Cancel

Open app

Search

Falkirk Cultural Center

4.5 (50 reviews)
Closed Closed

Falkirk Cultural Center Photos

You might also consider

Recommended Reviews - Falkirk Cultural Center

Your trust is our priority, so businesses can't pay to alter or remove their reviews. Learn more about reviews.
Yelp app icon
Browse more easily on the app
Review Feed Illustration

Reviews With Photos

Immaculate grounds
Christine R.

This venue is stunning indeed, especially for weddings! Yet, something about it is totally creepy! Kinda reminds me of the movie "Get Out" lol. If you haven't watched it, you must watch it. Once you're inside, you just want to get out. I know it states Cultural Center, but it needs to be more multi-cultural or intercultural. The vibe is just weird. The bar area caters to their members. Question: members of what? This is quite bizarre cuz if you're attending an event here, you'll need a stiff drink or two just to get through the event ughhhh! The outdoors is much nicer, I'd rather kick it outside with a drink in hand & dance the night away on a warm night - cheers!

Original 1800's stained glass
John O.

1800's mansion, free tour. FANTASTIC gardens. Do not miss this, took me decades to come, will be back

Family style dinner reception in the wedding garden; flowers by Petals of Love Studio, catered by Little Chef Counter
Chandra D.

I found Falkirk after a series of Google searches for outdoor weddings near San Francisco. Our wedding was 09/08/12 and my husband (eep! Husband! Not boyfriend! Not fiancé! Husband!!!!!) and I were super pleased with our venue choice. Pros: 1. Scenic views 2. Beth and Mike are both remarkable. I was super detailed and kept track of all of my visits to the house (pre-marriage I lived 4 hours away) and all email conversations with Beth. Beth and I had over 40 email exchanges and she was prompt and courteous throughout the entire 6 month process. My fiancé, his family, and my mom/sis met with Mike on our weekend visits. Mike was also on had the day of the wedding. 3. September is a gorgeous time to host a wedding at the garden. 4. GORGEOUS INTERIOR and EXTERIOR. We were so fortunate that the home had been entirely REPAINTED just in time for our wedding! 5. Eighty brown folding chairs on site; we rented an additional 50. 6. Perfect for intimate weddings and small receptions. 7. A few long tables and several rounds on site. We rented long tables for our family style dinner. 8. Affordable. 9. Warming kitchen on site for a caterer. 10. BYO caterer. 11. BYOB. 12. Full use of the downstairs area. 13. Bride and groom rooms available. Cons 1. Dry brush during the summer. After emailing Beth about the dry grass and brush three weeks before my wedding, she made sure the landscape was tidied up. However, a summer wedding means the area will be dry. 2. Unleveled wedding garden. 3. Vagrants on the premises. This was by far our biggest concern. Since Falkirk is a public place, people can enjoy the gardens whenever they'd like. Every time we visited the property homeless or traveling individuals were camped out all over the property. These folks meant no harm, but as a bride I had major concerns. We went to the venue at 10pm at night to check on the lighting and I tripped over a man in a sleeping bag! Yikes!!! Scary. I emailed Beth about all of these and she made sure that private event signs were posted and that all of Falkirk's buddies were politely reminded about the private event. Security was also provided for us. That was super awesome. 4. Old house=no a/c. Bring a fan! 5. All electricity was provided by one extension cord that ran to the house. Overall, I am completely satisfied with Falkirk. Our wedding was gorgeous and our guests keep texting us about how lovely Falkirk was. Beth, Mike, and the City of San Rafa: THANK YOU!

barbara r.

What a perfect site for a semi- small wedding. We had 65 guest, but the place could easily handle double that amount. What I loved about the place is an endless list of things, but to be specific this site can handle the wedding, reception, parking, and a easy location for guest to get to. We brought our own caterer, greatpies@comcast.net, and her food was so fresh, tasty, and very diverse. I give Esther and her staff 4 stars. The mansion staff, Michael and Beth, were so helpful and very easy to work with for the entire four months we were planning this. The Falkirk is furnished in the Victorian time period with sofas, tables, and lighting that made this wedding a beautiful Victorian wedding. We had the ceremony in the back gardens, but the mansion itself would lend itself to an inside ceremony as well.

Succulent garden
Dana R.

Wow, the gardens are a wonderful place to walk and talk with a friend. We meandered the short paths, stopped to chat in this small awesome outdoor amphitheater, and took photos with a funky statue and a funky tree in the beautiful succulent section. We walked around the porch of the house, but didn't go in this time. I'm looking forward to returning, now that I am reminded what a great place this is, for a picnic, or some outdoor reading when the weather gets nicer, or another beautiful and central place to meet a friend.

Entrance
Asami L.

Such a fun night!! We anticipated for the water coloring night tonight. I really want to thank you for Risa for planning this and it was a great event. We had a nice teacher, Michael, and while we are painting, there are plenty of wine, biscuits, cheese, prosciutto, and many more on a table for us to have more fun!!! The mansion was interesting too! I have to come back for more exporting. We are looking forward the murder mystery night next!!!!

