Beautiful venue that I visited recently as an event vendor. Lots of space for guests to spread out. Beautiful gazebo to have special occasions and photos. Kitchen inside the building with a kitchen that's perfect for preparing food. There's also a nice additional area with picnic tables. read more

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Shadelands Ranch Museum is a nice wedding venue. I was fortunate to attend a couple of good friends' daughter's outdoor wedding. The ceremony was held in a beautiful area with a huge tree to provide shade for some of the guests. In another area, close by, there is also a pretty gazebo. Pretty roses and plants surrounding the whole area. At night, they have some string lights lit up around to provide a nice, cozy lighted area. They only have outdoor restrooms, but they are nice. It was a nice special day for the couple, along with their family and friends, to help celebrate this blessed occasion! read more

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I do a holiday craft show there for the last three years and I love it. The two women that run the show along with their support staff are great to work with. read more

We had our 150-ppl wedding here June 2022. This place is gorgeous!!! I found it on yelp and so glad I did. The grounds are beautiful and very well kept. I worked with Jackie the entire time and she was a pleasure to work with. I originally booked back in 2020, but with Covid had to move our date around to 2022.I wanted to have an outdoor wedding but didn't want to deal with a fixed vendor list. Luckily I found this place and was surprised on how affordable it was compared to other venues!! There is so much parking available behind the venue and the trees provided so much shade. There is also a cute dressing room on the porch that has a vanity, tall mirror, and clothing rack. They also provide tables/chairs and set them up for you! Fast forward to June 2022. It was a very HOT day and had some elderly family members attending the wedding. Although we had plenty of shade, Jackie offered to have the family members sit inside the Museum if needed. It was a very nice gesture. This place is truly beautiful and their staff is wonderful to work with. If you're looking for a beautiful outdoor venue without having to overspend, check this place out! read more

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A total Walnut Creek gem! The Shadelands Museum is owned and operated by the Walnut Creek Historical society. The museum was once home to Walnut Creek Pioneer Hiram Penniman. The home was built in 1903, and here Penniman raised four children with his second wife, Carrie Morris. Many of the original furnishings and architecture can be found within the museum, along with donated replicas of popular items that were used in the early 1900's. The museum has been well maintained and each and every room has its' own piece of history. The kitchen is probably the only room in the entire house that has been modernized since it still used to prepare meals for weddings. In the back of the home, there's an old tank house dating back to 1902 that was used as a worker's cabin. You'll also see the beautiful altar that gets rented out for weddings. Museum tours are held twice a week on Sundays and Wednesday's from 1pm - 4pm from February to October. The tours are docent led and last about an hour. Admission fees are $3 for adults, $1 for children, and free for members. This small $3 fee helps to maintain the museum and offers support to The Walnut Creek historical society. Reservations are required for large groups. Photography is not allowed once inside of be museum, but unfortunately I didn't know this until after I had completed the tour (I'm sorry!). The docents are very passionate and informative. Phyllis was excellent and made the tour extremely enjoyable. If you're interested in learning about the history of Walnut Creek, I would absolutely recommend taking a tour! read more

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After doing a short hike in the area we decided to see what the Shadelands Ranch Museum was about. Since it was Sun we were able to visit it. It's $3 per adult, no AAA or Senior Discount - boo. We asked for the full tour and it was pretty long with lots of information about Hiram Penniman, his 5 kids, etc. NO Photos allowed inside - another boo. Inside is the living room, dining room, upstairs are four rooms & a bathroom. You can take all the pics you want outside though. Ask if you can get some oranges & lemons from their trees outside - we did and were allowed. That was nice. Hours: Wednesday & Sunday (tours offered) - 1 to 4 p.m. Closed late November through early February. Office hours: Mon-Thurs, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission: $3, adults; $1, students ages 6-17, free; children under 6 and WCHS members. Website: http://walnutcreekhistory.info/ read more

