Venues · Elk

Cuffey’s Cove Ranch

A family-run historic ranch on two miles of coastline by Elk, with refurbished barns and the original Kenney House.

Check Your DateBook a Call

Elk · the site of Cuffey’s Cove, the first settlement on this stretch, a mile north of today’s village. Booked directly with the family.

• The space
• Kitchen reality
• The story
• Questions to ask

The space

A historic coastal ranch on more than two miles of coastline: over a thousand acres of meadow and forest in a protected easement. The original ranch barns have been refurbished for events, weddings and workshops, and the Kenney House, the original house of Cuffey’s Cove, still stands at the center of it.

• The Kenney House Sleeps 12 in six bedrooms (one king, four queens, two twins), with three bathrooms, a living room, a library, laundry, and a dining room that seats 12.
• The barns Recently refurbished and available for events, weddings and workshops.
• Insurance All events require event liability insurance.

Kitchen reality

The Kenney House has a serious home kitchen: a Wolf gas range, a Sub-Zero refrigerator and a propane barbecue. For a dinner for twelve in the house, that’s everything a chef needs. It’s one of the best-equipped house kitchens on this coast for a small group.

For a barn wedding it’s a different job: the house kitchen isn’t a catering kitchen, so plan on the caterer bringing a working kitchen to the barns, along with rentals and restrooms. The ranch’s own vendor list includes several outside caterers, so bringing your own is how it works here.

The story

Cuffey’s Cove was the first settlement here, before Greenwood and Elk. It was settled in 1850 by two schooner shipmates, Frank Farnier and Nathaniel Smith, farmers credited with the famous Cuffey’s Cove red potatoes. James Kenney bought land from Farnier in 1855, and in 1868 built a wharf and chute to send railroad ties, shingles and produce down the cliffs to schooners waiting offshore. By 1870 the town had hotels, stores, a butcher, saloons, a church and two schools, about five hundred people. Fires in 1886 and 1892 ended the boom. The Kenney House is still there, a landmark you can see from Highway 1.

What to ask Cuffey’s Cove before you book

• How many guests can the barns hold, and is there power there? The ranch doesn’t publish a barn capacity. Ask, and ask what the power will carry.
• Can the caterer use the Kenney House kitchen for a barn event? It changes whether the kitchen arrives on a truck.
• What does the rental include? Tables, chairs, restrooms and parking all shape the rental order.
• What insurance do you need to see? Event liability insurance is required for every event.

Details from cuffeyscove.com (about, history, vendors). Checked September 24, 2026; confirm policies with the ranch. Book through their contact page. All venues.