Verandah

Beautiful wedding venue - we got married here in July 2018, and it was magical. When you rent for an event, the whole grounds are yours to enjoy, which means there are several different locations to make the most of during the day. It truly feels like your estate for the day. The most reoccurring question from our wedding was "how did you find this venue??". Someone told us it felt like a Great Gatsby party :) From lots of research on Bay Area wedding venues, this one is a hidden gem, in terms of price & value. Some of the mansion is a little run down due to the limited operating budget. As a result, you have to be comfortable with some cracks, dust, etc. We actually had some family help us dust and clean a bit the day of the wedding. One great perk is knowing that your money from renting goes to maintaining this historic building. The staff is really nice and flexible, though are somewhat overworked so it takes some follow-up to get answers, and some willingness to "wait and see". You can also come walk through the venue on weekends during opening hours, which helped us work through some of the planning questions we had! Great flexibility in vendors - there are no limitations on what kind of food or vendors you can bring in, so we were able to make a dream combination of traditional home-cooked food with professional serving staff. Check out Whim for event staff, they know Falkirk well. We did our pre-ceremony drinks on the steps in front of the house, ceremony in the rose garden, champagne reception on the "wedding lawn", and dinner on the verandah. HIGHLY recommend getting as many umbrellas as you can, both the rose garden and the wedding lawn get full sun. Falkirk will always hold a special place in our heart - THANK YOU to the staff for all that you do to keep this place as special as it is :)

Mattie H.

The Falkirk was the perfect place for our wedding. Michael spent a considerable amount of time answering our never ending questions. It was great to know we could always rely on him to give us suggestions. Since the Falkirk is already a stunning Victorian mansion, you don't really need to worry about getting together lots of wedding decorations- the architecture handles this for you. Also, since it's owned by the city of San Rafael, it's about half the rate of other venues you'll find on the market. It was also nice to know that the rental fees go towards preserving this special place. During the ceremony, Michael and Nao did a fantastic job being available in case we needed them. The beauty of this property combined with the attentive staff and low prices makes The Falkirk Cultural Center a win/win/win!

Leslie D.

Thank goodness for this place! I was just about to give up on finding a wedding venue I liked that we could afford when we decided to check out Falkirk. We knew almost immediately that it was for us. We got engaged in London so all the British charm the building had to offer felt right. We had a really small (20 person) wedding and Falkirk was absolutely perfect. It gave us the classy, cozy, vintage space we were looking for without breaking the bank. I got to have the garden wedding I always wanted and the veranda behind the building was a great spot to hold our reception. Our photographer was thrilled with the look of the outdoor spaces and the beautiful details inside the house. The venue itself has a lot to offer but the management and the price made it a no-brainer. The property is owned by the city and managed by Beth and Mike. Both of them were helpful and responsive and made the wedding planning much easier. I liked how transparent their policies were and that they didn't have the stupid fees that a lot of the other venues had. We were married on a Sunday and were able to rent the venue for 12 hours for about $1800. They had plenty of tables as well so we didn't have to rent any. If you are planning a smallish wedding (less than 100 people), absolutely check this place out, I don't think you'll be disappointed.

See all

Photo of Denise C.
1622
3308
9435

1 year ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 0
Love this 1
Oh no 0

1 year ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

1 year ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

7 years ago

Helpful 43
Thanks 0
Love this 39
Oh no 0

3 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

7 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

14 years ago

Business owner information

Photo of Beth G.

Beth G.

Helpful 3
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

14 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0
Photo of Dana R.
245
573
4442

13 years ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 1

11 years ago

Helpful 2
Thanks 1
Love this 0
Oh no 0

10 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

7 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

11 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 1
Love this 0
Oh no 0

11 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0
Photo of Sean S.
258
91
2

9 years ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

8 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 1
Love this 1
Oh no 0

15 years ago

Helpful 2
Thanks 0
Love this 2
Oh no 0

13 years ago

Helpful 2
Thanks 0
Love this 1
Oh no 0
Photo of Hayley L.
45
148
4

13 years ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 0
Love this 1
Oh no 0
Photo of Sally H.
120
8
13

10 years ago

Helpful 2
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0
Photo of Elaine N.
2
135
37

15 years ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

14 years ago

Business owner information

Photo of Beth G.

Beth G.

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

11 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

11 years ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0
Photo of E S.
0
167
27

10 years ago

Helpful 7
Thanks 0
Love this 2
Oh no 0

16 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

14 years ago

Helpful 3
Thanks 0
Love this 1
Oh no 1
Photo of Jon H.
53
121
19

14 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 1
Oh no 0

14 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 1
Oh no 0

15 years ago

Helpful 3
Thanks 0
Love this 2
Oh no 0

14 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 1
Oh no 0

9 years ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 0
Love this 1
Oh no 0

10 years ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 0
Love this 1
Oh no 0

12 years ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 0
Love this 1
Oh no 0
Photo of C M.
3
18
2

9 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

15 years ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 0
Love this 1
Oh no 0
Photo of Kim W.
0
12
2

9 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

19 years ago

Helpful 2
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

10 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

17 years ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

Page 1 of 2

Ask the Community - Falkirk Cultural Center

Review Highlights - Falkirk Cultural Center

HIGHLY recommend getting as many umbrellas as you can, both the rose garden and the wedding lawn get full sun.

Mentioned in 5 reviews

Read more highlights

You might also consider

Verify this business for free

People searched for Art Galleries 2,498 times last month within 15 miles of this business.

Verify this business

Falkirk Cultural Center - galleries - Updated July 2026

Loading...
Loading...
Loading...