Selected Barn Dance Venues in the Greater San Francisco Bay Area and Beyond
If you are looking for a venue for your event, and need some suggestions for places to begin looking, here is a list of places where I have called dances before.
Santa Cruz Live Oak Grange, Santa Cruz -- a quaint old building with a nice wood floor and stage for the band. Also has a kitchen if you need.
Santa Cruz Veterans' Memorial Hall
VFW hall, Santa Cruz
Green Oaks Creek Farm, Pescadero -- a beautiful old farm near the ocean. They have a nice wedding ceremony garden and an outdoor kitchen. Dancing takes place on the grass, under the sky.
Costanoa, Pescadero -- a coastal resort overlooking the ocean. They have a nice deck where you can dance outdoors, and some smaller inside spaces if you want to dance during the rainy winter months. They have an on-site caterer. Lots of accommodations available if you want to stay for more than one day.
Memorial Park, Pescadero -- a San Mateo County park. A beautiful location along Pescadero Creek. Limited facilities available. No amplified music per county ordinance, but we can amplify the caller with an unamplified acoustic string band.
Portuguese Hall, Pescadero -- a large indoor space with a nice dance floor and raised stage
Optimist Camp, San Gregorio -- large indoor and outdoor spaces
Portuguese Hall, Half Moon Bay
Odd Fellows Hall, Half Moon Bay -- an old, historic hall, upstairs. There is no elevator at this time, though they are working on that. There is a small kitchen and dining room.
Mavericks Event Center, Half Moon Bay -- a new space right on the water. Large deck overlooking Pillar Point Harbor. Large indoor space for dancing and eating. On-site kitchen and caterer. Outdoor wedding ceremony site.
Pedro Point Firehouse, Pacificia -- an old historic fire house, now with a beautiful dance floor, raised stage, and outdoor deck.
Slovenian Hall, San Francisco -- easy access right off US-101. This three-story building has a nice wood dance floor with raised stage, bar, dining room, and more.
County Fair Building, Golden Gate Park ,San Francisco -- many different sizes of spaces available in this building.
General's Residence, Fort Mason, San Francisco -- spectacular views of San Francisco Bay. Large spaces. Very nice.
Many different locations within the Presidio of San Francisco
Log Cabin -- the former non-commissioned officer's club of the Presidio. A beautiful old log-cabin structure. Moderate-sized dance floor in the middle.
Rob Hill Campground -- The only group camp in the Presidio. There is indoor and outdoor space available for dancing.
Cavallo Point Lodge, Sausalito -- a very nice venue in the old Fort Baker
Presidio Yacht Club, Sausalito -- a budget alternative venue right on the water in Fort Baker
Sausalito Portuguese Cultural Center, Sausalito -- a budget-sensitive venue with a raised stage and large dance floor.
Dance Palace, Point Reyes Station -- Nice dance floor and sound system
Straus Home Ranch, Marshall -- Right on the water along Highway 1 in rural western Marin County. The old home ranch of the Straus Family dairy, now with newly restored barn, beautiful hilltop vista for a wedding ceremony site.
Muir Beach Community Center, Muir Beach
Chileno Valley Ranch, Petaluma -- a beautiful working grass-fed beef ranch. Rolling grass hills, old barns, historic structures. Dancing in their old barn.
Tara Firma Farms, Petaluma -- an integrated organic farm with grass-fed beef, poultry, and produce. Rustic dance space inside their barn.
Sova Gardens, Sebastopol
Triple-S Ranch, Calistoga -- gorgeous rural setting with old buildings. Indoor dance floor by the bar. Outdoor ceremony site under a spreading walnut tree. Lots of on-site accommodations.
Oakland Nature Friends, Oakland -- indoor and outdoor dance spaces. Deck overlooking Oakland and the Bay.
Brazilian Room, Berkeley -- very nice hall in Tilden Park, one of the East Bay Regional Parks
Sequoia Lodge, Oakland -- part of Oakland Parks and Recreation.
Leona Lodge, Oakland -- part of Oakland Parks and Recreation
Multicultural Center, San Jose -- in Emma Prusch Farm Park, part of San Jose City Parks
Lucie Stern Community Center, Palo Alto -- part of Palo Alto City Parks. Large ballroom, plus other spaces available for dining or wedding ceremony
Lassen Meadows Ranch, Chester -- gorgeous destination. On-site amenities and camping. Overlooking a small lake.
Sorenson's Resort, Hope Valley -- gorgeous destination near Lake Tahoe, in the Sierra Nevada. Cabin accommodations.
Dunton Hot Springs, Four Corners of Colorado, not far from Durango, Telluride, and Mesa Verde National Park -- glorious mountain destination in a scrupulously renovated ghost town at 8600' elevation. Glamping, taken to extremes
Brush Creek Ranch, Saratoga WY -- perhaps the ultimate dude ranch
Dennison Lodge, Dubois WY -- a very affordable venue about an hour from Yellowstone National Park
Wineries
Golf Clubs
Grange Halls
VFW Halls
Portuguese Halls
Church fellowship halls
Elks Lodges
Granges
Your own backyard
This list is currently a work in progress. There are many more venues that I will add to this list as I find time. Meanwhile, if you need help finding a venue for your event, please feel free to let me know about the constraints for your event (location, degree of fanciness and sophistication or rustic appeal, size/number of guests, cost) and I will be glad to share with you venues that I know about that might meet your needs.