramento city limits, but just barely. Divided between two levels, Arden Fair exemplifies the traditional mall experience, featuring rows of shops, all the usual mall restaurants, and a vast, air-conditioned space. Huge skylights keep the space airy and bright, so you won't feel as if you've lost time upon exiting. It's not quite as big as Westfield Roseville Galleria (a huge mall 25 minutes outside Old Sac in Roseville), but, with 19,000 Google Reviews, you know the shops receive traffic. 

Arden Fair is home to more than 150 stores, including Macy's, JCPenney, and several "accessible luxury" labels like Coach and Michael Kors. You'll also find mall classics like The Cheesecake Factory, which occupies a building separate from the general Arden Fair complex and can be hard to find if you're only looking inside the mall. 

The best time to visit Arden is during the winter when the mall puts up huge Christmas displays, including a Christmas tree that towers two stories above shoppers. However, during the hot summer months, the long stretches of shops turn into an indoor track of sorts for anyone seeking a casual stroll in the air conditioning and a light snack at Auntie Anne's. One thing to note on safety: Don't leave valuables or anything that resembles a purse visible in your vehicle, as the area does see occasional vehicle break-ins. 

Situated just off Interstate 5, about a 15-minute drive from Old Sac, Delta Shores is where locals go for major shopping at big box stores like Walmart, Ross Dress For Less, Dick's Sporting Goods, Ulta Beauty, and other chain restaurants and stores. The Walmart here is much bigger than the ones closer to the city, and many stores offer a wider selection of goods. Visitors praise the restaurant selection, which includes Chipotle, Island Fin Poke, and other eateries that are a cut above fast food with indoor seating.

Unlike many malls barely limping through the retail apocalypse, Delta Shores doesn't feel run down. Opened in 2017, this outdoor mall is designed for cars and features a less walkable layout than you'd find at DOCO or Pavilions. However, all the shops have a uniform color palette of tan and brown, giving Delta Shores a modern, clean look. "This started out as a small area. and now it is grown very large [and] kept very clean," shared one shopper on Google Reviews. "It's nice to go somewhere [where] they keep the outside as nice and tidy as the inside." 

After stopping by the restaurants for a meal, head to Regal Cinemas to catch a movie on the IMAX screen. There's a courtyard outside the theater, which makes waiting for showtime a pleasant experience in the evenings. Although technically within the Sacramento city limits, Delta Shores isn't in a touristy area, which is both a plus and a minus depending on what you're looking for. 

If you're looking for an upmarket shopping destination with casual fine dining options, head to Pavilions Shopping Center. Featuring cobblestone paths lined with flowers, red brick facades, and pocket gardens, the entire place looks like the mall version of a European village. Situated just off Fair Oaks Boulevard, literally steps outside Sacramento's city limits, the mall has more than 20 stores and restaurants with lots of space to stroll. 

Visitors shop at Williams Sonoma, schedule appointments at Studio 55 and other boutique salons, and break a sweat at luxury fitness studios like Pure Barre. Cartier and Chopard pieces find a home at Hamilton Jewelers, while Julius Clothing offers tailored men's and women's wear. It's not the kind of place where you stock up on essentials at Target or TJ Maxx, but you can easily spend a few hours browsing the shops and dining al fresco. 

While many of the restaurants are open for lunch, the atmosphere takes on a hint of romance in the evenings. Restaurants like Piatti and Wildwood Kitchen & Bar offer outdoor patio seating, creating a romantic setting for date nights. For the farm-to-table cuisine Sacramento is known for, dine at Cafe Bernardo, a local chain with a bit of a cult following and one of the best brunch menus in the Sacramento area. After your meal, do a bit of window shopping and look for two life-sized sculptures by Ruth Rippon, a local artist well-known throughout Sacramento.  

A 10-minute drive from Downtown Sacramento, Sacramento Gateway falls somewhere between a modern strip mall and a lifestyle center. It has an open-air layout similar to Delta Shores, but the designers prioritized pedestrian access, and you'll find landscaped garden beds between parking areas. That being said, you'll need to drive if you want to see all the stores.

Divided between The Village, North Promenade, and South Promenade, the mall offers a mix of large stores like Target, Nordstrom Rack, Best Buy, and TJ Maxx, plus cell phone providers, banks, and furniture stores. For meals, expect Panera Bread, Olive Garden, and Paris Baguette. Shoppers can also browse non-box stores like Ethnic Bollywood for palazzo suits, lehengas, and other Desi apparel. If there's anything you can't find, Natomas Marketplace lies just across the road, but be forewarned, the parking lot is very difficult to exit during peak times.

An unexpected bonus at Sacramento Gateway is the restaurants and markets with selections from Southeast Asia, the Indian subcontinent, and even Fiji. Eshan Market is a top choice for halal meats and spices you can't find in Walmart or Safeway. "This Grocery and Halal meat store is known in the Pakistani, Indian, and Fijian community," shared a local shopper on Google Reviews. "A huge selection of frozen ready-to-cook recipes is available along with a variety of desserts, like Gulab Jaman and Barfi." You can also dine at Halal Fried Chicken, Changs Thai Cuisine, and Shalimar Restaurant.

The following suggestions are based primarily on my experience visiting malls in Sacramento. In order to determine the best malls, I considered not only the number of shops and restaurants, but also the overall atmosphere. I prioritized places where shopping or dining is an activity in and of itself, or malls with a high concentration of well-organized, essential stores and easy access dining options.

Although I am from the Bay Area, I've spent a considerable amount of time in the greater Sacramento area. As I am not a local, I supplemented my experiences with testimonials from shoppers on Google Reviews and input from Reddit. I also found the mall directories useful for locating specific shops, restaurants, and activities, but turned to the official social media pages for details about seasonal events.