Curiodyssey
1651 Coyote Point Drive, San Mateo, CA
About This Vendor
Unique and Rustic Weddings in Northern California
Based in San Mateo, CA, CuriOdyssey is a one-of-a-kind event and wedding venue for couples to celebrate in. This non-profit museum is home to the wonders of science and a zoo of animals. If couples choose to host their special day here, they will have exclusive access to the science center and the chance to observe the magnificent wild animals all day. With an array of exhibits and sights, newlyweds and their loved ones are sure to leave with a lasting impression. Its breathtaking backdrops and dedicated onsite team will be sure to make every couple's special day into an unforgettable celebration. This picturesque setting boasts its own unique aesthetic. The versatile grounds at CuriOdyssey can host an array of events, from intimate micro-weddings to extravagant celebrations with up to 350 guests. During the big day, newlyweds will be free to explore all the exhibits that the venue offers. Outside, couples can say their 'I dos' under a small ceremony tent on the lawn surrounded by forestry. For indoor receptions, couples and their guests can use the largest ballroom, the Redwood Hall. It boasts a minimalistic design that is perfect for customizing to suit any theme or style. The onsite team of event planners will work closely with couples, and help them organize and design the wedding of their dreams. CuriOdyssey welcomes couples from all walks of life, and will tailor their packages to match their specific needs and wants. This venue comes with all-inclusive packages that are designed to take the stress out of each couple’s wedding planning. These include 14 hours of exclusive use of the venue, furniture, linen, chairs, and day-of coordination services. Catering is provided in-house by the executive chef, who offers a selection of dining options including sit-down dinners as well as standing cocktail receptions.
Amenities + Details
Dressing Room
Handicap Accessible
Indoor Event Space
Outdoor Event Space
Reception Area
Wireless Internet
Covered Outdoors Space
Liability Insurance
On-Site Accommodations
Guest Capacity
Up to 300
Settings
Ballroom, Garden, Museum
Curiodyssey Reviews
Share your thoughts with other couples
Curiodyssey was the PERFECT place for our wedding reception. My husband and I are both teachers and appreciated their mission to educate through animal exhibits, science exhibits, and all their educational programs. We felt like our money was g...
oing to a good cause. There was a change in event management from the time we reserved Redwood Hall to when our wedding was so communication sometimes took an extra step, but this was not anything too stressful and likely someone else would not experience. Additionally there was a staff member on the day before our wedding (during our set-up time) who was not the most pleasant, but the staff there during our event the next day were all THE SWEETEST! They made me feel so special as I paraded around the exhibits in my wedding dress an hour before our reception began. That kindness and helpfulness make all the difference :) Honestly, we could not have gotten another indoor venue that was this naturally beautiful and that allowed us to bring our own catering and bartender at a similar price. Our guests had a wonderful time and enjoyed all the exhibits. Our day could not have been more special. Highly recommend this venue!
What an incredible venue for a wedding! We are so happy we chose this location for our wedding. The entire experience from start to finish was so enjoyable. The venue event manager (James) is a rock star! James was super helpful and patient...
with us. The Redwood Hall is just gorgeous and the different levels allowed us to separate the folks who wanted to dance/party from the folks who just kinda wanted to hang out and talk. The area outside the venue makes for some great pictures. If you're looking for a fun venue, check this place out.
Great venue for families with children. Staff was great to work with.
We had our wedding reception at CuriOdyssey in summer of 2019 and absolutely loved it! We rented the Redwood Hall for the evening and it couldn't have been better. James (the event manager) is extremely helpful, responsive, thoughtful, and frie...
ndly, and always went above and beyond in responding to our questions. As just one example, James went out and actually counted the number of available spots in the parking to help us get a sense of parking capacity at a given time. We can't thank him enough for working with us to make our wedding happen!
The museum itself is an amazing museum in its own right, complete with many interactive exhibits and a wonderful zoo. We chose CuriOdyssey primarily because the venue is a nonprofit children's science museum, which is an awesome cause. The Redwood Hall interior is gorgeous, and the tiers helped organize different activities into different areas. The location is also extremely convenient for out of town guests, since the museum is close to SFO airport.
