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Places & Recreation

Parks, nearby towns, attractions, family activities and regional day trips.

San Luis Reservoir: Three Lakes, a Day Trip and a California Water Story

San Luis Reservoir and the eastern Diablo Range, viewed from Romero Outlook.
San Luis Reservoir from Romero Outlook, August 2004. Photo: Clarkma5 / Wikimedia Commons; public domain. Converted to WebP.

The big lake beside Highway 152 is worth pulling off the road for. San Luis Reservoir has a free overlook, fishing, campgrounds and a water story that reaches far beyond Los Banos. For a trip from Turlock, start by choosing which of its three lakes you want to visit. Jump to Getting there · The three lakes · How the water works · The dam’s history · Romero Overlook · Boating and wind · Fishing… Keep Reading

Riverbank: The River, Downtown & Railroad Roots

Downtown Riverbank viewed south along Third Street at Santa Fe Street in December 2009
Third Street at Santa Fe Street, looking south in December 2009. Photo: Valente Quintero Castro (OsotedeMonte), CC BY 3.0; cropped and resized.

A walk beside the Stanislaus River, lunch on Santa Fe Street and a movie on Patterson Road: Riverbank makes an easy change of scene from Turlock. Its railroad-era downtown and busy Claribel Road shopping centers are only parts of the story. There is also a little Carnegie library that became a museum, and a remarkable photograph of the town taken by Dorothea Lange. Riverbank sits northeast of Modesto, on the south side of the Stanislaus… Keep Reading

Pedretti Park: Ballgames, Picnics and a Turlock Baseball Legacy

You do not have to be on the softball roster to use Pedretti Park. Its playground, picnic areas and volleyball courts sit alongside five ballfields. For Turlock families, it can be a place to watch a game, give younger children something to do or gather under the covered picnic area. 2400 N. Tegner Road, Turlock · City picnic sheet and park layout · Recreation Division: (209) 668-5594 What is at Pedretti? The city’s sports-field directory… Keep Reading

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Things to Do With Kids in Turlock

Get Air is for jumping; PLAY Turlock is built for children ten and under. A bowling lane can keep a mixed-age family together, while the library and Carnegie Arts Center offer outings that cost little or nothing. Turlock has enough choices to change the plan when it is too hot, too wet or simply time to get out of the house. Indoor energy: Get Air for trampolines; PLAY Turlock for younger children; Ten Pin for… Keep Reading

Ten Pin Fun Center: Bowling, Games and a Night Out in Turlock

Ten Pin Fun Center brought bowling back to Turlock after a 22-year absence. Today, the Countryside Drive venue combines 34 lanes with an arcade, laser tag and a restaurant—enough for a birthday party, a family afternoon or an evening that carries on after the last frame. 3700 Countryside Drive, Turlock · Official website and reservations What can you do at Ten Pin? Bowling is the main attraction, with 34 lanes, including eight VIP lanes. The… Keep Reading

Northwest Turlock: Shopping, Parks, Schools & Getting Around

A blue StanRTA bus stopped at the curb near Monte Vista Crossings in Turlock.
A StanRTA bus near Monte Vista Crossings, April 2024. Photo: Evan0512 / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0. Resized.

Monte Vista Crossings, Countryside Plaza, Pitman High and Pedretti Park bring people into northwest Turlock for shopping, school and sports. Monte Vista Avenue links Highway 99 with Stanislaus State; Countryside Drive and Walnut Road serve the shopping centers and neighborhoods along the way. Monte Vista and Countryside: the shopping side Monte Vista Crossings stretches around West Monte Vista Avenue and Countryside Drive. It is an outdoor shopping area with separate stores, restaurant buildings and parking… Keep Reading

Downtown Turlock: Main Street, Museums, Markets & Dining

Carnegie Arts Center in downtown Turlock, showing the modern addition beside the historic library.
Carnegie Arts Center on Broadway, September 2012. Photo: Saeid Banankhah (Saeidb) / CC BY-SA 3.0; cropped and resized.

Restaurants and small shops share downtown Turlock with a free history museum, an arts center in a former Carnegie library and the old railroad depot. Main Street is the busiest stretch, but Broadway and Center Street put several of the main attractions a few blocks from it. Main Street, Broadway and Center Street Main Street crosses Golden State Boulevard and the railroad tracks near Central Park. The restaurant and storefront blocks extend on both sides… Keep Reading

Don Pedro Dam: Turlock’s Water, Two Dams & a Foothill Lake

The northern arms of Don Pedro Reservoir winding through Sierra foothills in an aerial photograph
The northern part of Don Pedro Reservoir, March 2022. Photo: Famartin / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. Cropped and resized.

Don Pedro has two dams. One holds back the lake you see today; the other normally lies beneath it. The reservoir supplies water for the canals beside Turlock’s streets and the farms around town. Through a separate treatment system, it also supplements the city’s drinking water. On this page: The Turlock connection · Two dams and a vanished town · Water, power and flood control · Where to visit Why a dam near La Grange… Keep Reading

Turlock Farms, Farm Stands & Farming Families

Green agricultural fields and farm buildings in Turlock, photographed in November 2008.
Agricultural fields in Turlock, November 2008. Photo: Intothewoods29 / Wikimedia Commons. Public domain. Cropped and resized.

A drive up Geer Road can end with a box of peaches, a warm turnover or children climbing at the fruit barn. South of town, lavender and alpacas offer a different afternoon. Jump to: Geer Road fruit barns · Hilmar’s dairy story · Pumpkins, flowers & U-pick · Gemperle Farms · More farming families The Geer Road fruit-stand drive Three stops explain why Geer Road deserves more than a passing mention. Heading north from Turlock… Keep Reading

Yosemite from Turlock: A Day Trip Worth an Early Start

El Capitan, Half Dome and Bridalveil Fall across Yosemite Valley from Tunnel View
Yosemite Valley from Tunnel View, June 2025. Photo: EF5 / Wikimedia Commons, CC0 1.0. Cropped, resized and compressed.

Yosemite’s granite walls, spring waterfalls and giant sequoias are within a day trip of Turlock. Allow a full day for Yosemite Valley, or stay overnight to spend time elsewhere in the park. Two roads from Turlock, two different approaches For Yosemite Valley, compare Highway 99 south to Merced, then Highway 140 through Mariposa and El Portal with the Highway 120 route through Oakdale and Groveland. The former enters at Arch Rock; the latter at Big… Keep Reading

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