Awhile back, we used to have a family reunion on a ranch near Santa Barbara. Around 30 of my cousins, their spouses, etc. would come for a weekend and we would have a great time. The place was a working ranch and we stayed in bunk beds - boys in one area and girls in another. We cooked our own food and ate in this big room that held around 40 people and had picnic benches. The field was full of horse mature where we had a great time playing stickball. The place was free (my cousin knew the owners) and the only cost was that we would pay their daughter for horse riding lessons.

The weather was usually hot, but fortunately they had a small swimming pool where we hung out during the heat of the day and we would go horseback riding in the evenings.

This was around 10 years ago and the people have passed on so I'm looking for another place where we could get together for a weekend. I'll pay for the whole thing so I would like to keep the costs reasonable. And in reality, the more we have to do (cook our own meals, wash dishes, etc.) the better. Somehow it seems more enjoyable if we "work" together. It seemed like having areas where we could do things together - even sleep together - really made it fun.

Most of my relatives are in the Los Angeles area, so the ideal location would be close to there. A few of us live in the San Francisco Bay Area, but it is easier for us to drive or fly down. I've don't some Internet searches and have found very nice places, but my objection to those are not so much the cost (although it could easily cost me over $10,000), but the fact that we would all be in separate rooms.

Any suggestions would be appreciated. TIA.

There's a camp ground near Gaviota Beach. TBird stayed there once and loved it. It does cost. I understand they offer many amenities but on a smorgasbord so you can use what you want and not use what you don't want.