Explore Outdoors: Guided mural tours make interesting urban adventure

FOR THE GROUNDBREAKING. IT ALL STARTS AT 1030 THIS MORNING IN MIDTOWN AND DOWNTOWN SACRAMENTO. HUNDREDS OF MURALS ADORN BUILDINGS, WALLS AND FENCES. WHEN LINKED TOGETHER, THEY CAN TURN INTO QUITE AN URBAN ADVENTURE. AND IN THIS MORNING’S EXPLORE OUTDOORS, BRIAN HICKEY IS SHOWING US HOW YOU CAN DO YOUR OWN ART TRAIL. OR YOU CAN EVEN TAKE A WALK WITH GUIDES YOU CAN. AND THAT WAS A REALLY COOL PART ABOUT ALL OF THIS DOWNTOWN SACRAMENTO HAS ALWAYS BEEN A COLORFUL CANVAS FOR ARTISTS, BUT THE MOVEMENT REALLY TOOK OFF WITH THE INCEPTION OF THE WIDE OPEN WALLS PROJECT. THAT ORGANIZATION BOASTS 182 MURALS THROUGHOUT THROUGHOUT SACRAMENTO, AND FOR EACH OF THOSE PIECES OF ART, THERE ARE MANY MORE THAT ARE HIDDEN AND UNDOCUMENTED AROUND TOWN, JUST WAITING TO BE DISCOVERED. SO THIS IS A RUTH BADER GINSBURG, AND THIS IS PAINTED BY MARIN CONRAD, A LOCAL ARTIST DOES PHENOMENAL WORK. PLANNER FOR FLEET FEET, KIM PERINO, THAT IS. AND WHEN SHE IS NOT PUTTING ON RUNS LIKE THE POPULAR SHAMROCK IN HALF MARATHON, SHE’S WALKING, FINDING AND RESEARCHING MURALS AROUND SACRAMENTO. IN 2019, SHE STARTED OFFERING GUIDED MURAL WALKS THROUGH THE CAPITAL CITY. TODAY, THOSE WALKS ARE A POPULAR SELL OUT ATTRACTION WITH MULTIPLE GUIDES AND ROUTES THROUGH THE STREETS AND ALLEYS OF SACRAMENTO. THE ART PIECES ARE FREE FOR ALL TO DISCOVER, BUT KIM SAYS HER $25 GUIDED TOURS OFFER A BIT MORE TO THE EXPERIENCE AND HELP YOU FIND THE LESSER KNOWN PIECES. WE’VE DONE A LOT ON THE BACKGROUND OF WHO PAINTED THEM, WHAT THE MEANING IS BEHIND SOME OF THESE, THEIR, UM, THEIR TECHNIQUES AND THINGS LIKE THAT THAT THEY WOULDN’T NORMALLY KNOW IF THEY’RE JUST DRIVING BY OR, YOU KNOW, CATCHING ONE ON THE FLY. KIM SAYS THE WALKS AVERAGE BETWEEN TWO AND A HALF TO THREE MILES IN LENGTH AND ARE A LEISURELY STROLL. WE’RE NOT SENDING ANY CARS OUT THERE AND YOU’LL WALK AROUND 25 MURALS OR SO IN A GROUP OF TEN PEOPLE OR LESS. JUST YESTERDAY, WE EVEN DISCOVERED A NEW MURAL THAT APPEARED BEHIND A MIDTOWN BUSINESS. AND THAT’S THE BEAUTY OF WALKING AND DISCOVERING THIS URBAN ART. NOW YOU CAN SIGN UP FOR THE WALKING MURAL TOURS ON THE FLEET FEET WEBSITE. A WARNING THOUGH THE MONTH OF MAY IS ALREADY SOLD OUT AND JUNE IS PROVING TO BE PRETTY POPULAR AS WELL, YOU CAN ALSO LOG ON TO THE WIDE OPEN WALLS WEBSITE AND SELECT THE ART PIECES THAT YOU LIKE AND THE COOL PART ABOUT THAT IS YOU CAN SELECT THE ONES YOU WANT TO FIND. YEAH, IT’LL THEN SEND THEM OVER TO GOOGLE MAPS AND IT’LL CREATE A WALKING ROUTE FOR YOU, OR A DRIVING ROUTE OR A BIKING ROUTE. YOU KNOW, YOU CLICK THE LITTLE BUTTON ON THE GOOGLE MAP, AND THAT’LL SET UP YOUR OWN TOUR SO YOU CAN TAKE THE GUIDED TOURS WITH THE DOCENTS WHO WILL EXPLAIN THE PIECES TO YOU. OR YOU CAN PUT YOUR OWN HIKE TOGETHER. WE HAD A FOREIGN EXCHANGE STUDENT WITH US FROM FRANCE, AND WE TOOK HER AND WE DID IT ON SCOOTERS, AND IT WAS SO FUN. YEAH. THAT’S GREAT. AND THEN YOU DISCOVER A NEW RESTAURANTS AND SHOPS. YEAH, YEAH, IT’S A GREAT THING TO DO WITH PEOPLE FROM OUT OF TOWN. YES. AND SHE SAID THAT’S WHAT A LOT OF HER RETURN CUSTOMERS ARE. THEY. I BET THEY HAVE A VISITOR AN

