I went here for a wedding just a few weeks ago and what an amazing and beautiful venue! It has a…read morerustic barn type feel which if that is what you are looking for then this is the place for you! It was breathtaking and the wedding itself was beautiful. It is a little hot during August but that didn't take away from the beauty of the venue at all. Outside of the barn there is a area for dancing and there is a pond with tons of Lilly pads and a deck that goes right into the middle of it. There were lots of pretty lights and then up the hill is another area where the dinner was and it was also just as amazing! If you are looking for a rustic kind of barn/church look then I highly recommend checking this place out!

This was a cute place. I came up in June for a friend's wedding, and the venue was pretty great for…read morea wedding. California had that insane heat wave then, so it reached 100+ degrees that day. Despite that, the fans inside the chapel did an ok job keeping people cool. Since I'm only about two, two and a half hours away from Sonora, I chose to go home after the wedding and reception, so I can't speak to the accommodations here. Keep in mind that if you're coming here for a wedding, the closest food options in Downtown Sonora are 15-20 minutes away by car, and these roads are winding and hilly, so keep that in mind.

The armory is by far our favorite place in Sonora whenever we come to town for work. Friendly…read moreservice, great, cold beer. They have the football games, trivia nights, live music, and great food! Sierra, Jen and Eleanor went above and beyond and I really want to thank them for their hard work and effort!!

Phenomenal ambience. Great service-ask for Natalie!-and loved being outside to enjoy the weather…read moreand the cool environment.

March 2023 After…read morechurch service, I stopped by the snack shack and ordered nachos for $5. While I was waiting, the staff took a very long time to prepare the food, even though it seemed like they were only using a microwave. After waiting for a while, I asked if they could cancel my order and refund my $5. I was told that they do not give refunds. I found this very unreasonable, especially because I had not received any food. Later, I went back to the cashier to ask about my order. They apologized and told me the nachos were sold out. I asked again for my $5 refund, but the cashier told me, "We don't do refunds." I became very upset because I paid for food that they could not provide, yet they still refused to return my money. If there is a no-refund policy, it should be clearly posted at the snack shack window so customers know before ordering. I did not see any notice about a no-refund policy. The snack shack also needs better organization and improvements to the kitchen and ordering process. This was a terrible experience over something as simple as ordering a snack. I will NOT come back. This was my first and last time here. Very disappointing experience.

I have been coming to old Oak Ranch since 1985. My five sons have experienced some great things at…read morethis camp and the memories run deep! The entire staff are incredible and the food is awesome! If your church is looking to have a gathering in the Sierra's you simply don't have to look anywhere else but Old Oak Ranch!!!

SO glad to have found Inner Sanctum on a lovely fall afternoon. We enjoyed the music, the light…read moresnacks and the wine tasting. The service was outstanding. Note that for beer lovers there's also beer choices! The wine is typical Gold Country wine - light and great for a warm afternoon. Do not expect Napa style wine. ;)

cozy and fun. Great beers & wine selection. Live music always a plus…read more Local talent show cased.

We had our wedding at Airola Vineyards, and what can I say? It was MAGICAL! Everything was perfect!…read moreNicole, our wedding coordinator made our dreams come true. She was truly dedicated to the success of our wedding making sure we were stress-free the entire time. And I must add she is extremely creative! The owners (the Klauses) were also extremely diligent and genuinely cared that we would have the most amazing day. They are the kindest and most gracious people you will ever meet! The location/venue was perfect! I mean the view overlooking the lake was breathtaking! And it wasn't the only spot that was beautiful. Every inch of that property was gorgeous. It felt like I was in some magical land that I couldn't imagine even in my wildest dreams. I mean, our photographer was so inspired she kept finding great places for us to take pictures. Shout out to Renee as one of the Vendors too, she was handsdown one of the best decisions we made regarding the wedding. You will regret not booking her for your wedding/event. This was truly a memorable day and a huge reason for this was the people involved and the location. We didn't have to worry about random people showing up to our intimate wedding like I've seen happen at other venues. It was spacious enough to for a large wedding party without sacrificing comfort, we loved that we felt tucked away into nature while still having "city accommodations". And I must add, the view from the casita is unmatched. Best view on the property. I loved that it served as my bridal suite! I can't say enough about Airola Vineyards. Truly, our wedding was just enchanting. While our guests were originally skeptical about the location (many had to drive 8+ hours) once they arrived they all thanked us for the invitation because it meant they were in such a beautiful location. I'm surprised this place isn't better known and while I want to be selfish and not the let the secret out, I would be doing humanity a disservice if I didn't shout Airola Vineyards' (and it's staff) exceptionalism from the roof tops. I am convinced this is one of the most romantic places on planet Earth.