Shadelands Ranch Museum - Museums Near Me - Walnut Creek, California

The Shadelands Ranch House was the perfect venue for our wedding. After issues with our original venue, and being a little over 2 months out from our wedding, Shadelands luckily had a cancellation for our wedding day and we were able to fully move over and have our wedding there. We worked with Jackie leading up to the wedding. She was so accommodating and helpful with trying to make our vision come to life. She allowed us to come see the venue a few times before the wedding to make sure we knew where everything would be and how it would look day of. They also provided all tables and chairs, and had everything set up before our allotted rental time. The venue itself is beautiful and has many trees, the gazebo, flowers, and the amazing house. The venue is fully outdoors and our wedding day was much hotter than expected for an October wedding. However, they allowed us to set up fans and a portable air conditioner in the bridal suite to help with the heat. They provided a venue coordinator who was there day of to make sure everything was set up correctly and taken down at the end of the night. They also had a pumpkin patch going on in front of the house that they redirected traffic for and gave all the kids at our wedding tickets to go get their own pumpkins. We were also able to go over there to take photos which was so fun! Overall, we couldn't have asked for a better venue and we loved working with Shadelands and their staff. read more

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This house museum is amazing. The majority of the furniture, artifacts and even the rugs are original to the house. When the house was first turned over to the historical society and they emptied the barn, a treasure trove of artifacts were found and they brought them into the house. If I had to choose favorite treasure in the house it would be Stella music box/record player. The docent turned the hand crank and the metal record started to play Ava Maria, the tone was amazing. If I had to choose a favorite room it would be the dining room. The table was set with beautiful china and the cabinets and sideboards had wonderful Victorian era glassware and silver. What made this tour special were the docents. One of the women took me on the tour of the main floor and the other took me on a tour of the upstairs. They were both knowledgeable about the house, the people who lived there, and the history of the area. I came away feeling that I knew these people and also had a new appreciation for the people who settled, in what at the time, was a very rural part of California. read more

Walnut Creek turned 100 in October 2014. I had a chance to celebrate this red letter date with 4000 others at the Centennial Birthday Festival on Saturday October 18 on the grounds of the Shadelands Ranch Museum. It was a fabulous event which included live music, food trucks, tours of the big house, police dog demonstrations, an artist's market, and lots of stuff to do for kids of all ages. There was also Birthday cake and a deep appreciation from this citizen for the hard work put in from the volunteers (including the Great Gayle Vassar) that made this community celebration happen. read more

We had our wedding here on April 29. It was as perfect as we could have ever imagined. The grounds were beautiful and the flowers were in full bloom. The venue fit our vision to a tee. Jackie was fantastic to work with and helped us every step of the way. She even helped us set up a "doomsday" plan in case of rain. Our guests loved the venue, with the touch of history and beauty of the gardens. All of our wedding photos turned out beautifully - with so many different options for backdrops. read more

Shadelands Ranch Museum - Museums Near Me - Walnut Creek, California

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Great Site for Wedding Ceremony***** we were there 6/4/2011. we had a Great time! read more

I just had my wedding there, and they were amazing. Jackie was super helpful, they were flexible and allowed us to get in a little early, bring out tables and chairs when necessary and just pretty much do whatever we needed. To anyone considering an event in the Walnut Creek area, I would recommend this place with no reservations. It is gorgeous and requires very little decorating, the staff is amazing to work with, it is cost efficient (compared to the rest of the area, especially since there is no minimum time), and the trees offer shade and natural beauty. Check the place out, ask Rob and Jackie questions, everyone is awesome. Thank you to them. read more

Shadelands Ranch Museum - Rick rolled my wedding vows. Yeeeeee - Museums Near Me - Walnut Creek, California

We had our wedding here & it was perfect. Affordable venue that allows you to make it your own & hire your own vendors. Beautiful for wedding photos if you're looking for a romantic garden wedding. I was nervous about the location on Ygnacio but it didn't bother me at all the day of. read more

Shadelands Ranch Museum - Museums Near Me - Walnut Creek, California

This is a nice historic house and ranch right off Ygnacio Valley Road in Walnut Creek. As other Yelpers have pointed out, no personal photography allowed inside, which is a bummer. I didn't choose to do a house tour (which is on Wednesdays and Sundays from 1-4 PM), but I was able to explore around the porch and the gardens, as well as the gazebo. Pretty nice place, overall, though the parking lot is rather small. Also, the Shadelands Ranch Museum is a popular venue for weddings and special events. read more

