Alameda County Fairgrounds

4501 Pleasanton Ave Pleasanton, California 94566

A 270-acre (110 ha) site located in Pleasanton, California, is the Alameda County Fairgrounds. It hosts the annual Alameda County Fair, which has been taking place since 1912, as well as several trade shows and community events. The Pleasanton Fairgrounds Racetrack was established on its grounds in 1858, making it America’s oldest one-mile (1.6 km) horse racing track. There is an amphitheater with 3,000 seats, as well as a9-hole golf course within the infield of the park. Since 1959, the Alameda County Central Railroad Society has maintained a model train exhibit at the fairgrounds, which has grown in O scale and HO scale to two 15-foot by 100-foot layouts. At the fairgrounds, Building J, also known as the Amador Pavilion, is a multifunctional arena and animal event building. It was briefly home to the National Indoor Football League’s Tri-Valley Ranchers.

Heathcote-MacKenzie House

The Heathcote-MacKenzie House, also known as The Heritage House, was built on the site of the fairgrounds around 1905, to host wealthy harness racers from Canada who wintered their horses in Pleasanton. It is now on the National Register of Historic Places.

The Alameda County Agricultural Fair Association

Alameda County Fairgrounds also hosts more than 300 business & private events annually as a year-round event center and runs the Fairpark RV Campground, Pleasanton Off-Track Betting and other on-site facilities. The Association is fully self-supporting and does not receive any tax revenue funding. The Alameda County Fair made its debut in 1912 in Pleasanton, serving for more than 100 years as a celebration of the community’s heritage and diversity. It ranks among the top 50 exhibits in the U.S. and has won numerous awards from national and international industry.

The Fairgrounds is also home to the oldest one-mile dirt track in America, the famed Pleasanton Race Track. Built by the Bernal family in 1858, the track was initially used as a training facility for winter horses. Over the years, some of California’s finest racehorses have been known to have trained at the farm, including the famous Seabiscuit. One of the signature activities of the Fair remains live horse-racing on the meticulously maintained track.