I wanted to desperately love this place for a wedding venue! First of all their event manager or…read moreproperty manager was very attentive, informative and helpful. She deserves a rating on her own as she is customer satisfaction driven. Maybe because I related this to other wedding venues I found this one a 3. First the drive in is a private road very long ways. Thinking of guests possibly driving it at night or having had a cocktail was scary. There isn't a sort of back lot for guests parking but they would offer to arrange shuttle services or golf carts. For a micro wedding this could possibly work. You're more or less using their driveway or pool patio as a reception and have the same options for ceremony. Secondly, the mansion itself is off limits and you're renting their guest casita and studio. They are trying to add another tiny house to offer more sleep options . They do have a stunning view of the lake and if you're okay with staging the photos it might be for you. Their options of reception areas are extremely limited. I think they need to invest and develop areas to accommodate weddings better rather than cramming guests into certain areas. Also factor accessibility for guests with limited mobility if offering rustic options. Even though the package seems extremely reasonable and inclusive, it's very limited on areas, accessibility and bathrooms. Really wanted to love it tho!

This stay was a veritable Garden of Eden! My fiancé and I have been to many places for weekends…read moreaway or family vacations in the last two years but Sparks Ranch ranks among the best experiences and settings yet! The owner is positively lovely and so very personable. She was more than accommodating to our every need! She was great with communication and kind to us. She treated my kids like they were her own. The grounds are surrounded by stunning nature and is steeped in history. We got a fun tour when we first arrived and we were all amazed by the clean and well maintained property. Our beds were so comfortable and we slept very well. My kids want to make visiting Sparks Ranch a regular annual experience and we are more than happy to oblige them!

I absolutely love this adorable private resort. We've been there for weekend getaways and attended…read morea wedding. Valerie is so sweet. My kids call her Grandma Val.

Terri is absolutely THE best! We hired her for our wedding at Union Hill Inn in February 2017. My…read morehusband and I were traveling from Hawaii to get married in Sonora, because we absolutely fell in love with Union Hill Inn. Terri is so knowledgable, organized and detail oriented. My husband and I do event coordination professionally and throughout our entire process with Terri, we were impressed with everything she did to ensure our big day was perfect. The other thing I really appreciated was she removed all of the stress and I didn't have to work on my wedding day. Leading up to the wedding she was always available to us when we'd have questions or need recommendations on things. She put me in touch with the best local vendors to help us with everything from flowers to dress steaming.She had everything covered. I'm so thankful that we hired her to be our planner.

Hello happily engaged couple, We understand where you are…read moreright now in the process. You're excited about the engagement, and the thought of your upcoming wedding. Congratulations. We also know however, that the more you Google looking for answers, the more questions you have! Even if you have a venue, you now need to worry about seating charts, timelines, hairstylists, weather, forest fires, COVID, cleanup- oh my! "Do I even need a wedding planner?" may even be a question that you are pondering- and that is ok! The good news is, this review that you are reading is the review you need. As partners, we were asking ourselves these same questions. In hindsight, we would have been stupid to not hire Terri/Events Extraordinaire. Should you simply care about the bottom line, then skip the rest of this review and just hire her already! If you are interested to know why, please see below. Although one of us was skeptical in the value of a wedding planner, I can assure you that Terri's actions and efforts were invaluable in making our day perfect. From the very first meeting, we were relieved at the methodic approach Terri takes to wedding planning. Your first meetings are simply getting to know each other and learning what the couple wants to achieve with the wedding. Terri fairly listened to both of our ideas and provided unbiased feedback and guidance. These little nudges compounded to big decisions which encouraged us along the wedding planning process. Speaking of the process, Terri has one. She has timelines, 'day of' agenda's, and planning deadlines that keep not only the couple, but also your vendors on track! Although you may expect the planning process to go smoothly, just as we had, of course life happens. We had a serious issues with one of our main vendors (That we found before working with Terri) the month before the wedding. We promptly referenced Terri's pre-supplied vendor list and found someone who was more budget friendly, that produced fantastic results. Then, just one week before the wedding, the HMUA dropped out (crazy we know!). Terri picked up her personal cell phone that same day, to step in, and spent the evening with us hunting down alternates. To us, Terri felt like another family member with all of the right tools in her tool box to help us navigate the complex nuances of wedding planning. On the day of the wedding, we hardly noticed Terri- and I mean that in a good way! Seamlessly behind the scenes, our wedding day and timeline panned out about as perfect as it could be. This letter is a testament to her process, value, and care in wedding planning. We were thankful to have found Terri and now look forward to connecting with her any time we are in the foothills! -Adam & Samantha Klick

This place is absolutely beautiful !! Thank you to the owners of Savanna gardens for making our…read more son and daughter-in-laws wedding amazing day Bobbie and her husband definitely made us all feel like we are part of the family what a beautiful piece of property and peaceful. Thank you again for making everything go flawless for us. Thank you The Dameral family

Was married here. Amazing venue - landscaping so lush and beautiful, barn is perfectly quaint…read more Owners went above and beyond. Great experience!

I also have to mention that the app for the fair discounts and schedules was really great, easy to…read morefollow and understand.

Would give less then one star the fairgrounds rv grounds was a nice quiet place not any more new…read morepolicies in place make it so that back packers can no longer rent a plot and pop a tent, rv's older then 12 years are no longer allowed to rent and part rv. The new hosts have essentially made it to where unless you have an expensive rv, fifth wheel etc you are unwelcome at the motherlode rv fair grounds parking. All rules are subject to two hosts who pick and chose who is allowed and who isn't. Discrimination at its finest you can violate the pet rules the partying and various other rules as long as your rig looks expensive.