Thunderbird Ranch

Great horseback riding experience in the wine country. This place does a lot of things including special events and weddings but we came just for the horseback riding. Diane was an excellent guide and very accommodating. We had a group of 5 kids and 1 adult, and she took us through beautiful pasture and around an adjacent vineyard — the views were stunning. Diane was really comfortable working with the kids and had them laughing and enjoying the experience even before mounting the horses. We brought a picnic lunch and the staff was kind enough to let us use their picnic area, shaded amongst large oaks and surrounded by grass and flowers. They have a special place in heaven and you can’t go wrong by including them in your wine country experience.

My husband and I were married at Thunderbird Ranch in August of 2013, and could not recommend it more highly if we tried. First of all, having grown up in the area, it was important to me to have a true Sonoma County wedding experience. For those of us born and raised nearby, we know that doesn’t necessarily mean a wedding at a winery, like the tourists would think! ;) For me, the neighboring vineyards, the beautiful trees, the big white barn, and the backdrop of the owners’ quaint house captured that feeling far more accurately that the go-​to winery choice. It was perfect!
We wanted a casual, comfortable, fun summer event… That was easy with the great swimming pool, lots of green grass, excellent shade in the August sun, carport dance floor, fire pit, playground for the kids, ping pong, foosball, space for lawn games, and nice walks into the back wooded area. The setting was excellent for our casual purposes, but could easily be transformed into a gorgeous formal affair.
They have a great deck for caterers to set up on, conveniently tucked away beside the central lawn area, where we had our dinner. They have parking on site so people were able to drive in, and we also provided chartered school buses to and from the site. It was all so easy!
The prices were incredibly reasonable, and the owners were a dream to work with. They were kind and straightforward, easy to contact throughout the planning process if we ever had questions, and were always willing to let us stop by to see the place (again and again) to make sure we had all the measurements, info, etc. in order. Also, we received countless compliments on the beautiful setting for our wedding. Bruce and Elizabeth maintain their property exquisitely.
As another reviewer said, if I could have done it all over again, I wouldn’t have changed a thing… That’s saying something when it comes to wedding site!

Thunderbird Ranch is the perfect blank slate to create your perfect day. When my client and I saw the photos on their web site, we were intrigued. And when we actually went to the venue we immediately knew that this was the place for her wedding. The tour of the venue was just a bonus.
As far as logistics goes, Thunderbird Ranch is super affordable. Our quote included 150 guests (an additional fee for each guest over that), the entire venue to design & decorate as we see fit, we can bring our own wine without a corkage fee, we can bring in our own vendors (and food trucks), band and/​or dj, and start time is whenever until 10pm — and we got to set up the day before and do wedding rehearsal. They even allowed our vendors to leave their rentals that night for them to pick up Sunday morning.
There is everything to love about Thunderbird Ranch. Perfect in the Spring and beautiful in the Summer, there is so much landscape and included décor that you can be very minimal with your own decorating if you wanted. The house which the owners, Bruce and Elizabeth occupy provides a shabby chic backdrop to the lush lawn that is shaded by many trees. Or you can host your ceremony/​reception on the lawn where the pool is and have a white barn as your backdrop. Or you can use the lawn to set up croquet, corn hole, badminton, or whatever! A play ground is on site for the children to play on. A unique train depot that has 2 ping pong tables and a foosball table. There’s even a real caboose and diner car train that can be rented out for a fee. Not only is this great for the bride and groom to keep away from each other before the ceremony, but its a great gathering spot for the bridal party to get ready and keep their belongings inside while the festivities are going on. Another feature that can be rented out and should be taken advantage of is the General Store — which is a Western-​like saloon with amazing vintage finds from the Wild West. We rented the General Store to serve as the bar area. Which ended up being a huge hit amongst the guests — it added to the theme & ambience of the evening. Not only that but it saved us money on décor and table rentals.
Down behind the caboose is the fire pit area where we actually had the ceremony. The area is open and big enough if you were to have more than 150 guests attending your wedding. There’s a small hill and a flight of stairs that the couple can stand up on while the guests witness the I Do’s. Which is a plus because you don’t have to worry about someone’s big hair or obnoxious hat distorting your view. During my client’s ceremony, there was a gentle breeze that was blowing dandelions and it created an ethereal feel, that was magical while the bride walked down the aisle.
Another money saver is the carport located next to the house. Instead of renting a dance floor, we saved $ 800 by using the carport as our dance floor. It also created the perfect stage for the night’s events.
I can’t even begin to describe how amazing Bruce and Elizabeth are. Super sweet, super accommodating, super helpful during the whole planning process and even on the day of! I can seriously go on and on how amazing they are, along with their venue, but then you’d be reading a novel. So I’ll just end it by saying you really need to book your wedding here.
Thank you Bruce and Elizabeth, you’re a wedding planner’s dream!

We had the most gorgeous wedding at Thunderbird Ranch. The moment I drove into the site, I had a vision of what I wanted, which was executed perfectly on the big day. Bruce and Elizabeth, the owners, were more than accommodating every time I wanted to drive in and show someone the beautiful venue we had chosen for our wedding. The only issue we had was that they don’t allow glass there (its a day camp for kids and they don’t want broken glass on the ground, totally understandable), but that wasn’t an issue once we found the proper plastic ware. In fact, it was a non-​issue after all. I had so many people tell us what an incredible venue we had chosen, and if I could have done it all over again, I wouldn’t have changed a thing.