Ticket costs for each tour vary and may include lunch, tastings, and transportation. Tickets for each tour can be purchased during conference registration. Already registered for conference? You can go back and add a tour to your registration in your attendee portal that you received with your email confirmation!
Wednesday, July 23
Pre-Conference Tours
Please note, the descriptions, locations, and times listed below are subject to change. Please continue to check back for the most up-to-date information.
ACS or Bust! A SFO to SAC Cheese Odyssey
Date: Wednesday, July 23
Time: 7:30 am – 4:15 pm
Cost: $165/person
Tour locations to include:
Market Hall Foods
Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese Company
Marin French Cheese Co.
Nugget Markets
Flying into San Francisco this summer? Join ACS on an epic road trip from the legendary City by the Bay to the City of Cheese! Like Odysseus setting sail for new lands, we will embark on a culinary journey through Northern California, seeking the finest cheeses and artisanal flavors along the way.
This is a hybrid tour offering a bus ride from San Francisco to Sacramento + a full day designed to kick off your ACS experience with a scenic journey and stops at renowned cheesemakers and retailers along the way.
We will meet up at Pier 39 (pick-up point) in San Francisco, load up our bags, and head across the Bay Bridge to visit Rockridge Market Hall, the Bay Area's destination for specialty food and ingredients. Led by Retail Director Juliana Uruburu, this tour includes a light breakfast and an overview of Market Hall Foods' brand-new cheese counter and updated program. Juliana will also guide you through the eight different businesses and shops inside Rockridge Market Hall, where you'll have the opportunity to taste and learn more about the 38-year-old retailer.
As we travel northward to Tomales Bay, our tour guide, the multi-talented local cheese and dairy expert, Vivien Straus, (founder of the California Cheese Trail Map and App) will share the rich agricultural history of this area.
At our stop at Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese, you’ll learn about sustainable farming and savor the delicious rewards of this women-owned business, featuring a curated tasting celebrating its 25th anniversary of award-winning cheese production. Nicasio Valley Cheese Co. will join us, weaving even more local history and flavor into this feast worthy of the gods. A farm-fresh lunch, made entirely of seasonal Northern California ingredients, will follow.
As we continue our journey, our next stop will be Marin French Cheese, celebrating their 160thanniversary, where we will taste some of California’s most treasured soft-ripened offerings produced since 1865. Our final stop will be Nugget Market in Davis, where we will learn about this family-run business and its 16 locations dedicated to providing “An Extraordinary Grocery Experience.”
By the end of our Odyssey, you’ll have indulged in some of the finest cheeses Northern California has to offer and experience why this is a premier destination for cheese lovers.
Please note: this tour departs from the Pier 39, Beach Street & Embarcadero, San Francisco, CA 94133 in San Francisco promptly at 7:30 AM and ends at the Sacramento Convention Center at 4:15 PM. It is your responsibility to be on time for this tour with all of your luggage (space for luggage will be provided on the tour bus). ACS recommends booking your travel to allow adequate time for possible flight delays or cancellations. If you are not on-time for any reason, the tour will depart without you, and you are responsible for providing your own transportation to the next tour stop or to Sacramento. This is a one-way trip to Sacramento and no transportation back to San Francisco is included after the conference.
*Tour is subject to change
Sip, Savor and Snuggle the Sacramento Way!
Date: Wednesday, July 23
Time: 7:30 am – 4:00 pm
Cost: $150/person
Tour locations to include:
Sacramento Natural Foods Co-op
Tsar Nicoulai Caviar
Oak Farm Vineyards
Spenker Family Farm
Indulge in a one-of-a-kind sensory experience that combines luxury with heartwarming farm moments! From premium retail to top-tier domestic caviar production, award-winning wines and personal goat snuggles, peek behind the scenes to gain a deeper understanding of the beautiful hard work and glorious grit that go into some of Northern California’s most prestigious offerings!
We will start the day with pastries and Pachamama coffee (and, of course, local cheeses!) while touring the beloved Sac Co-op. Here, we will learn about their commitment to offering seasonal, local, natural, and organic food to the Sacramento area since 1973.
From there, we will head to Tsar Nicoulai Caviar (a true ACS tour first!). Here you will discover how the only eco-certified, sustainable caviar in America is produced. You’ll experience an exclusive “Caviar 101” tasting and training, with each salty bite enhanced by the award-winning premium crème fraîche from Sierra Nevada.
Next, we’ll travel south to Lodi and Oak Farm Vineyards, where we will sip wines made from vines that are over 60 years old, paired with cheeses from Fiscalini, a cheesemaker with over 100 years of history. You’ll have downtime to explore the scenery and a tasting in the historic Barrel Room built in 1862, gaining a unique perspective on the history and longevity of California’s wine and cheese industries. (A boxed lunch will be provided here.)
Next stop just down the road is Spenker Family Farm, a fourth-generation, woman-owned goat creamery and winery. Here, we’ll taste cheese while touring the farm, experiencing “taste of place” in its purest form! The tour will conclude with meeting the most important members of the family: the goats! Complete with cuddles and coos!
*For the safety of the animals and customers, we ask that all guests wear clean, comfortable, closed-toe shoes (shoes not worn at another dairy); we will be outdoors for the tour, so sunscreen is recommended. A waiver of liability will be required to be signed on-site. Everyone must be 21+ to attend this tour. Walking will be involved, up to 1.5 miles throughout the tour. **Tour is subject to change.
Saturday, July 26
Post-Conference Tour
Please note, the descriptions, locations, and times listed below are subject to change. Please continue to check back for the most up-to-date information.
Sail Away on a River City Cruise!
Date: Saturday, July 26
Time: 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Cost: $80/person
What better way to wrap up an amazing 2025 conference than with a little wind in your hair and California sunshine on your face? Reconnect with the outdoors and enjoy some cheese from Rumiano Cheese on a River City Cruise! Captain Jim and his crew will teach us about the past, present, and future aboard a sightseeing cruise and experience the scenic beauty of the Sacramento and American Rivers.
The River City Queen will be a memorable post-conference cruise, where Captain Jim and his crew will guide us down the Sacramento and the American Rivers, sharing insights into their rich history, scenic beauty, and beyond!
Of course, it wouldn’t be an ACS event without cheese! Andy Fitzgerrell from Rumiano Cheese will lead us in a guided cheese tasting featuring California’s oldest family-owned cheese producer. Since 1919, Rumiano has been crafting its signature Dry Monterey Jack using traditional methods. As industry leaders, they source milk from farms that prioritize regenerative and organic practices and are dedicated to sustainability-driven innovation.
Don’t miss out on this 2-hour history-rich experience, all while enjoying the picturesque views of the river.
Transportation to this tour is on your own, it is about a 30-minute walk to the dock or a 10-minute Uber or Lyft from the convention center. The dock address is: 1110 Front St., Sacramento, CA. The River City Queen is located on the Riverfront Dock below the Rio City Café. It is docked between the Delta King floating hotel (1200 Front Street) and City Cruises / Hornblower.
Unlimited soda, juice, coffee, water, and iced tea are included in the tour price; you can purchase other beverages from the bar.
*Tour is subject to change
