Raleigh Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources

garden in front of the house is gorgeous from early spring through the fall; so many flowers still in bloom at the end of September! You cannot beat the price, as far as venues go. Our rental for the wedding, including set-up, was only $900. That was 8 hours of building rental, with an almost unlimited amount of time to set up outside, and all the cleanup and damage deposits/fees. They were excellent with communicating with us as well as the other vendors. So many guests complimented us on our location for the wedding/reception. The grounds are well kept and beautiful, and the house is warm and cozy--great for the small affair that we planned. This is a wonderful venue for a small wedding (max capacity is 150) especially if you need a rain plan--the 2nd floor has a large "banquet" room that would be perfect for an indoor ceremony. The only con (not for us, but maybe for some) is that you can only serve beer and wine (white only to prevent staining) because it is a public park. Like I said, not a big deal for us--our wedding was in the middle of the afternoon, so no heavy drinking--but for a night reception, a bar might have been missed? This place fills up fast, so I would recommend taking a tour of the house and grounds very early in your planning stage. There's no deposit, so you have to pay in full to guarantee your date. Luckily, it is a cheap rent compared to most, so if you had to make a move on a date, it would be less painful.