Sacramento Wine Country Driving Tour: Freeport to Clarksburg

Drive the Delta's back roads and hear the stories most travelers miss

This self-guided audio driving tour covers Sacramento's Delta wine country from Freeport through Clarksburg, Locke, Walnut Grove and the riverside towns in between, with an English-language narrator who shares the region's history of floods, fires, prohibition and steamboat racing. You control the pace and timing entirely. The 120-minute route can stretch across an afternoon if you stop at wineries, or you can replay segments at home before or after your trip. The VoiceMap app works offline and provides turn-by-turn directions alongside the narration.

Step-by-step itinerary

Self-guided driving tour in Delta

• Start tour in Freeport
• Discover California Delta wineries
• Hear stories of floods and fires
• Visit Clarksburg Appellation wineries
• Drive through Hood, Locke, Walnut Grove
• Learn about Stone Lakes Wildlife Refuge
• Pass by Greene and Hemly
• Drive through Courtland
• Hear about Paintersville and Vordon
• Explore Locke and Walnut Grove towns
• Drive through Isleton and Ryde
• View Grand Island Mansion
• Drive Clarksburg Wine Country back roads
• End tour at Old Sugar Mill

The experience

The tour starts in Freeport and follows a route through the Clarksburg Appellation and the Delta's network of small towns that have barely changed since the Gold Rush era. As you drive, the audio guide walks you past Stone Lakes National Wildlife Refuge, through Greene and Hemly, and into Courtland, where you'll hear about the area's past: forgotten hamlets like Paintersville and Vordon, and the larger stories of the region's Chinese and Japanese communities in Locke and Walnut Grove. The narration also covers the opulent Grand Island Mansion and ends at the Old Sugar Mill, where you'll hear its history before finishing.

You'll pass several wineries and tasting rooms along the way, including Bogle Family Vineyards, Hemly Cider, and Scribner Bend Vineyards in the Clarksburg Appellation. The audio points them out, but entry and tastings are on your own. The tour is narration and navigation, not a guided visit inside. The same applies to any museums or attractions you spot. The audio tells you about them as you drive past.

Once you book, you'll get a unique code to enter into the VoiceMap app. The app shows you directions to the starting point and uses GPS to play the narration in sync with your location, with turn-by-turn directions built in. It works offline, so you don't need a signal once you've downloaded it. You can start the tour whenever you're ready, pause at any stop, and come back to finish later, or replay the whole thing at home before you go, to plan which wineries to visit or which towns to explore on foot.

What’s included

• Lifetime access to the tour in English.
• VoiceMap app for Android and iOS.
• offline audio, maps and turn-by-turn directions.
• ability to pause, resume and replay the tour anytime before or after your trip.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery day

GroupPrivate

Audio guideEnglish

Meeting point and pickupNo hotel pickup: you go to the meeting point. Ends at a different place from where it starts.

Cancellation and refundsNo refund if you cancel.

Prices and times updated yesterday

Good to know

Easy physical level

Operated by VoiceMap Audio Tours

Is this one for you?Choose this tour if you want to explore the Delta's wine country and small towns at your own speed without joining a group. You set the start time, decide how long to linger at each stop, and can replay the narration to plan which wineries to visit or which towns to walk through.

Traveler reviews

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Top questions

How long does this driving tour actually take to complete?

The tour is designed to run 120 minutes of narration, but you control the pace entirely. You can drive straight through in about two to three hours, or spend an afternoon stopping at wineries and walking through the towns. The app lets you pause and resume whenever you want.

Do I get to go inside the wineries and museums the tour mentions?

The audio guide points out wineries like Bogle Family Vineyards, Hemly Cider, and Scribner Bend Vineyards as you pass them, but entry and tastings are separate from this tour and cost extra. The same goes for any museums or attractions along the route. The narration tells you about them, but visiting inside is your choice and expense.

What happens if I don't have cell service while I'm driving?

The VoiceMap app works completely offline once you've downloaded it before your trip. The audio, maps, and turn-by-turn directions all function without a signal, so you can drive through the Delta without worrying about losing connection.

Can I use this tour more than once, or just on one trip?

You get lifetime access to the tour after you book, so you can use it as many times as you want before your trip, during it, or years later. You can also replay it at home to plan which stops matter most to you.

What towns and landmarks does this route actually pass through?

The tour covers Freeport, Hood, Locke, Walnut Grove, Ryde, Clarksburg, Courtland, Isleton, and Greene, with narration about Stone Lakes National Wildlife Refuge, Grand Island Mansion, and the Old Sugar Mill. You'll also hear about smaller historic hamlets like Paintersville and Vordon as you drive.

Who is the narrator, and what kind of stories does she tell?

The audio is produced by Lynn Momboisse, a California native with over 20 VoiceMap tours to her name. She shares the Delta's history of floods, fires, murder, prohibition, and steamboat racing, and covers the significant contributions of Chinese and Japanese communities in the riverside towns.