PLACES & EVERYDAY TURLOCK
A trip to Countryside Drive can start with groceries and end with bowling. This is Turlock’s regional shopping side: bigger stores, large parking areas and several different centers along one familiar road.
Updated 2026.
One road, several shopping centers
Countryside is the north–south connection through the northwest retail area near Highway 99. Monte Vista Avenue, Tuolumne Road and Fulkerth Road are useful cross-street references. The city’s growth study distinguishes the Monte Vista Crossings area from the Countryside shopping area near the Fulkerth interchange.
Those names matter when meeting someone or looking up a restaurant. “Countryside” can mean the road, the broader shopping area or a particular center. Use the business address for directions and the shopping-center directory to identify the actual plaza.
Useful starting points
- Ten Pin Fun Center, 3700 Countryside Drive. The operator’s site lists bowling, laser tag, an arcade, food and group bookings. It makes a whole outing rather than a quick stop between shops.
- Safeway, 3051 Countryside Drive. A grocery anchor in the Monte Vista shopping area. The California DMV listing also identifies a registration-services kiosk here.
- Walmart, 2111 Fulkerth Road. At the south-end shopping area, this Fulkerth Road store is distinct from the Geer Road Neighborhood Market.
How fields became a regional destination
The Journal’s development history traces Monte Vista Crossings to a 1999 land purchase and a first construction phase completed in 2001. The land had largely been agricultural. Target, Home Depot and Safeway were among the first-phase businesses; McDonald’s opened first to serve the construction crews.
Later phases added more shops and restaurants, extending the range of reasons to visit. This was growth by phases, rather than a single shopping center appearing all at once. A familiar business’s opening date is therefore not necessarily the date of the surrounding plaza.
Making the visit work
Plan by destination rather than trying to walk the entire retail corridor. A meal and two stores within the same center can be convenient; adding a business across a major intersection changes the trip. The broad lots also mean the front door and the road address may be some distance apart.
For a downtown-style afternoon with independent storefronts and shorter blocks, compare Main Street. For everyday shops closer to the university side, try Geer Road. Countryside’s strength is the larger shopping run, with room to add an activity when the errands are done.
Turlock Guide · Areas & Streets · Shopping centers & restaurants · Turlock history
