The Beautiful Coastal Locale of Pescadero

Venture Retreat is nestled in an area rich with history. Pescadero's heyday occurred over a century ago, when excellent trout fishing helped establish it as a booming seaside resort in the 1890s.

Among Pescadero's historical trivia:

• The first frame house was erected in town in 1851;
• A one-ton cheese was donated by the Steele family to the Sanitary Commission during the Civil War;
• General store owner J.C. Williamson provided generous interest-free loans;
• And the Duarte family tavern was destroyed by fire in the 1920s, but the original bar was saved. It can be seen in the modern-day Duarte's Tavern, still family-owned, generations later.

A century ago, visitors who braved the grueling mountain stage crossing to Pescadero found vine-covered lodgings in Sarah Swanton's hotel and happy "gem" hunting at Pebble Beach. Today, after a more comfortable car crossing, visitors can still find quaint cottages along Pescadero's main streets and gems in the form of U-pick berries at Phipp's Ranch.

Visitors can also see the oldest surviving Protestant church on the Peninsula. Built in 1867 in the classical revival style, the Pescadero Community Church was declared a state historical landmark in 1984.

View a map of the Pescadero area -->