Back here after august 2021 ..visited all the tourist spots luckily ..pay for Bart round trip and it's sunny ..2018 2021 2025 ..nice at lake Merritt sunny ..lake chalet museum and the historic house ..nice read more

Camron-Stanford House - 2021 - Museums Near Me - Oakland, California

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I was invited to a celebration of the Soroptimists International 100th anniversary at CSH today. The event was outdoors on the grassy space behind the house. This was right by Lake Merritt's pathway. The food was catered box salads. In the shade as we were it was a pleasant time. What a cool, historic building, just a half a dozen blocks from Lake Merritt BART station. Nice weather out in Oakland. Round tables set up with table top decorations. CSH is a nice event space. Looking forward to visiting again! read more

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Oakland gem. Too few of them left. The docent was enthusiastic and knowledgeable on tour. The ornate reception rooms are interesting but there's no kitchen or bedrooms to see. Parking: When we asked ahead we were told to park in the lot if spots available. When we tried to do that we were shooed away by the docent saying parking is only for the attorneys who have offices on the house's second floor - where the bedrooms were! read more

Very fun to get to see the inside of a mansion that I've walked past for more than 30 years. We were triggered to visit by an art exhibit by artist Abstract Oakland, which were bright and fanciful and entertaining and fun. And we bought two pieces for our house! Upstairs we explored rooms preserved from the late 18/early 20th century with furniture from that era-- for five dollars on a beautiful day at Lake Merritt! read more

Camron-Stanford House - The view from the verandah! - Museums Near Me - Oakland, California

Looks cool from the outside, but they need to update their marketing. Their website and signage claim they are open on Sundays. We were in Oakland over the weekend and really looking forward to visiting but they were closed. There was a car parked in one of the reserved spaces and we could see lights on the top floor but it was closed and locked up tight. Sadness read more

Attended a wedding. Beautiful setting. Wonderful food presentation. The waiting staff was competent, accommodating, gracious.

We had our wedding and reception here on the afternoon of June 20, 2015 and had a wonderful experience. The house and garden were beautiful and authentically victorian, very well kept, and picturesque. Inside the house we were allowed use of a sitting room (which we used a bridal ready room), and the spacious basement area. We had our ceremony and reception out in the yard/garden and on the very large veranda. In the afternoon, the large eucalyptus tree kept the whole garden and yard shaded and comfortable. We had over 100 guests, which were easily accommodated. The head docent, Ann Swift, was outstanding, a real delight to work with. She helped us out frequently, even accommodating unannounced visits by us to check on something, take measurements, show the place to vendors, etc. She was also on hand the entire day of the wedding (about 10 hours or so including set-up, the ceremony, and clean up) to offer support. The Camron-Stanford house is also very flexible about vendors and caterers. We were able to use any caterer we liked, rather than working from a list of approved vendors. The parking lot at the house was also made available for our exclusive use (about 20 cars can fit), and was patrolled by a guard provided by the Camron-Stanford house. Very handy for vendors and caterers, etc. There is also a (cheap) parking lot about two blocks away on Jefferson St. and the Lake Merritt BART station is a short walk from the house. We really can't compliment the Camron-Stanford House enough. The house is gorgeous, the people are wonderful, the location is fantastic, and we were treated exceptionally well. And the cost to rent the venue was very reasonable, and much less than many places without half the perks. If you're getting married in the east bay, check this place out. read more

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I remember as a youngster coming here to look at the stuffed animals and birds habitating here. there's been a venue change. this historical landmark is now home to a trio of attorneys at law. (comment seif-edited to avoid legal action) it's nice to see the owners of this nice property retain the integrity of the historical landmark and receive some renumeration for their efforts. win-win. read more

They have tours I believe once a month, so try to catch them. It's cool going inside this house. The only bummer is that you can't take photos.LAME.... There's also an annual FREE garden tour that I missed because I was out of town... read more

I'd love to visit this house but they were closed when I got there! Their hours listed tours at 1, 2, and 3 on Sundays, but when my husband, brother, and I got there, the house was dark and locked up. We waited for about 20 minutes with 7 other people who had arrived for the tour, but no one ever came to lead it. They even posted to Facebook that day advertising the fact that they were open, so.... not sure what's going on, but it sucked to plan our day around a thing that just never happened. Maybe another day. read more

The house is beautiful, our wedding reception was lovely, the location is great. Those are the only nice things I have to say about the Camron-Stanford house. The staff is incompetent, disorganized, unhelpful and intentionally dishonest. We worked with Neshtor (who I am SHOCKED still has a job) who promised us things he had no intention of delivering on, told us to ignore parts of the contract as they were "out of date" only to demand money for them after we agreed to rent the space, made up fees that were nowhere in the agreement we signed (example: asking for an additional $500 deposit for "the house" three days before the wedding when it was never mentioned before and was nowhere in our contract) and then refusing to return our full deposit because of a typo in our agreement that he had acknowledged was a typo three days before. I would never recommend renting this venue because of how poorly it is run. Its gorgeous and our guests loved it, but it was nowhere near worth the kind of headache and heartache we went through dealing with these awful, incompetent people. There are lots of gorgeous venues in Oakland, and I strongly suggest you choose another one. read more

