Benbow Historic Inn hosts executive retreats, corporate meetings, weddings, rehearsal dinners and private parties for groups of up to 250 guests outdoors and 70 seated theater style indoors. The inn stands on the banks of the Eel River near Garberville, in the redwood country of Humboldt County, Northern California, close to the Avenue of the Giants.
Seminars and company events
Two indoor rooms suit working sessions: the Bellows Room, with daylight and a view south to Reed Mountain, and the Library, a quieter room beside the lobby. Both take a conference table for 30. The Bellows Room has a projector, a conference phone system and HDMI and VGA connections, and a TV can be rolled into either room. Function rooms come with tables, chairs, linens and all-day beverage service. For groups booking 8 bedrooms or more, the sales team prepares a quote and helps organize the stay from start to finish. Lunches and dinners can move outdoors to the terrace and gardens.
Weddings and receptions
Ceremonies take place on the Lawn, with the Benbow Historic Bridge and the Eel River behind the couple. Receptions follow on the Terrace for up to 200 seated guests, or in the Bellows Room for a smaller party. The inn also hosts rehearsal dinners, showers and other private celebrations. A wedding requires a block of 10 to 30 guest rooms.
Rooms and capacities
Indoor and outdoor event space covers more than 6,500 sq. ft., plus a 3,600 sq. ft. lawn. The Bellows Room (1,260 sq. ft.) seats 70 theater style, 48 classroom style or 60 at tables of eight, and holds 75 for a reception. The Library (1,000 sq. ft.) seats 60 theater style, 44 classroom style or 50 for dinner. The Terrace (4,500 sq. ft.) takes 200 at tables or 250 standing, and the Lawn seats 250 for a ceremony. The Upper Lobby, with its 1920s and 1930s interiors, holds 140 for dinner or 200 for a reception, but only with a buyout of the whole hotel. The Front Porch suits a welcome drink for 40.
Accommodation
The inn has 65 guest rooms, spread across the Historical Building and the Terrace Building, with Founders' Rooms and family suites among the categories. A golf course and a KOA campground with an outdoor pool are part of the same resort.
Catering
The in-house culinary team writes menus for each event and serves them in every event space. The restaurant has an indoor dining room and outdoor tables under the redwoods, and the inn also runs a lounge and a 1920s bar.
History and setting
The inn dates from 1926, and its story is tied to the Benbow family. In its early decades it drew Hollywood names such as Clark Gable and Spencer Tracy, as well as Eleanor Roosevelt and Herbert Hoover. Woodwork, stonework and gardens frame the building, with forested mountains on every side.
Getting there
The inn is at 445 Lake Benbow Drive, Garberville, just off US 101.
