What's a good way to find large natural areas (like campgrounds, camps with cabins, state parks, farms, ranches, resorts) available to rent for large events?

http://www.vrbo.com/

http://www.vrbo.com/

I found out of a lot of creative places in “Here Comes the Guide” almost sounds like Here comes the Bride. Look for Northern California or Bay Area regional one. You can find this in Barnes and Noble or try Borders in the wedding or resources section.

I found Seascapes in Aptos, Shadowbrook in Soquel through this book.

You could try the website for the U.S. Park Service, there are many incredible but little known opportunities there. You could also check whatever your state calls their tourism bureau and park service. I have also found that a lot of people neglect to check the resources offered by your county, township or municipality. As an example, in this area many people take advantage of the Illinois or county services, but some municipalities and the federal government also have a lot to offer, especially in Western or far Northern states where the feds and the states own most of the land.

I was also going to recommend looking up state parks. Maybe you need to do individual searches like, “outdoor retreat center bay area”, “outdoor wedding bay area” etc…. maybe you already tried that??

My friend just got married at a really cute place in Petaluma http://www.chilenobnb.com/index.html