SACRAMENTO — The Old Sacramento Underground tour program has added a new underground site.

It’s beneath the Hall Luhrs & Co. building which operated as a grocery store from 1885-1906.

With a new route that takes visitors immediately underground, tours are currently available Thursdays through Sundays from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tour schedules fluctuate with the seasons and will continue through Sunday, Nov.. Interested tour participants are encouraged to check the website -- www.historicoldsac.org -- for tour dates, times and availability.

Old Sacramento has the distinction of being the only city in California to raise its streets in the 1860s through the 1870s to protect the city from devastating flooding. Tour participants explore excavated foundations and enclosed pathways while entertaining and knowledgeable tour guides recount the tales of the devastation, perseverance, and determination that led to California’s only successful street-raising project.

With the addition of the “new” Hall Luhrs & Co. underground site, tour participants will walk on original foundations, see 19th century construction and artifacts up close and personal, and will also have the opportunity to see an open archeological site. The new underground site offers a new dimension to the tours as some business owners raised their buildings while others - like Hall, Luhrs & Co. - converted the original ground floor into a basement, leaving Sacramento’s early history intact for later discovery and interpretation.

The Old Sacramento Underground tour program is coordinated by the Historic Old Sacramento Foundation and in partnership with the City of Sacramento, California State Parks, Old Sacramento Business Association and participating merchants and businesses. While tour schedules vary with the seasons, tours currently depart every 30 minutes from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Thursdays through Sundays during July and August.

Tours of the underground last approximately one hour in length and cost $15 for adults and $10 for children. As a benefit of membership, Historic Old Sacramento Foundation members receive a discounted $12 adult ticket price. Tour check-in is located at the Sacramento History Museum, 101 I Street in Old Sacramento. Underground visitors will need to be prepared to walk on uneven surfaces in areas that have low ceilings and in occasional small spaces. Box office questions can be sent via email to scox@cityofsacramento.org and more information about Foundation membership is available by calling 916-808-7059.