Tracy Tourism
California is a major tourism destination and has been long known for iconic attractions like Hollywood, the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, wine country, and plethora of coastal beaches. In the shadow of these destinations hides a largely undiscovered tourism jam – the City of Tracy. Located between the Bay Area and the Central Valley just across the Altamont Pass in the San Joaquin delta, the City uniquely binds two major northern California regions and offers a distinctive look at California’s history, culture, architecture, economy, and life style. From a historic downtown and a classical 1920s era reconstructed half-house Grand Theater to a diverse range of unique dining as well as beer and wine offerings and from recreational opportunities to a spectrum of community events, Tracy has activities that capture imaginations of a full spectrum of visitors.
Tracy is centered in a triangle formed by major interstates I-205, I-580 and I-5. It is only an hour from the major metropolitan areas of San Francisco, San Jose, and Sacramento, in addition to an hour away from Yosemite National Park. With the recently won grant from San Joaquin County for tourism recovery, the City is preparing a tourism campaign to tell its story to visitors from all over the Western U.S. The City’s key tourism assets are described below. The City’s key tourism assets are described below.
Grand Theatre Center for the Arts
This interdisciplinary arts center was originally constructed in 1923 as a vaudeville movie house. Owned by the City of Tracy with reconstruction completed in 2007, the building serves as a downtown jam that provides a bedrock for community arts and tells a colorful story about Tracy’s railroad-oriented past. The Center is one-of-a-kind in California and one of only a few similar facilities throughout the country. It includes the Madame Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis Theatre, with 547 reserved seating capacity, state-of-the-art computerized line set rigging system, dynamic lighting and a digital sound system. The theater houses art exhibitions in the Grand Galleries on a rotational basis featuring local and national artists.
Grand Theater hosts a spectrum of concerts and has featured performances such as LeAnn Rimes, Blue Oyster Cult, Willie Nelson, Y&T, Morris Day and the Time, Tony Toni Tone, Craig Morgan, 38 Special, Paul Reiser & Dave Koz. It also hosts professional and community-based fine arts programming through arts education, exhibitions, and event rentals. The Arts Education Program is one dramatically unique feature of the Center, offering tiered classes in dance, drama, music, literary and visual arts for students of all ages. The space is also frequently used for corporate and team building events.
Historic Downtown
Downtown is the heart of the Tracy community. With architectural designs and brick facades of pre-1930s buildings along the rail line telling the story about the City’s evolution anchored around the train station, the grid block layout only provides an echo of a once bustling and hustling outlaw center known for gambling and related activities. Like many other California cities, downtown Tracy is experiencing renaissance and rebirth. Today, downtown Tracy is a regional destination for an ecosystem of food and beverage establishments, local boutiques, and personal service businesses. The energy of downtown’s vibrant dining and entertainment scene can be easily seen on 10th Street, where a concept called the Streatery, spilled over into a block-long outside dining experience along a decorated stretch of parking and a street lane.
Catering to a spectrum of local tastes, downtown Tracy has emerged as a destination for restaurants, breweries, wineries and distilleries. Restaurants can be found for all tastes, from Hella Pie Pizza, cited by Pizza Today recently as one of the rising stars in the pizza industry, to white tablecloth service at Magellan’s Restaurant. On 10th Street, customers face difficult choices between establishments like Delta Brews and the Press Wine Bar and the Purgatory Craft Beer and Whiskey Bar, which offers customers a wide selection of whiskeys. Outside of downtown, the Windmill Ridge Winery offers locally grown and produced wines, while Tracy’s Morgan Territory Brewing consistently wins awards after being named California Brewery of the Year at the California State Fair in 2014.
Recreation
Tracy has 78 parks with over 300 acres of recreation ranging from small pocket parks to regional destination facilities like a 72-acre Legacy Fields. After an investment of $50 million by the city to date, the first phase of construction is nearing completion with nine baseball fields and eight soccer fields, along with concessions, restrooms and parking completed. At buildout, Legacy Fields will include 166 acres of active sports areas and will become the largest multi-sport facility in the area. Tracy expects to serve the growing demand for sports facilities across the West Coast for baseball, softball and soccer tournaments. The facility will host tournaments year-round and is projected to attract more than 350,000 visitors annually.
