COUPLES GETAWAY
in a nature immersive setting
disconnect to reconnect
A private customized getaway experience in a homestead setting.
Even a visit to the quiet Buffalo River feels like a stop in time.
Escape the sounds and hustle of regular life for at least two nights.
Hug Donkeys!
fresh homemade organic meals
Forest Therapy
It's just YOU!
Your host and guide, Val, is paying full attention to your needs so you can enjoy your time together and with the natural surroundings. This is not a resort where there are other guests battling for the perfect outdoor chair or getting in your way while they try to take selfies. There may be artists, writers, or other creative folks in the residency program on site during your retreat, but you have the Lemon Lodge.
In this nature immersion experience where the phone won't work well, there's no TV, and the wifi is easy to ignore, you can really settle in to a slower pace to reconnect to your inner self and each other. "Couples" could be any pair - friends, roommates, parent/child, work/creative partners, or romantic partners.
Enjoy the natural surroundings and fresh air that comes with the territory. The 'Western Highland Rim' in mid-south Tennessee features rolling hills. Located in easy driving distance from Nashville, Memphis, Birmingham, and even Atlanta and offers not only good stargazing on clear nights, but also unique landscape and tucked away sites from walking in the woods to visiting wineries.
retreat highlights
With a minimum 2 night stay, each couples getaway includes:
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Customized menu just for you and any dietary needs that includes meals prepared with healthy, organic, fresh ingredients. Focus on the farm to table either from the garden or sourced just before your arrival, fresh free-range organic eggs from the on-site hens, and other fresh organic ingredients sourced right before your arrival. Coffee, tea, and fresh water in the kitchen as well as a sparkling water options. After booking, we'll develop a personalized menu that typically includes 2 dinners, continental breakfast, picnic lunch, and brunch. One dinner will likely be risotto with additional items.
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An introduction to the donkeys and a tour of the garden including a discussion of what may be wild in bloom that could be edible flowers or 'weeds'.
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Enjoy free time to wander the property, take a dip in a small swimming hole area of our Buffalo River access, spend time with the donkeys, find a quiet space to read, take a nap in a hammock, or even bring your own craft project. There are puzzles, cards, a few board games, and a dvd player if you want to rent an old favorite flick to bring along.
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Exclusive access to the Lemon Lodge featuring your private quarters with a king size bed and ensuite bathroom (second bedroom for those needing it). A home away from home with living room, kitchen, and dining area as well as a front and back porch. The back porch overlooks the donkey zones.
(please note that there may be participants in the artist/writer residency program residing elsewhere on the homestead acreage or other guests reserving primitive campsites closer to the river.)
star-gazing in one of the LAST LIGHT POLLUTION FREE ZONES in the state of Tennessee
nourishment
After your booking, coordinate your menu with Val that incorporates farm to table philosophy from the garden or nearby producers or what we can source as organic, fair trade, non GMO, etc. Healthy nutrition helps the brain and body and is a vital component to the sense of wonder and act of wander.
Special diets will be adhered to and you may also inquire about learning more about dietary plans such as gluten-free or vegetarian is an option for cooking classes.
* information is based on experience and resources available to the public, this is not a certified nutrition or dietician strategy.
transportation
Located near the lovely small town of Hohenwald - German for High Forest, Camp Wonder Wander is rural for a reason. You won't hear typical sounds of modern city life - approximately 2 hours from Nashville & Murfreesboro, 3 hrs from Memphis and Birmingham.
The best airport is Nashville International - BNA.
If you want to rent your own car, there are lovely areas to explore with state parks and hiking/walking trails all within about 45 minutes drive.
Please inquire about transport options.
personal attention
Hospitality is very important and you will receive personal attention for your planning and while you are at the retreat center. The exclusivity of the place will reinforce this personal attention as will be the only occupant in the Lemon Lodge (although there may be participants in our artist/writer residency program elsewhere on the property or people camping on the riverside land).
You are encouraged to sit and daydream, go for walks and use the space for your personal inner journey. Are you in a life shift? Interested in learning more about the garden, foraging, or even how Val ended up in this rural place after two decades as a professor? Just ask.
tennessee
The location of the retreat center is intentionally rural so that participants can engage in a digital detox and reconnection with the inner spirit. The state itself offers a variety of habitats and geology while this area is one of the best areas without light pollution. Considered to be in the Western Highland Rim, the terrain is rolling hills with farms, ranches, and forest. Even in winter there's still some green with the evergreens and bamboo forest.
Recognizing the features and benefits of each season would be a consideration planning your retreat. From the coziness that comes in the winter months with the woodstove inside and embracing nature's dormancy to the long days of summer with fireflies and birds all about.
Nature Immersion Benefits
From Radio Lab, stories on getting lost and found.
"Expect three main benefits from nature: restoration, contemplation and inspiration. All of them are crucial for creative leaders. Nature restores us. It gives us physical and emotional health—when it comes to stress relief, breathing fresh air is as close to medicine as you can get. Being in the mountains or near the ocean directly affects our health in a good way. After just 20 minutes in a natural setting, our levels of cortisol, which is a stress indicator, decrease significantly." for the full article click here to read "The outdoors prescription: how nature ignites creativity" by Kate Inglis
"Take two hours of pine forest and call me in the morning" also discusses the need to put away phones and get into nature to lower blood pressure, reduce stress and more.
