Half courtyard
$6004-hr block
Up to 12 seated
- Long table & linens
- Candles & string lights
- On-site host
Gatherings · One courtyard, one oak
One table.One oak.One night.
The most intimate place in Gainesville to gather. Built for moments people remember for years.
Seated up to 18 · standing up to 30 · property buyouts available
What it costs
Transparent rates, no quote-game.
Catering & bar arranged separately through our concierge. Weekend rates +$300. UF home weekends on request.
Full courtyard buyout
$1,1004-hr block · weeknight
Up to 18 seated · 30 standing
- Entire courtyard
- Long table & linens
- Candles & string lights
- On-site host
Property buyout
$2,800/ night
5 cottage rooms + courtyard
- All 5 rooms overnight
- Courtyard 12 hrs
- Concierge planning
Custom format, two-day retreat, or full takeover? Send an inquiry or call us.
(352) 555-0142Why dates move quickly
We host one gathering a night.
That's the whole promise — your night, your courtyard, your oak. It also means dates are genuinely limited.
Weekend availability
—dates left
Friday & Saturday slots through the season. UF home-game weekends book first.
The constraint
One party per night.
No double-bookings, no rushed turnovers. The courtyard, the oak, and your host are yours from setup to last candle.
Typical lead time
6–10 weeks ahead.
Most hosts secure their date 6–10 weeks out. Property buyouts and spring weekends often go 3+ months ahead.
Holding a date takes 24 hours and a refundable deposit.
Check my dateNot a generic venue
Atmosphere is built in.
You don't dress the room — the room is already dressed. Antique brick. Iron gate. Heart-pine porch. A canopy that filters afternoon light into something cinematic.
We host small. Roughly 6–18 guests for seated gatherings, more for standing. The size is the gift.
Sample formats
A few ways to gather.
The Bridal Reverie
A mindful pre-wedding day of facials, yoga, bodywork, and ritual for the bride and her people.
The Mother Blessing
A baby shower, reimagined. A candlelit circle, bead ceremony, prenatal yoga, and a long table built for the mother.
Birthday Gathering
A mindful celebration — yoga, facials with friends, a quiet toast, and dinner under fairy lights.
Private Wellness Retreat
Buyout the property — overnight stays, two days of ritual, shared meals.
Don't see your format? Call us — we'll help shape it.
Real evenings here
What it actually looks like.
Not staged renderings — real candles, real friends, real toasts. Photographs from gatherings hosted under the oak.
Reunion dinner · 14 guests
Mardi Gras night · the whole village
Morning toast · Depot pours
Cocktail hour · courtyard transformed
Live music · under the oak
Awards night · live band on stage
Bridal Reverie · morning yoga
Mother Blessing · bead ceremony
Birthday gathering · the toast
The oak at twilight
Built for the mother
Bridal Reverie · bodywork
Birthday · facials with friends
An evening, hour by hour
How the night moves.
Most evenings here follow this arc — light to dusk to candlelight to embers. A loose framework. The toast lands wherever it should.
- 5:30Golden hour5:30Golden hour
Arrival, slow.
The oak filters the late-afternoon sun into something honeyed. Ice clinks. The first guests find each other on the brick. The room is already dressed — there's nothing to fuss with.
- 6:30Blue hour6:30Blue hour
The light turns.
Sky goes lavender, then ink. We walk the courtyard one last time and light the tapers down the center of the long table. Conversations drop a half-octave. Everyone feels it.
- 7:15Candlelight7:15Candlelight
Sit down. Settle in.
Warm bread, the first pour, the seasonal opener landing in front of you. Eucalyptus and beeswax and whatever's roasting in the kitchen. The string lights overhead become the whole sky.
- 8:30The toast8:30The toast
Glasses up.
Whoever's holding the moment stands. The courtyard goes quiet. A few sentences nobody will forget. Glasses raised under a hundred-year-old oak. This is the photograph people will keep.
- 10:00Embers10:00Embers
The lingering.
The last pour, the tapers low, someone barefoot, someone humming. Nobody's checking a phone. Nobody's checking the time. The night has done what it came to do.
Daytime gatherings — bridal mornings, blessings, recovery brunches — run on a different arc. Same idea, earlier light.
Your host
You won't be handed a key and left to it.
Every gathering is hosted personally. Eli walks you through the property the week before, lights the candles the hour before, and stays close — not hovering — while you're here. Music levels, lingering guests, last-minute weather pivots: he handles it so you stay in your evening.
Depot Village has been a Zen retreat villa, a coffee house, a boutique hotel — a stage that's welcomed artists from around the world. Whatever stage of its evolution, it has always been a place to come together and cherish what matters most. Your night is the next verse of that song.