We're so thrilled with how our wedding went at CuriOdyssey and are so happy we chose to celebrate our special day at this museum!
We had our wedding here in August 2018. We rented all levels of the Redwood Hall for a Saturday night event for 210 guests. We did an on site ceremony in Redwood hall, cocktail hour in the garden and reception with a buffet dinner and dancing i...
n the Redwood hall. Thanks to CuriOdyssey and our vendors (the majority from the approved vendor list), our event ran smoothly, was meaningful and memorable for us and our families and was an incredibly fun party according to all of our guests! Janan and her team at the museum were professional, easy to work with and made great recommendations. What's more, I felt like they wanted to ensure our event was personal and memorable. They were not trying to sell us on services that we didn't need.
It was very important to my fiance and me to spend our wedding money in ways that supported community, education and the arts when possible. CuriOdyssey is a nonprofit childrens' museum, so money supports kids programs and education. What's more, CuriOdyssey is a unique, rustic and fun venue. It's situated within Coyote Point park, so it's secluded in nature. Our guests (and their kids) loved the interactive exhibits and miniature zoo - they said they felt like VIPs at a museum after hours. Your guests will get a strong sense of place: from the exhibits, native plant garden and park, it's clearly northern California, not a windowless hotel ballroom that could be...anywhere.
Other positives: Parking is plentiful, the space is beautiful without much additional decoration (in our opinion), it's accessible to SFO airport and many airport hotels so easy for your guests to get to, even without a car - and you'll be the only wedding at the venue. The Redwood hall is large and can accommodate around 300 guests, depending on configuration. Many wedding venues top out at 150; this was a big plus for us.
As the space was not originally designed for weddings, be sure to work with a caterer and other vendors who know the space. It worked wonderfully for us; you'll be glad to have vendors that know how to make the space shine.
Got married here last weekend and I wish we could do it all over again, it was the most perfect day! The venue was absolute perfection, the nature and the animals and the beautiful cedar hall. Janan is the venue coordinator and she was on top o...
f things the entire way through, over a year of planning in all! She had top-notch communication with us and made sure everything was checked off the list of things we wanted and the things the venue needed from us. We used one of the caterers from their preferred list and they had worked together in the past so it was all pretty smooth and easy. Our guests were raving about the place, people who lived in the Bay Area their whole lives learning about this place just then and loving it! It's such a beautiful setting and made for the best photos. It's also very affordable and you won't pay for anything more than you'll need for your day. Plus you can have an animal ambassador during cocktail hour (we had a ferret come out and everyone was petting him and loved it!) I can't recommend this venue any higher, it seriously made our day perfect and I'll tell everyone about it!
I would do it all over again if I could. My husband and I got married here in September, and I still hear from guests how perfect the venue was. Janan, CuriOdyssey's Event Coordinator, played a huge part in the success of our wedding. She was s...
o open to ideas, easy to work with, and very accommodating. Decorations are not needed for the venue because it's so beautiful on its own. The wood walls look great in pictures. If you're looking for a fun, playful, unique venue, CuriOdyssey is it.
We LOVED LOVED LOVED having our wedding at CuriOdyssey. Such a special day. The entire place is awesome and we had great weather on our July wedding day. The eucalyptus grove, marina, and outside walls of CuriOdyssey were a beautiful backdrop f...
or pics. We had our ceremony on the top level - plenty of room for all 170+ of our guests. We had musicians (instrumentalists and singers) and they sounded amazing in the space. Cocktail hour outside with the animals plus the animal ambassadors (we had 4) were a hit with everyone. Since we had so many guests, we had to split them on 2 levels for dinner (top levels) which was fine for us. Each table ate family style, so there wasn't a buffet or anything to get to and when it came time for speeches, people on the top level could just peer over to watch. The same was true for the dancing which was on the second level. Our band (Pop Rocks - also awesome) fit perfectly on one side as did the bar on the other side. All in all - best day ever.
