The venue has marked this date as FULLY BOOKED

From early Native American inhabitants to Spanish padres, Mexican generals to itinerant outlaws, Santa Margarita Ranch boasts an illustrious cultural and historical pedigree that is unrivaled on California’s Central Coast.

The ranch’s majestic terrain was home to Native Americans for thousands of years. The Salinan and Chumash tribes converged here to live amid the fertile valley soils, mountain forests, plentiful water and abundant wildlife.

The ranch was later settled by Franciscan missionaries in the 1770s as part of California’s famed mission trail. The friars raised cattle, planted grapes and established Santa Margarita de Cortona Asistencia as an ”assistance mission” between Mission San Luis Obispo to the south and Mission San Miguel to the north. They also erected the stone-and-mortar Asistencia building (pictured above circa late 1800s). The now-covered walls of the Asistencia still stand today, providing an elegantly rustic backdrop for many weddings and special events.

In 1841, the ranch was granted to Joaquin Estrada, a colorful ranchero who was known for hosting grand fiestas and rodeos. Estrada’s gracious hospitality set the tone for generations to come at Santa Margarita Ranch.

Since 1999, the 14,000-acre Santa Margarita Ranch has been owned by three longtime local winegrowing and ranching families: the Filipponis, Rossis and Wittstroms. Together, they have advanced the ranch’s legacy of hospitality while preserving its roots as a working cattle ranch and vineyard.