Historic Bates Mansion Reviews

The owners, Jerry and Vanessa, are truly amazing. They pay attention to every detail and are fully committed to making sure your event turns out exactly how you envision it. Their passion for what they do shines through in every interaction, and it’s clear they genuinely care about creating unforgettable experiences.

The venue itself offers a timeless beauty that can only be found in this historic area of Tucson. The bridal and groom suites were perfect—stylish, comfortable, and full of great energy.

The entire team was exceptional. The bartenders were fantastic, the DJ kept the dance floor packed all night (even Grandma was out there dancing!), and the food was absolutely delicious. The caterers were incredibly accommodating, working closely with our daughter and son-in-law to create a special menu that exceeded expectations.

We truly have zero complaints. Our experience at The Bates was everything we dreamed of and more. If they have your date available—book it before it’s too late! You won’t regret it.

BOOK YOUR WEDDING AT BATES! Our wedding was perfect and David and his team were exceptional! They were the perfect combination of professional and fun that it made it feel like we were having our wedding at our good friends mansion. The space was beautiful, the food was amazing, and the energy was on point. My fiancé and I wanted all the bells and whistles… we had a jumping castle, Photo Booth and even a beer burro and everything flowed perfectly. If you want your dream day, David will make it happen! Many of our guests said it was the best wedding they have been to and I give so much credit David and his crew for making it flawless.

Thank you Bates Mansion for giving us the best day of our lives!

This is an amazing place to get married. We got married at the end of February and David and the whole crew were incredible. David was always responsive leading up to the wedding with any questions that we had and was always willing to give tours when we had family, etc. that wanted to see the venue. All of our vendors said the Bates was easy to work with. On the day of, everyone was super supportive and took care of every detail. The food and DJ were both great as well. Would HIGHLY recommend the Bates for any wedding or event.

David and his crew were absolutely incredible. Their professionalism and the dedication they put into making our wedding a true dream experience. The venue it self is beautiful. Highly recommend the Bates Mansion.

Bates mansion was the first and only place we looked at while shopping for a venue. Kelly was so welcoming and helpful through our entire planning process. More even when trying to navigate a pandemic.

The new owners/managers Allie and David really know what they're doing and made everything work so well for our quasi-non-traditional wedding. They are super flexible so if you want to have all the usual traditions or none of them, they can make it happen for you. Fascinating historical and unique space with a beautiful spacious patio. Stand out from the crowd with this choice. Wish we could do it all again!

Bates mansion was an excellent choice for my daughter's wedding. The staff was amazing from beginning to end

I knew the moment we visited the Bates Mansion that I wanted to have our wedding reception there. The venue was perfect for our wedding theme.

Kelly and her team were a joy to work including the dj, photo booth team, and the bartending staff! Kelly was easy to work with, flexible, and knowledgeable. The day before our wedding, Tucson got hit with an unusual snowstorm (I know!) and Kelly was prepared with a Plan B in case the weather was not cooperative the next day. Luckily my wedding day was a beautiful day and the patio was perfect!

The wedding packages were fairly priced and customizable. The dinner options we chose were delicious and the options we chose from were plentiful.

Our friends and family were very impressed with the Bates Mansion and we did not have to stress the day of the wedding knowing that we were in good hands!

Bates Mansion was the perfect place to have our wedding! From the planning process through the night of everything was perfect! We worked with Kelly who was very nice, very helpful and responded quickly to any questions we had! She made planning so easy, no stress at all! The night of was perfect! We were able to get in early enough in the day to put up our decorations and it turned out beautiful! Even without any decoration the venue is amazing. The courtyard is great and comfortably fit our wedding of about 125 people. We held both the ceremony and the reception out in the courtyard. The turn time between the two was very quick, our guests barely had to wait to sit down for dinner. There was enough room inside to have plenty of space for people to relax inside if they wanted (although the weather in May was great). The bridal room is gorgeous and my bridal party and I really enjoyed getting ready there. The staff the night of were all very kind, helpful and attentive. They made it easy for us! We completely enjoyed our night and never had to worry about a thing. The pricing was fair and very competitive with other venues in town. Overall, I can't think of a better place to get married. Thanks to Kelly and the whole team!!! I would definitely recommend Bates Mansion to anyone.