Tips for an aging brain include Be Social!, Engage in New Experiences that challenge your way of thinking and allow for sense of Wonder, Don't Multitask - put the phones away, Eat Healthy Real Food.... and more in a delightful conversation.
Scientific reasons support the philosophy and methodology of the Camp and Creativity workshops. Learn more listening to NPR's On Point with Tom Ashcroft original airing July 24, 2015.
"Forest Bathing: A Retreat to Nature can boost Immunity and Mood" – Allison Aubrey
What is FOREST THERAPY (forest bathing)?
Forest Therapy guided SLOW walk - in 'airplane mode' - that will engage you in wonder and wandering in a sensory experience as an intentional immersion in the natural world. Val, certified by ANFT, is your guide to slowing down which can be difficult for us in our fast-paced society. A guide works in partnership with the more-than-human world to accompany and support others on the journeys through which they encounter and embody the whole of who they are.
What is Forest Therapy?
This originated in Japan as "Forest Bathing" or "shinrin-yoku" in the 80s when the government recognized an increase in health problems brought about by the intensity and demands of their urban work environment. They conducted much research and realized that humans in the urban world were disconnected from the indigenous land and nature found more commonly in other parts of their country.
Val has been to Japan multiple times and the impact of seeing and feeling a society that embraces the natural world was an impetus to founding the retreat center and becoming a certified guide. ANFT, Association of Nature and Forest Therapy, is an international accrediting organization that has developed their own standard practice inspired by the Japanese.
Here's another resource from PBS – Windows to the Wild episode.
Reservations based on availability between mid-April and mid-November. Because this is a customized plan, each request will be organized based on your particular situation. Unlike a hotel or vacation rental, there are other aspects in planning your getaway so we'll develop your custom plan, then a 50% deposit will hold your dates.
There are no back-to-back bookings between guests. Winter dates available upon request and temperature/weather permitting.
Couples can be considered any pair - friends, creative/work partners, family members, or romantic partners. LGBTQ+ welcome.
BASE PACKAGE
$999
Make Plans Today
Add-on Activities
Add-on activities include:
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Nature cyanotypes - original photographic process using sunlight - $150 for two includes instructional time, materials that are prepared by hand before your arrival, and you have custom one-of-a-kind art to take home. Approximately 10 pieces. If you would like more, please ask for additional fee. As you can see in the gallery above, these are blue (only option) and you get to choose the natural objects, composition, etc.
If you choose this option, the best time to do this is after brunch on your second day.
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BOOK-BINDING & typography Haiku - explore the uniqueness of hand-lettering and doodling with your choice of Haiku (that are nature based). Receive feedback on your design while you make a statement against computer generated (and a.i.) work with one of a kind object that can be a journal or frame your compositions. Materials include paper and instructions for a simple Japanese binding. $150 for two.
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Photography basics with an instant camera. Create a series of one of a kind images from the old school 'polaroid' technology. Using the camp's fuji camera, you can wander and take 10 unique images in the small format camera. Includes basic photography tips and the film materials while you can wander on your own or bring along during the forest walk. $40
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COOKING CLASS - on your second night, why not have fun together preparing a meal? If you normally eat out or you avoid certain types of meals, then this may be something you would enjoy. We'll bake a dessert, chop and prepare roasted vegetables, make a risotto (4 options), and usually bake or pan cook fish for the complete package. $300 (about 2 hours). Can accommodate vegan or other dietary limits/preferences.
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Paint rocks or create a collage. Request this option and materials will be on hand to work on your own. $15 for materials for diy. Collage instruction $75.
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Please inquire about pottery class. Dependent on operation of kiln and timing. This could take longer and final items shipped to you. Or choose an air-dry clay to make small sculptures that are not food safe. Currently not available until late 2025.
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Fabric Weaving. a fun mindfulness exercise of nature themed fabric scraps that can turn into a one-of-a-kind piece of art or even a small coaster. Materials that you can use include a loom and the fabric options. You take away what you make. Approximately 30-60 minutes. $60.
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Additional night with additional dinner = $100.
Interested in connecting to activities in the area? please make sure to ask about directions to these places as GPS may take you on winding roads, dirt roads, or spots where dogs like to chase cars :)
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any of the local wineries including Amber Falls that often has entertainment on the weekends or Keg Springs Winery
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Amish markets
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Summer festivals or seasonal u-pick days at the blueberry farm in Hampshire or Oak Grove Lavender farm just a few minutes drive
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other nature spots on the Natchez Trace Historic Parkway (a Federal park 440 miles long)
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a visit to "The Farm" - the first intentional community with a small store and farm market days seasonal on the 2nd Saturday
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Horseback riding at nearby Calico Junction Ranch
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Canoe or Kayak the Buffalo River with nearby outfitters Crazy Horse Canoe
(approx. 25 min drive)