Northern California is one of the most scenic and diverse parts of California with major cities of interest including Oakland, San Francisco, and San Jose—memorable areas that merge mountains with metropolises and technology booms with the bounty of wine country.
Many of our favorite meeting and event venues in this region take advantage of the territory, providing visiting groups with top-of-the-line amenities coupled with unforgettable scenery and excursions.
Set near the Sierras, the University of California, Davis offers the benefit of a full-service conference center with a large multi-configuration ballroom. It’s adjacent to the Hyatt Place Hotel on campus that provides deluxe overnight accommodations. UC Davis also has the renowned Good Life Garden, an edible landscape that is surrounded by organic and sustainably grown vegetables, making it a feast for the eyes. It can be tented in any season to accommodate a range of events.
For something a little different, there’s also the Hard Rock Café in San Francisco. This unique space caters to the music lovers with scores of rock memorabilia and an audio-equipped stage for presentations. Varying banquet menus including stations, tray-passed hors d’ oeuvres, breakfast, plated meals, and buffets, and custom menus are welcomed.
Here are some of our favorite venues showing how the West has truly won in NorCal:
San Francisco State University San Francisco, CA ![]() |
University of California, Davis Davis, CA ![]() |
San Jose State University San Jose, CA ![]() |
Hard Rock Cafe – San Francisco San Francisco, CA ![]() |
University of California, Santa Cruz Santa Cruz, CA ![]() |
Santa Clara University Santa Clara, CA ![]() |
Humboldt State University Arcata, CA ![]() |
The Redwoods In Yosemite Yosemite National Park, CA ![]() |