Located two and a half hours east of the San Francisco Bay Area and two hours southeast of Sacramento in the foothills and high country of California's Sierra Nevada mountains, Yosemite Gold Country (Tuolumne County) includes the northern 58% of Yosemite National Park as well as some of the best preserved old west towns from the 1849 California Gold Rush.  This area provides affordable and unique meeting venues close to the hub of Northern California's Bay Area locations.

Ideally suited for groups of 10 to 200 (with day venues accommodating up to 500), the area offers a wide range of outdoor recreation.  The old west comes to life in historic towns, museums and in state historic parks.  Yosemite Gold Country boasts some of the most spectacular mountain scenery found anywhere else in the world.

“For the active outdoor groups, Tuolumne County offers bicycling, motorcycling, water sports, farm and ranch activities, fishing, whitewater rafting, gold panning, golf, horseback riding and backpacking, off-roading, rock and mountain climbing, ice skating, skiing, snowboarding, snowmobiling and snowshoeing and more,” states Lisa Mayo, Executive Director for the Tuolumne County Visitors Bureau.  “With four distinct seasons, there's something for everyone all year round.  Local transportation companies also provide a convenient way to see the sights and experience our area.”

“The historic gold-rush  towns of Columbia, Sonora, Jamestown, and Groveland offer unique shopping experiences and a variety of cuisine and entertainment that you wouldn't typically expect in these small but charming towns,” adds Mayo.

“”For the MICE markets we're a new destination,” adds Bruce Tepper, Marketing Consultant. “MICE buyers are always on the lookout for something new and different and of course affordable and we fill that void in Northern California.”

In addition to Yosemite National Park, the area includes three state parks:

• Columbia (the best preserved gold rush era town in California)
• Railtown 1897, offering a working train and one of only two working roundhouses in America (Both historic parks have facilities available for the use of groups where docents can share the original and Hollywood history. Over 300 films and TV programs have been produced in the area).
• Calaveras Big Trees selected by USA Today (Sept 26, 2014) as one of the 10 best “Forests That Tower Over All” with its 3000 year old giant Sequoia trees plus two historic state parks.

Groups will find a wide range of dining and winery experiences, a lively local arts community and venues that range from spectacular outdoor mountain, lake and river settings to historic old-west structures and facilities as well as more traditional function space.

Yosemite Gold Country is a unique stand-a-lone meeting, event and incentive destination or a perfect choice to pair with the San Francisco and Los Angeles areas.