Santa Cruz County Parks Reviews

I fell in love with this venue! Everything about it was perfect! I love the private country setting/environment. Very clean and plenty of parking:) Also, Parks and Rec was great to work with, they helped me every step of the way. Very professional people:) Thank you Brenda!

We rented Highlands House in Ben Lomond for an indoor winter wedding and were completely happy with our decision. This is an excellent value—none of the ridiculous mark-ups that private venues charge when they find out your event is a wedding. Highlands House is beautiful and spacious, with a number of interior rooms that allow for flexibility in set-up (including a kitchen for food prep, a storage room for tables/chairs so you don't need to provide those, and two rooms upstairs for the wedding party to chill in). Everyone I worked with at the SC County Parks office and onsite at the venue was really kind and accommodating. If your event takes place during better weather than mine, the surrounding grounds are also lovely and add a ton of space. Highly recommend!

Great value, flexible venue... We love being able to bring in our own catering etc. thank you!

We had a beautiful 50th wedding anniversary party for my parents at the Valencia Hall. The facility was clean, the staff was easy to communicate with, and the protocol for set up and clean up and all the other details we're easy to follow. A gorgeous space for any occasion! - Heather Houston

We loved this venue, and so did our guests! Open house was incredibly helpful and we loved Patti, Sandra, and Pamela! Thank you for making our day such a success and pleasure!!

It's a charming venue. We got married recently this month in November so we had the ceremony and reception indoors. I had my friends with muscle help pull down the chairs and tables and put them away. I hired a musician who set up inside and a taco bar to set up out on the patio (they have a tarp in case of rain). I rented the hall the day before the ceremony for a couple of hours so we could have it all set up and with very little to do on the day of the wedding.

We had our venue fall through 2 weeks before our wedding date and, by some miracle, Aptos Village Park was available on our wedding date! They were incredibly easy to work with and the venue was gorgeous. The Parks staff member present was also incredibly helpful. I would absolutely recommend Aptos Village Park (or any other Santa Cruz County Park) to anyone looking for a beautiful outdoor space with endless potential.

I had my daughters bridal shower at the hall. I did a High Tea for the ladies and Valencia hall fit the bill. They have kept the hall in beautiful condition with the hardwood floors and very clean. All the ladies complimented me on this hall and how did I find it. The staff was fantastic to deal with. Very thorough with explaining about the facility and answering all my questions. I also felt the price was very reasonable.

We just had our wedding there last weekend! It was such a beautiful and perfect spot for us :) Everyone loved it. And so affordable! Definitely a place that you DIY (your own food, drinks, decorations, etc.), which is what we were looking for. Amazing! There are some rules as it is a county park, just to be aware of- no rice throwing (we did bubbles), only beer and wine, 5 hour event time, no open flames, etc.). <3

I think if you are looking for a space that is more casual and affordable, this is a great option! We did a day-time wedding here and it was fabulous. Having the option to do indoor/outdoor was great and I was surprised by how natural the flow felt going in and out. The SC folks are wonderful to work with and although there are some limitations with what you can do with the inside (I think it is a historic space so they are really careful to preserve and not damage anything ie - tape on walls, nails, scuffs) you can still do some cute things in there.

Working with the Santa Cruz County Parks was a breeze. They were professional, attentive, straightforward regarding their policies, and a pleasure to work with in securing a location. Patti and Mary made the processing of paperwork so easy--everything was clearly laid out and easy to understand.
We hosted our event at Highlands Park in Ben Lomond. Not only were the grounds stunningly beautiful, but the historic home where we staged our party was perfect. The floorplan was easy to work with in regards to the bar, dining, photo booth, etc. It offers a wonderful and spacious kitchen to use for staging the meal with warming ovens and refrigerator.
There was a gentleman onsite during then entire event from set-up to clean-up. He could not have been nicer to deal with-- a real asset to the County. Gene was capable, friendly, patient, and just a super nice guy. He added to our festivities since he was so helpful and enjoyed seeing the guests have a wonderful time.
I would gladly choose to work with Santa Cruz County Parks for future events. On every level --it was a wonderful experience. AAA++++

We were very happy with the venue. the staff was very helpful and friendly. I would suggest you book the site as soon as you decide your date.