Here's the video of Aaliyah's Sweet Sixteen Party at Bates Mansion. It was a perfect night!

https://www.facebook.com/luisruvi/videos/10213892222518293/

Here's the video from Aaliyah's Sweet Sixteen birthday party at Bates Mansion. It was a perfect night!

https://www.facebook.com/luisruvi/videos/10213892222518293/

I love everything about the Bates Mansion! This is a beautiful venue and worked so well for our event. Every room has great decor but my favorite room is the dressing room. We used this gorgeous, really long table as the buffet. With the stunning mirrors and beautiful wood table, there was no need for table linens. The ornate mirrors worked well with our "Bollywood" themed party. We used every room of the venue, there are plenty of seating options. We offered inside (air-conditioned) as well as outside seating, which was perfect for an early summer evening. The dance floor was great and their recommended DJ kept the music flowing. The twinkle lights in the patio added just the right amount of lighting. There is abundant parking just across the street, making it one of the only downtown venues where you don't have to pay to park or walk several blocks in your high heels to get to. I love the Bates Mansion and would highly recommend having your next party there. Kelly will take you through the venue and as soon as you walk through the door, your head will be spinning with ideas that will make your event perfect. Thank you, Kelly, for giving us the perfect place for our family to celebrate our Aaliyah's sweet sixteen! Wish I had better pictures to show you, mine do not do this venue justice!

If you are looking for a stress free experience, the staff at Bates was amazing and I got just that. I live out of state so all planning was done over the phone and email and everything was just perfect. They have vendors they work with which I was also equally impressed with. I would highly recommend working with Kelly Abbott and Bates Mansion for your wedding!

We were lucky enough to have our special day at Bates Mansion! It was the perfect location for us with its funky downtown location. Bates staff was friendly and the night was beautiful from start to finish. The ceremony and dinner were outside on the hacienda style patio and the cocktail hour was held in the bar area full of character and old Tucson charm! Our food was catered by the amazing Maria Mazon from Boca Tacos y Tequila, it was unforgettable. We loved it!!!

The customer service was outstanding, they definitely went above and beyond for us. Its a beautiful mansion in the center of downtown it was so beautiful and the children loved the game and billard room. I would definitely highly recommend having any function there u will be delighted.

We had a wonderful experience with Bates Mansion. We primarily worked with Kelly, the owner, and she made the entire process hassle-free from start to finish. Her prices and packages were fair and comprehensive, and this made it so simple for us to plan with very busy schedules. She was attentive and quick to respond to emails and find solutions for us. We loved that we were allowed to bring in our own alcohol, as many other vendors would not allow this, in order to save on costs. She and her son made the wedding rehearsal two days before an absolute breeze and answered all of my last-minute questions. On the day of the wedding, we mainly worked with Kayla as our day-of wedding coordinator. We were so impressed with her! She continually checked in with us before the ceremony, helped set up the decor/rose petals we brought in, and consulted with us about changing our timeline a bit since we were running ahead of schedule. When we realized our flowers for the bouquet toss were not put together, she quickly found some burlap and twine to assemble it into a bouquet. We would strongly recommend Bates for brides looking for a great downtown with historic charm and wonderful customer service!

Everything was wonderful! The day of the wedding I didn't stress about anything. Everything was taken care of for me. Our day of coordinator was AMAZING. She put everything together just as I asked. The night went super well, and it was beautiful. No regrets about this place at all!

Lovely venue, perfect accommodations and great support by the staff. Our wedding turned out amazing. Kelly, venue manager, is supportive, patient and she helped me get every detail I wanted there and understand those special requests. Layout for tables was great, from our table we were able to look at everyone (our attendance was 150) and our guests did the same. The day of the event everything was in place on time and running smooth. DJ was a good MC. We recommend using the photo both vendor that’s there. Professional and clean service and actual photo strips like Photo booth.

We had a great wedding at Bates! Everyone was very friendly and told us what to do step by step on our wedding day. I highly recommend this venue!

I had an 80s party for my 50th birthday at the Bates Mansion. Kelly, the coordinator, went above and beyond to make sure I was happy. She was there during the venue accommodating my guests, taking pictures and chatting with my them. She was amazing.
One of the other things I loved is that the Mansion, the food, the linens, and DJ, were all including in the price...one stop shopping, yay!!
The venue is rustic with lots of rooms and areas for people to mingle . Many people told me that they would have never guessed there were 80 people at the party.
If you want a seem less wedding/party, I would recommend either Park Avenue Weddings (which Kelly also coordinates) or the Bates Mansion any day of the week and twice on Sunday's because Kelly and both of these venues are FANTASTIC!!

This was our second event using one of the properties managed by Kelly and once again we were extremely happy and satisfied with the way our event turned out. Kelly and her staff once again went out of their way to make the night an unforgettable one. They are awesome! Anyone looking for a genuinely sincere, helpful and resourceful person to help guide them through the process of planning an event needs to give Kelly a call! Trust me you will not be disappointed!

