Black Oak Casino Resort Building Family Fun Park

Black Oak Casino photo

Tuolumne, CA – Wondering how to entertain the kids this weekend? — There will soon be a new option for family fun.

The Tuolumne Band of Me-Wuk Indians broke ground on a new 20,000-square-foot building about a month ago, at the Black Oak Casino Resort next to its gas station, Bear Creek Station.

The photos in the image box show the design of the facility and the current construction that so far has been laying the foundation, but when completed, it will house various entertainment attractions. President of the tribe’s Tuolumne Economic Development Authority, Inc., Darryl Tinkle, says the idea came about after COVID when families spent so much time together.

“We determined that there was a huge need in this county to be together, and there is not very much for any school-age children to do, even high schoolers, around here. So, we wanted to create something that would bring them together, keep them involved with the community, and do fun stuff while they’re doing it,” detailed Tinkle.

The plan is to target the whole family with fun activities like batting cages, soft play for toddlers, a ninja warrior course, valo jump (an interactive trampoline game), Slam dunk basketball, dodge ball court, head-to-head airbag play, and axe throwing. There are activities for three years and under, 3 to 12-year-olds, teens, and adults. Younger kids will need to have a parent with them while at the facility.

“It keeps families together; you don’t have to split up and go your separate ways to have fun. It just drives home the family feel that we are shooting for at the resort,” said Tinkle.

The fun park will be named Elevate, with Tinkle sharing, “The tribe voted on the name Elevate because they want to elevate the community. They thought it would be best to show the desire to strengthen and enrich the community.”

There will also be simulators with over 40 simulations, including basketball, football, baseball, volleyball, baseball, rugby, lacrosse, tennis, golf, etc.

“It’s state-of-the-art and really nice. We plan on having tournaments with these simulators,” noted Tinkle. “We have three simulators that are being installed, and they have their own sectioned-off area. It’s perfect for a group of 5 to 10 people to have a driving range tournament or see who can throw the football the farthest.” He added, “It’s pretty nice to be able to bring this type of technology to Tuolumne County.”

There will also be different leagues to join, but that is still being worked out along with the costs, which include a resident discount.

“We have not figured out the exact cost of admission right now. We are going through the different variables of hourly, a few hours, a day pass, and a weekly pass, but we will have local rates versus non-local rates. So, if you are a member of Tuolumne County, there will be a different rate for you,” relayed Tinkle.

There will be rooms available for party rentals and events, with a small food venue on site. The facility will be ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) compliant, as well. While the facility will have some small areas with arcade games, it is not the main focus.

“That is not the emphasis we are going towards,” stated Tinkle. “We’re trying to let this be a hands-on, physical kind of get your energy out and have fun event place rather than the arcade setting.”

Tinkle teased that there is a lot more to come, “This is just the early stage of what we plan on doing. I don’t want to give too much away, but this is phase one of a few. So, there will be more things down the road to make it even that much bigger and better.”

The facility is slated to open on December 18, 2023.