Hotspots for hunter action, Sacramento landmarks are drawing “Pokémon Go” traffic thanks to their varied landscapes and proximity to water. But what exactly will you find should you charge up your phone and travel to these locations? We set out to answer that important question. The result? A detailed local list of “Pokémarts,” “Pokémon gyms” and spawn sights for rare creatures, verified using the Pokémon locator website PokeVision.com.
1. Crest Theatre: 1013 K St., Sacramento
Instead of taking in a movie at home, trainers should visit the historic Crest Theatre, where there is a Pokémart is in the lobby. After catching a flick, players can stroll down K Street, which is littered with Pokémarts, or pick up some of the rock-type Pokémon such as Onix, Graveler and Rhyhorn that spawn in the area.
2. Crocker Art Museum: 216 O St., Sacramento
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A snapshot of a Pokémon admiring the California landscapes of artist Thomas Hill is what social media celebrity DJ Khaled would call a “major key” to superior Instagrams and Snapchats. After visiting the museum’s Pokémart, visitors can set up a lure module and draw in Pokémon from Crocker Park and the downtown area.
3. Fremont Park: 1515 Q St., Sacramento
When picking up produce at the Tuesday farmers market, trainers can also fill up on items at some of the Pokémarts in the popular midtown park. In this grassy spot in the middle of the city, rarer types of Pokémon such as Electrabuzz are known to spawn.
4. Golden 1 Center: 547 L St., Sacramento
There are several Pokémarts surrounding the new Golden 1 Center being built in downtown. As the “Pokémon Go” app is updated and new locations are added, the arena will likely become the site of a gym for trainers to battle beside their beloved Kings. Meanwhile, fighting-type Pokémon such as Machop appear around here as well, but for the most part, spawning seems to be limit to the basic Zubat, Sandshrew and Pidgey.
5. Old Sacramento
With more than 20 Pokémarts – and a gym at the Historic Mechanics Exchange on I Street beside the Railroad Museum – Old Sacramento is a gold mine for trainers. While taking the sights and smells of the historic waterfront, trainers have their pick of water and forest Pokemon with the proximity to the Sacramento River and fields of grassland. Ponyta often spawn near Firehouse Alley and J Street, and with patience, trainers may be able to catch the Magikarp needed to evolve the Gyarados that are found in the area.
6. Raley Field: 400 Ballpark Drive, West Sacramento
River Cats fans can now enjoy their picnics on the lawn beside grass-type and water-type Pokémon found near the banks of the Sacramento River. Krabby, Goldeen and Magikarp typically spawn nearby at the river and can be lured in; Eevee often spawn in the middle of the field or in the stands.
7. The Sacramento Bee: 2100 Q St., Sacramento
Scoopy is now sharing his hive with the other flying-type Pokémon that call midtown’s green canopy home. When reporters aren’t running out on assignment or writing up articles in the newsroom, they are taking lessons from the summer interns on how to take advantage of the Pokémarts located around the property, formerly home to Buffalo Brewery. Fast-moving Rapidash have been known to appear by the loading zone in the back of the building. One Bee intern recently ran out on her break to try to catch one. Unfortunately, she failed.
8. Sacramento State: 6000 J St., Sacramento
Home of the Hornets, California State University, Sacramento, hosts insect-type Pokémon that are hard to find in the rest of the city. With the large population of Pokémon trainers one would expect to find at a university, lure modules are more likely to appear at the many Pokémarts around campus, drawing all kinds of creatures, including water-types from the nearby American River. Caterpie and Metapod typically spawn near Brighton Hall, and Paras are scattered across campus.
9. Sacramento Zoo: 3930 West Land Park Drive, Sacramento
Intermixed with the flamingos and lemurs and penguins and tigers are rare Pokémon, which dominate the two gyms at the Sacramento Zoo. Luckily, visitors can capture their own rare Pokémon there, including Tauros and Growlithe, as they stroll about the gated grounds, home to 140 native, exotic and endangered species.
10. The State Capitol: 1315 10th St., Sacramento
The Capitol grounds in the heart of downtown Sacramento feature more than 10 Pokémarts at sites such as the Sisters of Mercy statue and the grave of Senator Capitol Kitty, a beloved feral cat that lived in the park for more than a decade. Ponytas, Machops and Geodudes abound in the area popular with walkers and joggers. It is also home to a Pokémon gym – no doubt the state representatives from both sides of the aisle are vying for control of it now.
11. Sutter’s Fort: 2701 L St., Sacramento
Onix, Diglett and other ground-type Pokémon can be hard to find in parts of Sacramento, but there have been sightings of these special monsters around the fortified walls of Sutter’s Fort. While collecting items at the Pokémarts around and in the fort, trainers on school field trips also can battle for the gym on the lawn as they learn about the origins of the city’s settlers.
12. Tower Bridge, off Capitol Mall
When stuck in traffic on the bridge, or when walking back across it after an evening in West Sacramento, players can find Krabby, Kabuto, Horsea and other uncommon water-type Pokémon near Sacramento’s version of the Golden Gate.
13. William Land Park: 3800 West Land Park Drive, Sacramento
Rare water-type, insect-type, and plant-type Pokémon – especially Bellsprout – inhabit the massive park near the Sacramento Zoo. With three gyms and more than 20 Pokémarts, the park is a great place where trainers can team up with a partner and walk the roads that wind around a golf course, soccer fields and several scenic ponds.
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