Davis: Nature, Museums and Performing Arts

Davis offers several distinct themes for a stay: gardens and landscaped areas, wildlife observation, regional history, and exhibitions and performing arts. If you’re looking for a hotel in Davis, it may help to start by asking which of these themes you’d like to shape your stay. These different interests give your trip planning direction without requiring you to focus on just one reason for visiting.

Nature Areas and Trails

The historic UC Davis Arboretum is a campus and regional resource covering more than 100 acres, with demonstration gardens and scientific collections. At the UC Davis Arboretum and Public Garden, gardens, natural areas and landscaped spaces are open daily, 24 hours a day; admission is free. The main trail forms a 3.5-mile loop used by walkers, joggers and cyclists. Alongside the gardens and collections, the loop offers a specific way to spend time outdoors. You can plan your visit around whether you’d rather focus on the gardens and collections or on the route itself. Check current operating information before your arrival.

The 400-acre Davis Wetlands Project offers a different perspective on nature. It uses treated wastewater to provide wildlife habitat as well as opportunities for wildlife observation and environmental education. Docent-led tours take place there on the first Sunday of each month; confirm the tour date before your trip. While the Arboretum features gardens, collections and a loop trail, the Wetlands Project focuses on wildlife habitat, observation and environmental education. This makes it possible to distinguish between a trip centered on garden areas and trails and one with a greater focus on wildlife and environmental education.

Museums and Performing Arts

The Hattie Weber Museum presents exhibitions on the history and cultural heritage of Davis, California, and the surrounding region. These exhibitions connect the history of Davis with the heritage of its surroundings. If you’d like to include historical and cultural perspectives on the city and region in your stay, this focus offers a concrete guide for your choices.

Admission to public programs and exhibitions at the Manetti Shrem Museum is free. Unlike the regional history exhibitions at the Hattie Weber Museum, its public programs and exhibitions can add a distinct cultural element to your trip plans. Free admission applies specifically to these offerings, making it a practical consideration if you’d like to include the museum in your stay.

The Mondavi Center is dedicated to the full spectrum of the performing arts—from traditional to innovative forms and from cultures and disciplines around the world. If you’d like to plan your stay around the performing arts, this offers a different cultural perspective from the museums’ exhibitions and regional history themes. The range described here helps you consider the Mondavi Center as a distinct travel theme alongside museum visits.

The places described here offer different points of interest, providing a basis for choosing a reason for your trip that suits your interests. You can then look for hotels in Davis that fit your travel plans.

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