Majestic North Coast Oceanfront Venue
Oceanfront Setting
Perched at the very edge of the Pacific Ocean on California's North Coast, Switzer Farm’s the perfect setting for a wedding, elopement, anniversary party, retreat, family reunion or event of any kind. Our restored 1884 Victorian home, garden cottage and two historic barns sit atop 22 oceanfront acres with one-third of a mile of private coastal bluffs. We enjoy an uninterrupted ocean view from everywhere on the site. We are located 35 minutes north of Mendocino, and 20 minutes north of Fort Bragg, in the historic village of Westport.
Our oceanfront venue’s completely private. The farmhouse is situated hundreds of yards from our nearest neighbor, and is further cloistered by forests on all sides but the west (ocean-facing) side. And because the entire property’s located west of Highway 1, there’s nothing between you and the ocean but our very private pasture and coastal headlands.
Throughout our property are wonderful outdoor spaces for your guests to gather and celebrate. The wild headlands and bluffs overlooking the ocean or our ocean-view veranda and West garden are all ideal settings for a ceremony or cocktail party or some afternoon whale watching. Our south lawn and the areas adjacent to our big barn provide perfect places for big dinners or dancing. All of these spaces enjoy majestic, sweeping views of the Pacific. The options are limitless.
What’s perhaps best about our farm site is that while it’s completely private and secluded, it’s also within a five-to-10 minute walk of Westport. This means that those of your guests who aren’t staying with you on the Switzer Farm venue itself can stay nearby in any of the 3 Westport B&Bs or one of the many Westport Airbnb/VRBO rental homes. Not only does this obviate the need for any of your guests to drive to and from your wedding weekend events, but it underscores the intimacy of your special weekend. All of your guests will have traveled to celebrate with you in this beautiful place—far away from the rest of the world, but close to you and to one another.
1884 Victorian Farmhouse
Our farmhouse comfortably sleeps 20+ people. There are 7 beautiful bedrooms, 4 with ocean views and 3 with views of the forested mountains to the East. Two of the bedrooms have both a queen bed and a queen sofa bed. The ocean-facing library is equipped with a queen size sofa bed. Finally, the finished attic is equipped with 2 queen self-inflating air mattresses.
There are four full bathrooms, two with ocean views, all outfitted with restored turn-of the-century bath fixtures and fittings. Three of the four bathrooms have both showers and claw foot tubs, and the fourth has a shower stall.
The home’s public rooms: living room, library, dining room and kitchen—all enjoy sweeping views of the ocean, meadows and headlands. The living room, library and dining room all have original decorative fireplace mantels.
The gourmet kitchen has top of the line appliances and an adjoining laundry and pantry. While it has been restored to look as it did originally when it was part of a working sheep ranch and vegetable and dairy farm, it operates as a true chef's kitchen. The dining tables in the dining room and kitchen will seat 20 people comfortably.
To top it off, there’s a beautiful west-facing veranda overlooking the ocean, garden and headlands below. This space is perfect for morning coffee or a sunset dinner or cocktail party.
The garden cottage, situated just off our south lawn, will sleep an additional two people in a beautiful antique queen sized bed and has a bathroom with a shower. It, too, enjoys sweeping ocean views and has an ocean-facing veranda.
Your Relaxing Getaway
This is the perfect place to get far away from city life and enjoy time cloistered with family and friends, hiking, beach combing, stargazing, or whale-watching from the veranda and expansive grounds and promontories.
Our Northern California coast venue has all the nature and natural beauty you could hope to experience. Each evening, the deer come out from our forest to graze in the ocean-front meadow below. We have a family of foxes that visit each night. We spot a whale — sometimes many whales — most days we’re here.
Coyotes, bobcats, quails, hawks, turkey vultures and barn owls pass through most days and nights as well. We spot the occasional mountain lion or black bear on our property from time to time. The sounds of the crashing surf ease us to sleep each evening and greet the new day as we awake each morning. This is our forever home, and we welcome you to enjoy it as much as we do.
Friendly Venue Owners
Michiko and Gary, and their 3 kids, Maia, Natasha, and Kenzo, are the proud owners of Switzer Farm. Now that the kids are grown up, Michiko and Gary split their time between San Francisco and Westport. Our family loves the Mendocino coast in general, and Westport in particular.
Gary’s passionate about Victorian architecture and design, and has been studying and collecting Victorian things since the early 1980s. In 2015 Gary quit his job of 32 years as a lawyer to take on his dream job: restoring Switzer Farm to its original 1884 condition.
Over the next three years, Gary took all the 19th-century gas lights, plumbing fixtures and architectural elements he’d been collecting for the past 30+ years (and storing in the family’s San Francisco basement, attic and crawl spaces), and installed them here. It was a labor of love chronicled in his blog, SwitzerFeeFarm.tumblr.com. Now we hope that you’ll love the fruits of that effort as much as we do.
Northbound to Westport and Areas Nearby
Switzer Farm's seclusion doesn't mean isolation. While the venue itself feels like the edge of the world, a small, historic coastal village and some of Northern California's most striking scenery are just minutes away, and San Francisco (and the rest of the world) is closer than you'd think.
Westport
The coastal village of Westport is located 3.5 hours north of San Francisco. The drive includes stretches along Highway 128 and Highway 1 that are among the most beautiful in the world. Westport’s a scenic 35-minute drive north of Mendocino and a 20-minute drive north of Fort Bragg, California.
Westport’s a very small village, but has a lot to offer. Westport’s cute beach is located just a few steps from our venue. The Westport Community Store stocks essential supplies and has a gas pump as well. There are several B&Bs including the cozy and beautiful Westport Hotel and Old Abalone Pub, which serves dinners several nights each week as well as afternoon tea on Saturdays. Also, many Westport homes are available for rent on AirBnB and VRBO.
Just a five-minute drive from Switzer Farm, Pacific Star Winery offers ocean-view wine tasting throughout the week. Also just south of Westport is the luxurious and opulent Inn at Newport Ranch that offers fine dining as well as lodging. Just a 15-minute drive north of Westport is the famous Lost Coast, an amazing 75 mile long stretch of unspoiled coastal wilderness trails — the quintessential California backpacking adventure escape..
Fort Bragg
Fort Bragg has everything you’ll need to stock up for your stay. Harvest Market’s a top-notch grocery store with excellent organic produce and meats. There’s also a Safeway for the basics. We love Roundman’s Smokehouse and Butcher Shop for high-quality butchered and smoked meats. There are terrific places for breakfast or coffee including the Headlands Coffeehouse and Cucina Verona on Laurel Street and Cafe 1 on Main Street. North Coast Brewing Company makes excellent beers and has a tasting room right on North Main Street. Piaci Pub and Pizzeria is a fun place for a wide variety of craft beers and pizza.
There are world-class hiking and biking trails throughout the area. Usal Road to the Lost Coast is just 13 miles north of Westport. You can rent bicycles at Fort Bragg Cyclery on North Main Street in Fort Bragg. Or you can rent horses at Ricochet Ridge Ranch, just north of Fort Bragg, for half-day or all-day rides on the beaches and coastal trails. There are terrific beaches all around us whether for surfing, tide pooling, or just lounging in the sun.
Mendocino
The only town registered on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in its entirety, Mendocino has many wonderful restaurants and shops. It’s well worth a visit.
Anderson Valley
Just an hour or so southwest of Westport’s the Anderson Valley, home to dozens of world-class wineries, breweries, and tasting rooms.
View our Mendocino Coast location, on the scenic northern California coast.