Things to Do in Rio Linda

At various points throughout its history, the cavernous interior of Hermann Sons' Hall has served as a schoolhouse, a roller rink, and a music hall. Today, the echoes of those past incarnations can hardly be heard over the whizzing of paintballs as players take cover from multicolored crossfire behind manmade barriers. Shooters All-Season Paintball’s owners have certainly put their mark on the building, which now joins five outdoor battlefields as part of their sprawling paintball complex.

When they aren’t crouching behind the indoor field’s obstacles, players test their luck against the trees and thickets outside on more than 23 acres, enlisting woodland creatures as scouts and greeting opponents with a barrage of paintballs as they emerge from their leafy hiding places. Shooters is also redesigning their attach & defend field to go along with the newly redesigned and enlarged hyperball field. Showing respect and gratitude to Mother Nature for allowing them to play in her backyard, the company equips players with eco-friendly, nontoxic paintballs and biodegradable BBs. Shaded picnic areas allow visitors a chance to rest and relax after working up an appetite on the fields.

Since breaking ground for Viña Castellano in 1999, the Mendez family has built an empire of Spanish wines complete with a treasure trove of gold and silver medals. Along with winery foreman Derek Irwin, the family specializes in the complex flavors of Tempranillo, Syrah, and Verdejo grapes. In the tasting room, visitors can sip new pressings and old favorites, and pick up a fine cigar to hilariously slip into a packet of exploding cigars.

Art teacher Kimberly Godinho sees her studio as a haven for students who might be otherwise afraid of exploring their artistic sides. Her background includes earning her bachelor degree in fine arts, and her current work as a professional artist underscores her expertise. Heartened by friends and wine, visitors of all experience levels follow Kimberly’s instructions to brush up the chosen project, which may include wine glass tableaus, pastoral landscapes, and the inky insides of a camera’s lens cap. All materials are included with each class, including canvas, paints, and smocks.

This is not a 'mainstream' zoo," notes Folsom City Zoo Sanctuary on their website. "People who 'don't like zoos' are generally comfortable here." Perhaps that's because the center is more animal sanctuary than public zoo. Since 1963, it has taken in wild animals that have been injured in the wild, orphaned at an early age, or rejected as exotic pets by their owners. The sanctuary's staff provides lifelong homes for these animals, not only keeping them fed and cared for, but also engaging their mental and physical abilities through creative enrichment activities. Of course, education is a major focus, as well, which is why they invite visitors in to meet their boarders. The black bear exhibit showcases a few of these rescued creatures. Its glass viewing panels look into the habits of bears such as Sequoia, who was dropped off anonymously at a wildlife facility, and Marty, who was shot in the hip. Elsewhere, rescued red-tailed hawks perch inside an aviary, and a canine area showcases wolves, dogs, and everything in between.

North American species such as these occupy most of the habitats, but zookeepers also rescue the occasional exotic animal. They saved Orinoco, a squirrel monkey that came from a research facility, and Misty and Pouncer, a pair of mixed species tigers rescued from an illegal breeding facility. By telling these stories, the zookeepers hope to discourage the public from keeping wild animals as pets. Instead, they invite visitors to take active roles through volunteer initiatives and a junior zookeeper program.

Everything changed for Bob and Chris Quinlan when they organized a successful pub crawl for their local Rotary club in 2005. The positive reception to their event led the pair to found AppeteasersUSA in 2011, which has since expanded from its initial tour in Folsom to include outings in Northern and Southern California, Washington, and Florida. Across the country, AppeteasersUSA’s savvy guides can be found leading patrons from culinary hot spot to hot spot.

Throughout the four-hour tours, herds of at least 25 tour goers stop at restaurants and bars unique to the area—eschewing chains and large franchises—for 30-minute stints, nibbling on appetizers and noting which kitchen appliances might come to life after the restaurant closes. To wash down savory flavors, patrons can swig discounted drinks at each establishment.

Potter’s wheels whirr inside Lost Arts Ceramics' studio, where artists sit hunched over mounds of damp clay and mold the sticky earth into urns or bowls. The studio, gallery, and school is dedicated to the proliferation of the tactile art—during hands-on pottery classes, couples can create a permanent representation of their all-too-fleeting love, and groups can stop in and craft sculptures or functional art pieces. In the future, Lost Arts plans to expand into a nonprofit art organization, working with children and adults with special needs.