My husband and I got married here in June. Jackie helped us with the site. It was pretty easy and organized to work with Jackie. She was responsive to emails and professional. We enjoyed this beautiful garden and so did our guesses. We hosted 240 people here with no issues. We had a live band FYI: Beer and wine only for you events. You have to turn down the music around 10pm and really quiet down by 11pm. read more

Shadelands Ranch Museum - Picnic themed wedding - Museums Near Me - Walnut Creek, California

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Our wedding was a dream at the Shadelands Ranch Museum grounds! Jackie and her team were so accommodating, helpful, and easy to communicate with for our entire year-long planning process, and so many of our 150 guests complimented the beauty and simplicity of the venue. It was spacious and clean, with plenty of room for dinner, cocktails, dancing, and games. We highly recommend Shadelands Ranch Museum! read more

Such an unbelievable piece of Walnut Creek history, I'm really surprised no one has reviewed it! I visited the Shadelands Ranch for the first time today as apart of a tour for the Walnut Creek Citizens Institute. The house is in amazing condition and has been repainted in it's original color and nearly all of the furnishings are original as well. The house was built by Hiram Penniman, a fruit farmer, for his spinster daughter in 1903. The architecture style is late-Colonial Revival. The interior is richly painted in blues, pinks, dark woods. Along with the history of the Penniman family and their farm, there are also displays of clothing and other period articles, as well as clothing and artifacts from other historical periods. The building serves double as a museum for the ranch as well as the Walnut Creek Historical Society. Upstairs there is a paper archival room, the Sherwood Burgess Room, which is open Wednesdays from 1 to 4PM for people interested in doing historical research. Of note in that room is an original american flag poster from Lincoln's presidential campaign. And best of all! It's cheap! Below is information on the Shadelands Ranch Museum taken from the City of Walnut Creek's website: E-mail: wcshadelands@sbcglobal.net Hours: Wednesday and Sunday (tours offered) - 1 to 4 p.m. Closed late November through early February. Office hours: Mon-Thurs, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission: $3, adults; $1, students ages 6-17, free; children under 6 and WCHS members. Reservations for 10 or more by appointment. Walnut Creek Historical Society membership: $25, individual; $40, family; $100, sustaining; $500, life. read more

We had our wedding ceremony here back in 2007 and it was really perfect for us. The space was perfect for our 160 guests. The patio behind the colonial house was perfect for hors d'ouerves and mingling. The location of the trees also worked perfectly by having the gazebo in the shade during our 3:30 ceremony. We had no need to use the house, I got ready at a nearby hotel and arrived ready to walk down the aisle, so the fact that you can't use it for private events was of no consequence to us. When first visiting the site, I was worried that noise from the street would be a problem, but it really wasn't. They lose a star because their office staff was less than stellar. The office employees rarely answered the phones and it always took a couple of days for them to return phone calls, if at all. When we were trying to get the site booked, they ignored our messages for almost a week. I finally spoke with the caretaker who apologized profusely and gave us his home number. I could tell by his tone that he was frustrated with the office employees. It was almost as if they didn't want our business. In the end we got everything booked and it all worked out well. But it was irritating at the beginning. read more

I love going to the Victorian holiday tea the have around Christmas time. I've been going with my mom and grandma since 2013 and this year was my sisters first time coming. It was so fun and there was a three course brunch sort of that was delicious. They have lots of different things upstairs in the rooms. It is like a boutique sort of thing. They have raffle baskets on the porch and the tickets aren't expensive. They also have a couple of other things out on the front porch. I got a couple of my friends's Christmas presents here. This is a great place to go and there is a gazebo out behind the house that looks like a good place to have a wedding. read more

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Perfect place for our outdoor wedding ceremony! It was beyond beautiful and all the workers were amazing . Highly recommend read more

