DMT: A Day in the Delta

Less time on the road means more time at our destination. This trip’s a twofer – two tours in one! In the morning explore the Chinatown and Japantown Historic District of Isleton. Enjoy a docent tour of the Isleton Museum, which opened in October 2022 after a 31-year renovation project of the Bing Kong Tong Building. A one-year-old permanent exhibit tells of the demise of “Nihonmachi” or Japantown, when the residents were forced to evacuate during World War II. A short walking tour
takes us to our included lunch at Peter’s Steakhouse, an airy restaurant fashioned out of a former hardware store. We then board our bus for a short 13-minute drive to Locke. Built in 1915, Locke is the only standing town in the United States that the Chinese built for themselves, rather than being relegated to a section of a town. On this day at noon, the drumbeat of the traditional lion dance signals the beginning of the town’s annual New Year celebration. From entertainment and
vendors on Main Street, to carefully scheduled activities in all of the major buildings, there is ample time to take it all in: Demonstrations, lectures, arts and crafts, exhibits, and musical performances. Also to be appreciated are the restored buildings themselves, the gardens and the Boarding House Museum—all within a few short blocks’ walk.