Bates Mansion is a beautiful venue and just what we were looking for! It provided our out-of-town guests a southwest feel. We loved that it wasn't a traditional venue and had amazing photo ops. Kelly was great and extremely helpful! Being an indecisive bride, I decided to change the table linens a day before the wedding - she went above and beyond to make it happen! During our reception, Kelly and her staff checked in on us frequently. The staff was really nice, the food was amazing and it was all reasonably priced!

Start to finish- I had an amazing time having my wedding celebration at the Bates. While planning- Kelly was always available and all the vendors they partnered with were extremely responsive, personable and flexible! We did a reception only and the house is perfect to showcase southwestern style to our out of town friends and family. Our 120 guests had an amazing time and I had zero complaints as the bride- the staff were very friendly and flexible and working hard all night. Rincon Market delivers amazing food and I got complements on the food from my pickiest of aunts/uncles. The vegetarians (who were many and included the groom) were extremely content to be served something tastier than noodles. Aubrey did a lovely job setting everything up and the beauty of the house spoke for itself. One word of caution- we did hear the train passing by downtown at night

We were able to use this beautiful venue for our Family Christmas Party. It was amazing, to be able to host a party in a venue that has been a private space for the last 70 years is to die for. The Bates Staff was so professional, they thought of everything. It was so much less stress on my family. Thank you Bates Mansion for all you hard work and attention to detail. When my Daughter decides to tie the knot, this will be her venue, this is a given.

There are so many positives to Bates Mansion, and I’m happy to share what we loved for future couples.

Bates Mansion is beautiful, inside and outside. We loved how there was so much character in each room within the mansion, from the mural in the room where the buffet is served, to the carved tile above the bar – there are so many details to appreciate. Outside, a big grassy lawn with twinkly lights overhead makes for the most stunning evening. We loved getting married in front of the wooden door at the end of the aisle.

Bates Mansion as a business is extremely efficient. Kelly is so fast to respond to you, which is HUGE when you’re juggling so many tasks. In addition, we had both our ceremony and reception at Bates Mansion, and the crew were total pros at hustling people from the outdoor ceremony to cocktail hour inside so they could flip the tables. It went QUICK and there was no discontentment from any of our 160 guests.

We loved that Bates Mansion was central to downtown. Many of our out-of-town guests commented on how much they appreciated having bars, restaurants, transportation and things to do, all within walking distance. (We recommended that our guests stay at the AC Hotel, by the way. They offer group rates!)

Although we were told we could use whatever vendors we wanted, it was suggested that we stick with the Bates Mansion caterer, Rincon Market. I’m glad we did. The food was great (we got the brisket and pesto-stuffed chicken) and I’m sure it saved a lot of headache to have a caterer that’s familiar with Bates Mansion’s processes and kitchen layout. We also had the option of using a bunch of other Bates-approved vendors, but we simply chose to use their DJ, caterers and bartenders.

Special shout out to the bartenders, who SAVED US when we ran out of tequila and vodka. One went to the closest liquor store for additional bottles, which we and our guests so appreciated.

We had a beautiful wedding and we felt great about the venue. It was perfect for us and the price was right.

However, I feel communication prior to the big day was inconsistent. My only concern was towards the end, trying to get in touch about the final cost. I remember being told that numbers were flexible, but they leave the details how flexibility is limited once the contract is signed. It could partially be my fault, but I also think the lack of communication was part of it. Kelly was very nice about it and we worked it out, but the stress was unnecessary.

We had an amazing night and the staff that night was fabulous! They helped out way more than I expected them to. The bartender was very friendly. The food was amazing!

Bates offers an all inclusive service which was great for busy couples like us. The mansion is beautiful and our guests had a great time - it was a perfect day!

The venue is beautiful. The style and decor are stunning and having everything in one place was easy. However communication was scattered. We were rescheduled for our rehearsal twice because they double booked. An extra table was put out. The biggest issue was the bathrooms- the toilets backed up in the middle of my reception and took nearly two hours to fix. No apology was given and when we called after the fact we were given the run around and still have not received an apology or compensation for the fact our guests couldn’t use the bathroom. We record sporadic texts and calls through the planning process but it always felt very disorganized.

Venue is good the staff that was there that night was really good and friendly. Except the person that we did the contract with at first she was so nice after few pays she was fairly rude with us and our officiant. The contract was done with the venue owner and she was the person who we had all contact through but come the wedding day she never showed, the planner who stepped in for her was great but was given the wrong information. Communication was lacking in other areas as well as the DJ announced the wrong names and information during the reception. Venue is beautiful but if you plan to have your wedding here you need to be much more hands.