Valencia Hall AND Aptos Village Park were used for our wedding. Everything was perfect. We had full control over our caterers and alcohol (unlike most places), and in the end, we were giving our money to the parks. We couldn't have asked for more.

Absolutely recommend this venue for a gathering of 80 people or less. Our 50th Birthday Party event was a blast! We had a live band and dancing and played some fun games. Such a charming location and building. The Santa Cruz County staff member on location for the event was very helpful. I would use this place again :0)

I had a great experience working with Santa Cruz county parks. Patti Anderson helped me with all the paperwork and guidelines every step of the way, made everything easy. Great communication! She was always there to answer my questions and sent everything I needed via email which was great! We had our reception at the Aptos village park and the person from the county there to open up the venue and be there for the night with us was Gene and he was great! He was so helpful and I was so glad he was there. He literally helped with the set up, moved all the tables to the grass with us and the garbage bins etc so that everything was easily accessible during the reception. After the reception ended he helped clean up, moved all the tables and chairs in with us, basically made everything as simple as possible. I didn't have to worry that I wasn't putting things back correctly, he made sure everything was good. I had the perfect wedding reception and would recommend this park and Santa Cruz county parks.

this is a great place to have a wedding, everything was perfect there...

Greetings!

I booked the hall the night before my best friend's wedding as a gift for them in order to help set-up since they had opted out of this great option. I called in to make the reservation since I was nowhere near the venue or their offices. I had the pleasure of speaking with Patti and she was immediately helpful, kind, informative and made this booking so easy and kept my number goal in mind: book the hall for set-up as a gift to the bride and groom for peace of mind the day of their wedding.

The day of the set-up, we were greeted by Jean (I hope I have that right) and he was just a delight. He was informative and communicative with myself as the Maid of Honor and my side-kick bridesmaid. He gave us some ideas for set-up based on what he had seen in the past and even helped brainstorm some logistics for the day of the wedding.

I could not be happier with the entire experience provided by both Patti and Jean, and of course the venue was absolutely perfect and gorgeous!

Gorgeous venue if you are on a tight budget. And if your looking for a vintage chic place tou can totally transform this place.

This place was not only beautiful, but amazingly affordable!

The wedding and dinner were outside. The food, drinks, cake and dancing were inside. Having access to inside and out have our guests the opportunity to do what they wanted. The redwoods are a huge part of our lives so to be able to have a venue with beautiful trees around us was important. Having the playground and river a small walk away was good for our younger guests.

Make sure you can adjust the volume if you'll have music. It's a cozy dance floor, but ideal for 40-60 folks.

Lovely location and great venue. Keep in mind that it is a working ranch and public park. It's a place that is rustic and lovely. Don't expect the ritz, expect a 1920's farmhouse that is in the process of restoration.

Excellent Venue... Park Employee... Debbie was awesome. (I think that was her name)

My husband and I had a post-elopement reception at Highlands Park last weekend and couldn't have been happier with our choice to celebrate there. The venue itself is beautiful, with so many options for how to use the space. We were primarily outside and received many compliments on the setting. The attendant from the county (Susan) and Patti were both amazing to work with. This venue includes tables and chairs which makes it an even better deal. I looked for months for a space that was beautiful, affordable, and could accommodate our guest size while also having real bathrooms. Highlands was the only place I found that fit that bill and I wish I had an excuse to have another party there.

Valencia Hall was the perfect space for hosting a baby shower for a larger guest count. My favorite aspects of the site is the vintage flair throughout the location, beautiful greenery in front, and the amazing windows that run the length of the building on both sides! It was a beautiful spot for an event, and SC county parks was very easy to book our event through. Definitely recommend!