Tracy has also emerged as a golf destination. The Tracy Golf and Country Club is an 18-hole member-owned course remodeled in 2014. It is considered to be one of the most unique and environmentally friendly courses in California. Expert management utilizes less water and fertilizer than most other courses by leaving rough areas natural and supporting excellent fairways and greens. Old River Golf Course is another 18-hole golf course. Located in North Tracy, it offers play for golfers at all skill levels. Well-groomed fairways and greens keep Old River Golf Course challenging and friendly.
Tourists will find many other forms of recreation in the Tracy area. The delta location offers many water-based activities like fishing and hunting, with Eagal Lakes Resort offering various water sports. Recreational sites like Carnegie State recreation area offer access to nature unique to the Tracy region. Those looking for more extreme activities can book skydiving at Skydive California, which hosts tens of thousands of tandem jumpers annually.
Hospitality
Tracy has a spectrum of hotels ranging from historic Tracy Inn in downtown to a recently completed Home 2 Suites with several other hotels in the development pipeline. While the majority of demand has been historically driven by business travel, substantial investment in hospitality reflects developer optimism of the City’s tourism potential based on cultural and recreational offerings, high quality of life, and central location in the Northern California megaregion.
Airport
The Tracy Municipal Airport has 166 acres of aircraft parking, taxiways, and runway space. The airport has recently completed resurfacing of both runways, taxiway areas, and the general aviation ramp area and has an additional 144 acres remaining for future development. There are two active runways at the airport with other services including hangar rentals, tie-downs, flight training, aircraft maintenance, aircraft sales and shipping, as well as aviation and jet fuel sales. Nearby lodging, restaurants, shopping and wineries make the Tracy Municipal Airport a destination for both business and leisure travelers. Additionally, it has provided an access opportunity for conferences and business development events held at the Grand Theater.
Shopping
While within an hour drive of world-class shopping districts like Union Square in San Francisco, the Stanford Shopping Center in Palo Alto, and Broadway Plaza in Walnut Creek, Tracy’s evolving mix of businesses enables shopping enthusiasts to spend days without leaving the City with an amazing selection of stores and boutiques in Tracy. The West Valley Mall is located just off I-205, placing its shopping experience along the most heavily traveled transportation system in San Joaquin County. As such, West Valley Mall has become a regional destination for retail, dining and entertainment pursuits with more than 75 stores and a 14-screen movie theater.
Shopping offerings extend beyond the I-205 corridor in Tracy. Those seeking more of a personal connection find an eclectic selection of unique shops in downtown Tracy that offer a special local experience. Example includes the stylish women’s wear at Elaine’s Boutiques and specialty housewares at Mia Bella’s Boutique. L’aube Boutique is a woman veteran-owned and operated store presenting a wonderful collection of clothing.
Community Events
With a strong commitment to community development, Tracy has evolved as an event destination with a full spectrum of events attracting families, beer and wine enthusiasts, live music lovers, and other demographics. Visitors from the Bay Area and Central Valley stream to Tracy for the fantastic food and vibrant outdoor musical performances that have become synonymous with the Tracy community. Taps on Tenth is an annual event held on the downtown’s Tenth Street, where regional breweries serve samples of their craft beers, accompanied by delicious offerings from local restaurants and food trucks. Patrons are treated to local, live music with which to enjoy their selections. The same opportunities exist for wine connoisseurs during the Wine Stroll, with live musical performances outside the Grand Theatre Center for the Arts. Summer-specific events such as Friday Downtown Tracy Block Parties, the Social Sunset and Girls Night Out extend the celebrations. Local business owners get in on the act with March’s Hop & Shop, Late Night Thursdays, where businesses extend their hours into the evening and the Downtown Farmers’ Market, held year-round on Saturdays. Family events include the summer Movies on the Plaza, held outdoors at the Civic Center Plaza on select summer Friday nights or the Fourth of July Celebration, which features Hot-Air Balloon rides, a magic show and the traditional parade and fireworks show.