- Hosted on-site
- 100%
- Walk-throughs
- In person
- One night
- One party
Every event, every time.
Before every booking.
Never two at once.
From past hosts
“What a charming and spacious place to have an event. This was an amazing venue to host our employee Christmas party. Eli was extremely helpful and gracious enough to let us have the best party here.”
Lily
Employee holiday gathering
The bench
A trusted ecosystem, on call.
You don't have to source a chef, a florist, and a string trio from scratch. We introduce you to people we've worked with for years — or you bring your own. Your call.
Catering & private chefs
Family-style, plated, grazing tables
Wine & bar
Sommelier-curated, BYO welcome
Florals & tablescape
Eucalyptus, candles, foraged-feel
Photography & film
Documentary, editorial, super 8
Music & sound
Acoustic, DJ, live trio for the courtyard stage
Ritual & officiants
Doulas, sound healers, celebrants
Vendor introductions are part of concierge planning — no markup, no kickbacks.
How planning actually goes
From inquiry to candlelit table.
Five steps. One on-site host start to finish. No vendor handoffs, no phone-tag, no last-minute scramble.
- 01
Day 0 · 2 minutes
Send an inquiry
Tell us your date, format, and rough guest count. No commitment, no quote-game.
- 02
Within 24 hours
Hear back from Eli
A real reply from your on-site host — not a sales rep. We confirm availability and answer your first round of questions.
- 03
Week 1 · in-person or video
Walk the courtyard
Stand under the oak. See the table set. Choose half-courtyard or buyout. Hold your date with a deposit.
- 04
30–14 days out
Shape the evening
Pick from our trusted vendor list — catering, florals, music, photography. We handle introductions and timing.
- 05
Event day
Arrive and gather
Setup is done. Candles lit. Eli is on-site the entire night. You walk in, and the room is already dressed.
Included · Add-on · You bring
Know exactly what's in your rate.
No surprise line items the week of. Everything below is either covered, arranged through us, or comes from a vendor we'll personally introduce.
IncludedAdd-onYou bring
The space
Brick courtyard, string lights, live oak
Long table & linens (seats up to 18)
Candles & atmospheric lighting
On-site host (Eli) for the duration
Free on-site parking
Stage with PA system
for live music or speeches
Uplighting & specialty décor
Food & drink
Mimosa welcome toast
Depot Village pours
Catering (seated dinner or grazing)
from our trusted partner list
Bar service & licensed bartender
Cake or dessert table
we'll recommend a baker
The experience
Photography or videography
Florals & tablescape design
DJ or live musicians
Spa rituals for the guest of honor
before or after
Officiant or ceremony lead
Stay over
Cottage rooms for out-of-town guests
Full property buyout (5 rooms)
one rate per night
Group breakfast next morning
Not sure what your gathering needs? Send an inquiry — we'll build a single, all-in estimate so there's nothing to chase later.
Insider notes · Florida
The best months, the honest weather, the bugs.
We host here every week — here's what we've learned about light, weather, and timing in this courtyard.
Peak outdoor season
October through April. Cool evenings, dry air, the oak in full canopy, no need for shoulders to shrug at dusk.
Photographs best
Late March to early May, and again from mid-October through November. Soft light, full leaf, golden hour around 6:30 pm.
Mosquito notes
May through September we run cedar torches and a perimeter mister; we also recommend earlier seatings (5–8 pm) and lighter linens.
If weather turns
Florida rain rarely lasts. We move the long table under the covered porch, deploy heaters or fans depending on the season, and keep your evening on its arc.
Common questions
Hosting in downtown Gainesville.
Practical answers for first-time hosts.
Inquire
Tell us about your evening.
Not ready to lock a 4-hour slot online? Share a few details and our concierge will reply within one business day with availability, format suggestions, and a tailored quote.
- Reply within 1 business day
- Held dates honored for 5 days while you decide
- No deposit required to inquire
Prefer to talk?
(352) 555-0142Inquire about your date.
One party per night. Tell us the date you have in mind and we'll reply within one business day with availability, a held option, and next steps. No deposit to inquire.
Reference
See the full rate sheet
Courtyard & buyout rates
- Cottage rooms$225–$375 / night
- The Tree House$385–$495 / night
- Courtyard half · 4 hr$600
- Courtyard buyout · 4 hr$1,100–$1,400
Fri/Sat +$30–$50 · UF home games & graduation +$80–$110. All rates before tax.
Concierge
Prefer to talk to a person?
Our concierge can hold a date, walk you through formats, or arrange a private tour.
- Custom formats and full property buyouts
- Overnight pairings for out-of-town guests
- Menu, pours, and add-on planning
- Accessibility, parking, and arrival logistics