Fair Oaks, Sacramento County

Fair Oaks is a really cool little town, and a little bit quirky, which is just what some people love. It all begins and ends in the historic Old Town Village, or just "The Village." It all started as farm and orchard country, way too far out from downtown. Then downtown discovered its beauty on the river bluffs, and it was reborn as the getaway enclave of luxury homes for those escaping the city.

The Village has a lot of fun packed into a little space, and when you discover it, you'll be back. They have a vibrant art scene with several art shops, and "Art Night Out" when they all open and people sip some wine and enjoy the art. One of my favorite things here is the Fair Oaks Performing Arts Center, the Veterans Memorial Amphitheater, where the stage was completely rebuilt a few years ago and fills with well-done productions including music, speakers, plays, comedy, and art. Some daytime, most under the stars, all very fun. It's easy to make this part of your weekly schedule, and of course if you live there... The Performing Arts Center is the centerpiece of the beautiful park, where yes, chickens, dare I say, "rule the roost"... sorry. Anyway, the park and surrounding streets host other community events such as the annual classic car show. Like I said, fun!

All of this sits on the bluffs above the American River, where teens sneak away to well-placed tree swings, over and into the river they go, laughing all the way. The river, with the salmon hatchery just upstream, is filled with fishermen and fisherwomen, and in the summer, lots of rafters. But just so you know, the rafting is not really what you might picture with whitewater and thrills. There are a couple ripples, but it's more floating from Fair Oaks down to Ancil Hoffman Park in Carmichael. PS: If you want real, whitewater rafting, white-knuckle rafting, go way upstream, same river out of Placerville, and you'll get all you can handle. But I digress.

On weekends, breakfast, lunch, coffee, and ice cream shops can get busy. Bikers and bike teams detour off the American River Bike Trail and take the iconic Red Bridge over the river into town, as do the hikers, walkers, and bikers from Gold River, just across the river.

The landscape in Fair Oaks is beautiful, and they don't call the main road Winding Way for no reason. It winds back and forth, up and down, through the hills, along the river, and is heavily treed.

The quirky part of Fair Oaks is the mix... and fowl. Moderate homes are near and around the extravagant customs. Until closing in 2012, they had the oldest hardware store in the area, and there you have it. Fair Oaks is where old meets new, and generations mingle.