ARCO Arena, Sacramento, California

Sacramento is located in the northern section of California. In the city is the ARCO Arena which hosts numerous sporting events, concerts, and other entertainment options. Each year they offer about 200 different events, making it one of the busier United States locales. Last year about 2 million visitors came to the arena from all over California and other nearby states. Events have ranged from NBA and WNBA to Disney on Ice. Artists such as Rolling Stones, Elton John, Garth Brooks, U2, Justin Timberlake, Tim McGraw and Faith Hill, Paul McCartney, and others have been at the arena in the past.

ARCO Arena can seat up to 17, 317 individuals for basketball rodeos, and monster truck shows. The Sacramento Kings and Sacramento Monarchs consider the ARCO arena home. They spend several hours training there for their events. Ultimate Fighting Championships have also been hosted at the arena in the past.

ARCO is owned by Maloof Sports and Entertainment. This company is a team highly trained to get the best sporting events and other entertainment to the arena. They are known for their innovations. ARCO arena is located about five and a half miles from Sacramento's International Airport. Top airlines service the airport making it easy for tourists to fly in for a show if they cannot find it elsewhere.

For the rest of 2009 events such as Rod Stewart, Green Day, Ringling Bros, the Killers, Star Wars in Concert, Barry Manilow, and Metallica will be appearing at the arena. So You Think You Can Dance Tour is also scheduled to come to the arena. The Monarchs are going to be playing New York, Los Angeles, Indiana, and Washington in 2009 as well. Tickets can be bought in the box office or through ticketmaster.

Since ARCO arena is one of the busiest in the United States there are a number of hotels in the area. These hotels allow guests to stay within walking distance or a short taxi ride to the arena. The hotels are Best Western, Comfort Inn, Sheraton, Hyatt, the Citizen Hotel, Quality Inn, Springhill Suites, and Residence Inn. Besides the arena there are other areas of interest tourists may wish to visit. The Sacramento Convention Center, K Stree Mall, Colonial Theater, McKinley Park, and Old Sacramento are all near ARCO. Visitors to the city can spend the day at some of these locations before heading to the arena for the evening show.

Visitors may need to eat before an event. ARCO does supply a few places to eat. Like most arenas they are going to have concessions like pizza, hot dogs, hamburgers, and popcorn. They will also serve beverages for event attendees. However, for those looking for something different Sacramento does have plenty of restaurants. Some of these locations include Old Sacramento Merchants Firehouse, 20 Locksmith, Mikuni Japanese, Lucca, and Fat's.

Parking is available at the ARCO Arena. However, it is best to check with the arena about times for when they open the parking and the current prices.