PLACER VALLEY
is known for right into one of our city centers ,” says Haswell .
Topgolf is another in-town attraction for the adventurous . Opened in 2016 alongside Highway 65 in Roseville , this venue is Topgolf ’ s first California location . Combining a unique golf driving range with 102 bays on three levels and full-service dining and bars , this 65,000-squarefoot entertainment destination is ideal for parties , dates or even corporate events .
BRIGHT FUTURE FOR A VENERABLE SITE
The recently transformed Placer County Fairgrounds are now known as @ the Grounds . Improvements to the 55-acre campus include restoration of existing buildings and the addition of the 160,000-square-foot Roebbelen Center . Indoor and outdoor spaces are available for festivals , trade shows , concerts and athletic competitions and the Placer County Fair still takes place onsite each June .
“ Though it ’ s still county property , we ’ ve taken over and invigorated the venue ,” says David Attaway , CEO of Placer Valley Tourism and @ the Grounds . “ Placer Valley Sports Complex , Inc . has a long-term license agreement with the county where we manage the facility for 27 years , paying respect to the fairgrounds which it was for 80 years , but also looking ahead to all the events we can bring to the location . It ’ s an asset for the entire community .”
Attaway also notes two significant draws to @ the Grounds : business and athletic competitions , particularly youth sports events . On the business front , trade shows can make use of the venue ’ s multiple rental spaces . For youth sports , the Roebbelen Center offers 12 basketball courts , 24 volleyball courts and vast space for everything from gymnastics to cheer competitions .
“ We opened the Roebbelen Center in February 2020 , just three weeks before the COVID-19 lockdown , so we have yet to see it at full capacity ,” Attaway says . “ With restrictions now lifting , though , we have most weekends booked for the rest of 2021 .”
Rich with parks and now @ the Grounds to accommodate nearly every type of youth competition , Placer County is positioned to benefit from a sports tourism boom . “ We interpret nationally that sports tourism and leisure travel will be leaders in helping the
The 160,000-square-foot Roebbelen Center @ the Grounds , on the site of the Placer County Fairgrounds , will host all kinds of youth sporting events .
PHOTO COURTESY OF PLACER VALLEY TOURISM
economy recover , especially for hotels ,” Attaway says , noting that Placer Valley Tourism represents 25 hotels in Roseville , Rocklin and Lincoln . “ In a normal year , we work about 500 events and the overnight stays generated by youth athletics alone have a $ 28 million economic impact in this area .”
TASTEFUL PURSUITS
“ From casual to elegant , Placer County offers every level of dining and every type of food ,” says Jocelyn Maddux , owner of JBrand Marketing . “ We ’ re lucky to be part of California ’ s great agricultural assets — therefore at the center of the Farm to Fork movement . Travelers passing through may look for our chain restaurants , but for anyone looking beyond , we have many unique family-owned establishments that may serve local wine and beer and offer locally sourced ingredients and seasonal or special menus .”
As part of a winery-owning family , Maddux created and publishes the Placer Wine & Ale Trail Guide with visitors in mind . The guide includes 23 boutique wineries , 15 craft breweries , one distillery and nine farm stands , plus other places to eat , play and stay . “ My passion comes from knowing that for my family ’ s winery to be successful , the whole region has to be successful ,” she says .
Area wineries started the Placer Wine Trail about 10 years ago , then an informal Ale Trail was started about five years ago . “ We ’ ve combined the two to promote tourism in Placer County ,” Maddux says . “ Winery and brewery owners recognize that tasting tourists almost always visit more than one establishment , so they ’ re enthusiastic about this collaboration .”
Visitors come from as far as Reno and the Bay Area to enjoy the Wine & Ale Trail attractions in the towns of Auburn , Lincoln , Loomis , Newcastle , Roseville , Rocklin , Meadow Vista and Tahoe City . Maddux says that Placer County has three farm breweries , which are different from typical commercial district breweries in that they ’ re in rural , unincorporated areas . “ It ’ s a new concept for breweries that mimics wineries that we ’ ve seen only in Placer County so far ,” Maddux says .
RECREATIONAL RETAIL
While the COVID lockdown affected businesses throughout California , Placer County ’ s demographics have helped it weather the restrictions . “ Placer County is fairly affluent with a great income-to-expendable-cash ratio ,” says Jeff Richardson , senior general manager of shopping center Westfield Galleria at Roseville . “ We have a lot of migration from the Bay Area and other areas where people have been able to make money on a home sale and have a lesser mortgage here . Many of our core clients have disposable incomes , so our economic recovery from COVID has been better than some other counties in California .”
Richardson points out that Placer has become a shopping mecca with nearly every kind of retail imaginable , including high-end luxury brands , within a 28-mile area . “ Our Westfield Galleria property has one of the strongest draws of all Westfield centers nationwide . People come from more than 150 miles away to shop pretty regularly . That ’ s an attribute of not only the Galleria , but also The Fountains and other area shopping centers .”
With more than 200 tenants , Westfield Galleria at Roseville was the first mall to reopen from the initial pandemic lockdown in California . Closed on March 18 , it reopened on May 22 , 2020 and Richardson says , “ That brought a lot of people from out of town who were discovering our mall and Placer County at the same time .”
Jennifer von Geldern is a freelance writer who covers regional businesses , charities , events and the people who enrich our communities .
92 comstocksmag . com | July 2021