The buildings, walls and fences of Sacramento have become a canvas for local artists.Walking around the streets and alleys of Sacramento has become an adventure for those seeking colorful works of art.The art is free for anyone walking down the street to look at, but if you'd like help finding them and understanding the story behind the murals, Fleet Feet is now offering guided walking tours."We will take people and explore the back alleys and street corners and things like that you wouldn’t see if you were driving by and that’s the beauty of coming on these walking tours," said Kim Parrino, the events planner for Fleet Feet.The tours are 2.5 to 3 miles in length and last a couple of hours. Parrino said they can expect to see 20-25 murals during the tour. While Parrino spends most of her days organizing races like the Shamrock'n Half-Marathon, she said this event is open to anyone who wishes to take a leisurely stroll through the city."We’ve done a lot on the background of who painted them, what the meaning is behind some of these, their techniques and things like that that," Parrino said. "They wouldn’t normally know if they are just driving by or catching one on the fly."The tours, which are already sold out for the month of May, are $25 per person and must be booked in advance. Visitors can always organize their own mural tour by logging onto the Wide Open Walls website.On the page, you will find a handy map that shows the location of nearly 200 murals across Sacramento.Visitors can highlight the murals they wish to see in person, and the page will create a Google Map with walking directions, distance and estimated time to visit the selections.Walking from mural to mural, you may also discover new art that hasn't even made it on the map. Parrino said it's an ever-changing landscape of new art and the perfect place to set out on an urban adventure of discovery.Visit the Fleet Feet website for more information and to make a reservation for an upcoming tour.To design your own walk, you can find the Wide Open Walls Map here. See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. —

The buildings, walls and fences of Sacramento have become a canvas for local artists.

Walking around the streets and alleys of Sacramento has become an adventure for those seeking colorful works of art.

The art is free for anyone walking down the street to look at, but if you'd like help finding them and understanding the story behind the murals, Fleet Feet is now offering guided walking tours.

"We will take people and explore the back alleys and street corners and things like that you wouldn’t see if you were driving by and that’s the beauty of coming on these walking tours," said Kim Parrino, the events planner for Fleet Feet.

The tours are 2.5 to 3 miles in length and last a couple of hours. Parrino said they can expect to see 20-25 murals during the tour.

While Parrino spends most of her days organizing races like the Shamrock'n Half-Marathon, she said this event is open to anyone who wishes to take a leisurely stroll through the city.

"We’ve done a lot on the background of who painted them, what the meaning is behind some of these, their techniques and things like that that," Parrino said. "They wouldn’t normally know if they are just driving by or catching one on the fly."

The tours, which are already sold out for the month of May, are $25 per person and must be booked in advance. Visitors can always organize their own mural tour by logging onto the Wide Open Walls website.

On the page, you will find a handy map that shows the location of nearly 200 murals across Sacramento.

Visitors can highlight the murals they wish to see in person, and the page will create a Google Map with walking directions, distance and estimated time to visit the selections.

Walking from mural to mural, you may also discover new art that hasn't even made it on the map.

Parrino said it's an ever-changing landscape of new art and the perfect place to set out on an urban adventure of discovery.

Visit the Fleet Feet website for more information and to make a reservation for an upcoming tour.

To design your own walk, you can find the Wide Open Walls Map here.

See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app.

Explore Outdoors: Guided mural tours make interesting urban adventure

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