CNN iReport

Escape the winter doldrums by heading to Sacramento's colorful historic cemetery.

Adorned with beautiful statues, dramatic markers and                         lush gardens,                         Sacramento Historic City Cemetery is an                         outdoor museum recording California history from                         the Gold Rush Era through today.

Since                         it's establishment in 1849,                         the City Cemetery has become the resting place of                         many remarkable Californians, demonstrating the                         diversity of California history and culture.  Visitors will                         discover the burial sites of Sacramento mayors and                         California governors as well as memorials to   Civil War Veterans, Volunteer Firemen                          and the victims of the                          1850                         Cholera Epidemic.

The                         City Cemetery is the oldest existing cemetery in                         Sacramento.  Keeping                         with the popular style of the times, it was                         designed to resemble a  Victorian                         garden.  Traversed by pathways and grand                         avenues, the cemetery provides a park-like setting for                         exploring history. Today, volunteers with the Adopt A Plot program take over the                         gardening of plots - a task once performed by long since departed relatives.

Free                         guided walking tours of the Sacramento Historic City                          Cemetery are led by Old City Cemetery Committee docents.                         Self-guided                         tours are encouraged at all times.