Shadelands Ranch Museum - Museums Near Me - Walnut Creek, California

Below is information on the Shadelands Ranch Museum taken from the City of Walnut Creek's website: E-mail: wcshadelands@sbcglobal... Hours: Wednesday and Sunday (tours offered) - 1 to 4 p.m. Closed late November through early February. Office hours: Mon-Thurs, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission: $3, adults; $1, students ages 6-17, free; children under 6 and WCHS members. Reservations for 10 or more by appointment. Walnut Creek Historical Society membership: $25, individual; $40, family; $100, sustaining; $500, life. read more

This review is for the house tour. This is a beautiful and well-preserved old house and former ranch/orchard, with an interesting family history. Our docent was professional and well-prepared and was good about answering questions. Walnut Creek has a great "frontier" history and isn't called "Walnut" Creek for nothing -- it owes its name to the walnuts that were grown there in abundance back in the day. Places like this are vital for preserving the history and culture of a city, and should be better funded and promoted by city government. Fascinating stop for locals and out-of-towners alike. read more

I just got back from attending Shadelands Victorian Tea. It's by reservation and the proceeds go toward supporting the Shadelands Ranch Museum. Additionally, there was an ongoing Holiday Craft Faire going on in the house which was fun to look through after Tea. I've been to a number of these Teas at historical properties and at Shadelands the food and tea came out in an organized, timely manner and the quality of the food was good and consistent throughout. read more

My husband and I visited this beautiful historic home a few weeks ago. A docent treated us to a tour of the home, providing us not only with an overview of the family histories of the pioneers who built and resided in the house, but also how those histories are interwoven into the broader histories of our state and our nation. The docent also mentioned special events they hold in the home during the holidays, such as teas and a handcraft faire. What a gem. read more

The docent lead tour of Shadelands Ranch Museum gives visitors a glimpse of life in Walnut Creek 115 years ago, insight into the Penniman family for whom this Colonial Revival home was built, and information about the furnishings and artifacts most of which are original to the house. At $3.00 for adults, this is the biggest bargain in town! read more

We got married at Shadelands on 6/9/12. It was perfect for our vision of an outdoor wedding for around 200 people, on a quiet, grassy lawn. The trees offered great shade, and the patio in the back was perfect for a live band. we loved how there were few restrictions as compared to other venues: no corkage fee, no caterer restriction, we could rent the place for as long (or as little) as we wanted, and even tables and chairs (150) were included, granted the chairs are just the plastic lawn type, so not too fancy but perfect for our outdoor, more casual type wedding celebration. Both Joyce and Melanie were very prompt at returning emails and quick to answer questions. read more

I can't believe it's taken me this long to write a review!! I got married here in June 2015 and I couldn't have been happier with our choice of venue! When I first saw Shadelands I was in love and had such a vision for how the wedding would be set up. It has such a beautiful nature-y vibe perfect for outdoor weddings. Jackie was super helpful all the way through the process. Very quick to answer emails and give advice. It's very affordable compared to other similar places, and although it's on a main road it still feels secluded and private. I liked that the venue gave us the freedom to bring in any outside vendors which helps you stay on budget. There was a ton of space for the reception--I think we had around 18 tables and there was still PLENTY of extra space so it didn't feel crowded at all. We had a buffet, dessert bar, coffee bar, dance floor, lawn games etc. The trees give great shade. The dance floor is spacious. I can't say enough good things about it. We loved shadelands! read more

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This place is cool. They have they way cool old equipment here that is cool beans dill pickle. My former roommate Brandon the Brandanizer Brandanized his Wedding here. The music was being Brandanized being played very loud. Another time I was here I stopped by to take some pictures in BandW the pics turned really well. They also have restrooms here. read more

This is a Walnut Creek gem. We attending an Antique Fair here today and took a fascinating tour with a great docent through the Shadelands Ranch Museum. It was such a treat to take a step back in time as we toured this beautiful home and learned about the history of Walnut Creek. Our docent was just fabulous and I look forward to taking visitors here when they come to visit. It is a must see for anyone who lives in the vicinity as well as out-of-towners. The antique fair is an annual event and we had a blast going through the tables, talking with vendors, then sitting down to some very talented guitar players singing great tunes. Thank you to all that make this a true experience for visitors. We immediately purchased a membership, money well spent so that future generations can enjoy this tour. read more