Major Pros:
Janan (event coordinator) is a sweetheart and super easy to work with, very responsive and helped with communication and site visits with other vendors. You are allowed to bring your own alcohol.
Things to know: You will probably want/need to hire a lighting designer (Love in the Mix - aka Dan was great). Your caterer will need to be able to supply chairs, linens, etc - we used Opa aka Smoke and Spice for our Hawaiian/asian BBQ dinner (best food ever).
We LOVE CuriOdyssey, Janan and her staff! We would give more than 5 stars if we could! We recently had our wedding reception here in the redwood hall and it was gorgeous! The process from start to finish was excellent. Janan was quick to respon...
d to emails and questions we had. She helped problem solve things as they popped up speaking from her expertise of the space and events held there. It was easy to schedule necessary meetings and walk throughs leading up to our day. The staff the night of our wedding were incredibly sweet and helpful. We truly loved our wedding memories made here, we tell everyone about CuriOdyssey and look forward to returning here to visit in the coming years! It was the perfect venue for us, combining interactive exhibits, animals and the beautiful outdoors!
My fiancé and I originally came to check out CuriOydssey’s Redwood Hall rental for our wedding ceremony, since we were planning to rent the nearby Yacht Club (also in Coyote Point park) for the reception and the Yacht Club was not able to accom...
modate us having a ceremony there too. We ended up liking the Redwood Hall so much that we had our entire wedding there (ceremony and reception). Laura is the event coordinator there and she’s very friendly and accommodating. Staff also went above and beyond on our wedding day to help setup. The rental prices are very reasonable, for both hourly rates and package rates. They also have some stuff you can use for free (eg. folding tables, plastic folding chairs) and A/V equipment rental for cheap. The view and surrounding area is beautiful; overlooks the bay and a great spot for wedding photos. Guests (both adults and kids) loved the exhibits and was a great “free” entertainment that we provided our guests. Seems like not many guests realized there were animals too, so I wish we had some signs or an announcement to encourage them to see the animals. Other pros: not forced to stick to a vendor list (except for maybe drinks? I forget..), can bring your own alcohol (huge money saver!!!), bring your own caterer (maybe this is a con for some people), lots of space, kid-friendly, different from a typical wedding venue, close to SFO airport and plenty of nice hotels, warm fuzzy feeling that your money is going towards animals and education instead of hotels and golf courses that charge ridiculous amounts of money for weddings. Cons (we didn’t mind but maybe other couples may): bathrooms could use some updating, not a ritz-y place, entrance to the top level of Redwood Hall is by stairs (or can enter ground level of Redwood Hall and walk up ramps to the top level). Definitely worth checking out if you’re looking for a unique wedding venue on a budget.
CuriOdyssey is a really unique venue-- it's a children's science museum and nature center, complete with a small exhibit hall, beautiful gardens, and a zoo. They also have a stunning, 4-tiered hall for your reception. We had our ceremony in the...
gardens (next to the raccoon exhibit), cocktail hour was also outside, and then the reception on the top two levels of the hall. We had the whole place to ourselves after the museum closed at 5pm, and our friends and family loved seeing the animals and playing with the science exhibits. The museum is located in Coyote Creek County Park, right on the bay and is filled with eucalyptus groves. One word of caution is that it is near the airport, which worked well for us as we had a lot of out-of-town guests, but there is some plane noise outside.
One other thing to keep in mind is that they do not have a kitchen, so your caterer will either need to assemble a kitchen on site using rented equipment, or prepare the food off-site and bring it over. There is a prep room for the caterer to use.
Overall, I highly recommend this venue for weddings, though it does involve a bit more work on your part because weddings are a relatively small part of their business. However, it was totally worth the effort! And, they are relatively inexpensive for the bay area, plus your money is going to a good cause (science education for kids).
Contact Info for Curiodyssey
1651 Coyote Point Drive, San Mateo, CA
