Choose wisely. Connect locally.Add your business 
For thirteen months in 1853 and 1854, California was governed from a brick Greek Revival building on a quiet corner of Benicia. The little city on the Carquinez Strait had big ambitions in the Gold Rush years: it was a busy port, an early state capital and the site of a US Army arsenal that operated for more than a century.
That history is unusually well preserved. The Benicia Capitol is now a state historic park, and the sandstone warehouses of the old arsenal include the Camel Barns, where the Army's experimental camel corps was briefly kept and later auctioned. The castle-like Clock Tower Fortress still looks out over the water.
Today First Street runs down to the shoreline past antique shops, cafes and the studios of glass artists who have made Benicia a center for art glass. Waterfront parks, a fishing pier and the marshes of Benicia State Recreation Area offer wide views of the strait, the bridges and Mount Diablo.
The only surviving pre-Sacramento capitol building in California, a brick Greek Revival hall built in 1852 that housed the Legislature in 1853 and 1854. Inside, the Senate and Assembly chambers are furnished as they were, with candle holders and quill pens. Open limited days each week.
Next door to the Capitol and part of the same state park, this Federal-style house began as a Gold Rush-era hotel and was moved to the site by merchant Joseph Fischer. It keeps original furnishings collected by three generations of his family, and its garden is a peaceful spot. Tours vary by season.
Housed in sandstone warehouses built for the Benicia Arsenal in the 1850s, this museum tells the story of the arsenal, the city and the US Army Camel Corps, whose animals were sold off here in the 1860s. Exhibits change regularly. The grounds have picnic tables and views of the strait.
A fortified sandstone storehouse built in 1859 for the Benicia Arsenal, with loopholes for rifles and a clock tower added later. A 1912 explosion led to the removal of its top story. Now owned by the city, it serves as a venue for events. Admire the walls from outside when it is closed.
A Gothic Revival wooden church built around 1860 by shipwrights working at the nearby Pacific Mail Steamship yards, who gave its ceiling the look of an upturned ship's hull. It is still an active parish. The exterior is easy to admire on a walk; the interior is generally open for services.
The former Army arsenal on the east side of town, where 19th-century stone and brick buildings now hold artist studios, galleries, small businesses and the Arts Benicia gallery. Many studios open to the public during spring and fall open-studio weekends. Watch for active industrial traffic.
One of the art glass studios that made Benicia known for glassmaking, producing blown vases, bowls and paperweights since the 1970s. The gallery shows the full range of colors and styles, and holiday open houses are a local tradition. Call ahead for hours and any chances to watch glass being made.
Benicia's main street runs from the hills down to the Carquinez Strait, lined with Victorian storefronts, antique shops, cafes and restaurants. On summer Thursday evenings a farmers market fills the street. Walk all the way to the end for waterfront parks and views of the bridges.
A public pier and waterfront green at the foot of First Street, where anglers cast for striped bass and sturgeon and walkers watch freighters pass through the Carquinez Strait. The view takes in the Benicia-Martinez bridges and Mount Diablo. Sunsets are lovely, but bring a layer for the wind.
A state park of tidal marsh, grassland and rocky shoreline on Southampton Bay at the western edge of town, with a paved multi-use path, picnic areas and fishing spots. It is excellent for spotting egrets, herons and ducks, especially in winter. There is a small vehicle fee; walkers may enter for free.
Top-rated local businesses in Benicia, with real reviews on WiserMap.
No reviews yet. Been to Benicia? Be the first to share your experience.
Share what you loved, what to skip and tips for other travelers.
Log in to write a reviewBeen to Benicia? Add your best shots to the gallery.
Log in to add photos
California, United States
California, United States
California, United States
California, United States
California, United States
California, United States
California, United States
California, United States
Photo: Frank Schulenburg, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: Frank Schulenburg, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: Eugene Zelenko, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Tom Hilton, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
Photo: MARELBU, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0
Photo: Leonard G., Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
Photo: DonaldCreaven, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: Cullen328, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: Eugene Zelenko, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Eugene Zelenko, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Eugene Zelenko, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Eugene Zelenko, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Eugene Zelenko, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Eugene Zelenko, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Eugene Zelenko, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Eugene Zelenko, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Eugene Zelenko, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Eugene Zelenko, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Eugene Zelenko, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Epolk, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
Photo: DonaldCreaven, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: BeniciaHistoricalMuseum, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: Frank Schulenburg, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: Eric E Castro from San Francisco, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
Photo: Kiddo27, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Eugene Zelenko, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Eugene Zelenko, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Eugene Zelenko, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Lhimec, Wikimedia Commons, CC0
Photo: San Francisco Bay Trail Project, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: Lhimec, Wikimedia Commons, CC0
Photo: Lhimec, Wikimedia Commons, CC0
Photo: Eugene Zelenko, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Eugene Zelenko, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Eugene Zelenko, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Eugene Zelenko, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Eugene Zelenko, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
