Highlands House and Park 8500 Highway 9 • Ben Lomond • California 95005

Booking Highlands House and Park in Ben Lomond, California gets you the historic house and the full lawn, with 125 chairs, 16 sixty-inch round tables and four eight-foot banquet tables, plus an indoor amplified sound permit. A Park Services Officer greets you, stays on site through your event and walks the cleanup with you at the end. Setup and cleanup are yours to handle. On top of the hourly rental, plan for a $200 refundable damage deposit, a $250 alcohol permit if you're serving beer, wine or champagne, a $300 out-of-county fee if it applies, and your own caterer.

Yes, it all happens in one spot. At Highlands House and Park, you'll say your vows at the white gazebo at one end of the lawn, ringed by oaks, pines and redwoods, with reception tables set up at the other end. Inside the house, the Lorenzo Room has a hardwood dance floor and multipaned windows, and the Garden Room, the coolest room in the house, is the favorite spot for the cake.

You bring your own. Highlands House and Park has no in-house caterer, so you can hire the caterer you love, and the house kitchen is for prep only. Alcohol is BYO too, limited to beer, wine and champagne, with a $250 alcohol permit fee, and it can only be served during the hours on your permit. If you plan to sell drinks, you'll need a California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control permit plus extra insurance.

Highlands House and Park in Ben Lomond, California rents by the hour: $170 an hour for Santa Cruz County residents and $185 an hour for nonresidents. From April through October there's a 10-hour minimum. From November through March, on weekdays, and on peak-season weekends booked within three months of the date, the minimum drops to six hours, and winter dates get 20% off the hourly rate. Add a $200 refundable damage deposit, a $250 alcohol permit if you're serving beer, wine or champagne, and a $300 out-of-county fee if it applies. Catering is separate, since you bring your own. Full payment is due when you reserve, and extra time from arriving early or staying late is billed at one and a half times the hourly rate.

From April through October, your Highlands House and Park rental is 10 hours: at least three for setup, up to five for the event and at least two for cleanup. Winter, weekday and short-notice bookings get six hours: one to set up, up to four for the party and one to clean up. Reservations can run from 7am to midnight. Amplified music is limited to five hours and stays indoors, except during an outdoor ceremony.

Yes. Santa Cruz County Parks hosts Open House and Showcase Events where you can walk Highlands House and Park in person, and you can also preview the venue online through the county parks photos on Pinterest. Bookings open up to one year ahead on a first-come, first-served basis. While you're there, ask about the backup plan if it rains, where your caterer will set up in the prep kitchen, and how the 50-space parking lot works for your guest count.

Highlands House and Park gives you a historic house and a big lawn ringed by oaks, pines and redwoods in Ben Lomond, with your ceremony and reception in one place. It's also budget-friendly: you rent by the hour from Santa Cruz County Parks, residents pay less, and winter dates get 20% off. You bring your own caterer and your own beer, wine and champagne, so you're in full control of the menu. Inside, the Lorenzo Room has a hardwood dance floor, and the house sits on forested park land with riverside trails.