I'd love to give this place a better review, but it is hard to give a place any stars when they never let you give them their business. I called and emailed them 4 times and had my mom try twice but no one ever called either of us back. We would have loved to hold our wedding in Oakland in the last Victorian left standing around Lake Merritt, but it looks like they don't want our help in maintaining history. Edited 11/2/2009: Evidently they have hired a new person to be in charge of events who is more responsive. read more

We got married at the Camron-Stanford House in June 2013, and we couldn't have asked for a better venue. We wanted a place in Oakland that would feel homey and low-key but still offer beautiful views of the city we love. The prices were very competitive for the East Bay, Ann was delightful (and so was her adorable corgi), and the setting was lovely (amazing view of Lake Merritt from one of Oakland's most historic buildings). We had the ceremony on the balcony, then had the guests carry their chairs down to the lawn and gardens where we had dinner. We also set up a dance floor outside in the garden and the guests rocked the dance floor until it was too dark to see. The house was able to accommodate a food truck (Chairman Bao), which was a fun and convenient way to cater the wedding. The guests enjoyed the house, including the docent-led tours of the period rooms, and when the weather turned unseasonably sour everyone crowded into the house for whiskey tasting! Overall, we had a very positive experience. We recommend it for anyone looking for a low-key (mostly) outdoor wedding with all the charms of Oakland. read more

My wife and I recently held our wedding here, and it was a wonderful experience. Not only is it a gorgeous venue, but the coordinator, Ann, is an absolute delight to work with and be around! The grounds are bigger than they would seem, and fit our guests with plenty of room to spare. They have tables and chairs already, and a wonderful lighting set-up. Ann helped us decide our layout and gave us plenty of helpful recommendations for vendors (but you're totally allowed to use any vendors you choose). The whole experience was one of the smoothest and easiest parts of our wedding planning, and was quite affordable to boot! I would definitely recommend it to anyone for their event. read more

I got married here in September 2016. Very affordable, wonderful and organized staff. Having the wedding outdoors gave me a little anxiety but everything turned out great. There was a beautiful full moon on our wedding night. Highly recommend this venue for a summer/fall wedding in Oakland. read more

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The lady that works/runs the museum at the Camron Stanford House has been living in Oakland for a long time and has many personal Oakland stories dating back to the 1920s. She even shows you a photo taken at the Oakland docks with her late husband in it!!! How cool is that?!? The one down side is that the lady will keep you there with her stories for like 3 hours. Be prepared to invest a chunk of time here if you go. If you are at all interested in Oakland's history, it's definitely worth it. read more

I got married here in early August. We loved it. The customer service was really good and they were attentive to all our needs. The rates are also really good. I'll definitely be coming back here for my second marriage. read more

Great place to rent to have a party. We had our wedding reception here and it was perfect. A functional kitchen to warm up or finish off food items was an added bonus since we had a potluck. The price to rent was super reasonable. read more

We got married here last week and couldn't have had a better experience! The venue was beautiful and Ann was great to work with. The venue is also affordable but just keep in mind that you have to bring everything in yourself (rentals, staff etc.). We really loved our wedding, the lighting is beautiful and the space of the venue made it great for the kids to run around as well! read more

Very knowledgeable docents and staff. What a gem in Oakland, so beautiful and rich in history. As a visitor, the tour was really educational. As a renter of the facility, we feel we got a great deal. Now, we just need to try their tea time! read more

Due to the warm hospitality and organizational skills of Director Ann Swift, we were able to celebrate our art event at this stunning location. There isn't a better place to do so. The Camron-Stanford House is known as "the Last Lady of the Lake" due to its status as the last Victorian mansion at Lake Merritt. On the last day of our event, over 30 people were able to share their artwork of Lake Merritt and its natural and cultural treasures on the veranda overlooking the new Victorian Garden and the wide vistas of the lake. On behalf of the San Francisco Bay Area Urban Sketchers group and participants at our sketchcrawl, I want to express our appreciation. The Camron-Stanford House was the perfect place with its aesthetic charm, historic character, location and helpful staff. I personally recommend that folks visit it and enjoy this historically significant home. It's important for communities to support the continuing use of such historic properties so that we don't lose "The Last Lady of the Lake" and other historic places. read more

This review is for the Sunday tour. Our tour guide, Molly, was wonderful! She gave us an informative, entertaining and extremely interesting tour of one of Oakland's most historically rich places. The house is part original, part painstakingly recreated, it's legacy is one of education and culture. Anyway it's just interesting and fun, check it out if you're into that sort of thing. Thank you Molly. read more

We toured the Camron-Stanford House today. Our docent was very interesting and the house was fascinating.

Try a Tea at Camron Stanford House! We took our grandchildren to the Mad Hatter Tea in February 2016. They loved it and have asked if they can go every year. A wonderful event for young children with the Queen of Hearts and March Hare in attendance, tea sandwiches with hearts, spades and diamonds cut in the top, tarts, little cakes that said "eat me," and more...and the price benefits a special place. The House hosts several teas a year or you can have your own tea for about 12 people. We went to an adult tea in 2015 that had a theme based on hats, including a milliner who gave a talk and showed samples of custom made hats...That was a nice event for grownups...and we totally enjoyed the tea for children described above. Our only suggestion is to keep the house tour short and simple and geared to a young audience when included at the end of the Children's Tea ..., and that the House highlight the upcoming teas on its website. Other than these minor observations, tea at Camron Stanford house is a treat for all. read more