FIBER ARTS
QUILTING
NEEDLEWORK
KNITTING
SCRAPPING
& other CRAFTS
Celebrating Handcraft
COORDINATE YOUR GROUP ACTIVITY TODAY
This creativity retreat center encourages each visitor to engage in the sense of wonder and practice the act of wandering (let your mind wander... get lost in thought, in a good book, in conversation, in the project flow). Nestled in the high forest of mid-south Tennessee near lovely Hohenwald and the historic Natchez Trace Parkway, the Lemon Lodge is ideally suited to, and welcomes all creatives to congregate for camaraderie and a focused escape from the rigors of daily life that may distract us from our passion for craft in all its forms.
Arrange a retreat of 2 to 7 nights for your group of 4 to 12 people in the Lemon Lodge with the donkeys outside the back door, but may expand to other lodging on site depending on the calendar availability including rental RVs that we can help coordinate on-site for you. Not typically available in the summer months due to other programming activities, but please inquire for vacancy information and summer rental rates.
If the season is right, a fire will crackle as you work and visit with your friends in both the front and back of the house. At the end of your day, pop your favorite DVD that you bring along to watch a movie or ask Val about a projector for an outside experience. Book the lodging and just be on your own or add any of our options to your experience.
The proprietor and host, Val, left life as a tenured graphic design professor in 2018 to forge an unpaved path in this natural setting. Her goal is to provide opportunity for others to slow down, be creative, and share camaraderie with friends old and new in this beautiful and transformative place.
Add-on Options
PATTERN DESIGN for fabric or paper
Have you ever wanted to design your own fabric to include in your quilting or crafts?
Book this add-on workshop and Val, a former tenured graphic design professor, will guide you and your group thru a series of basic design exercises and share how to use resources to customize your own fabric. Basic Adobe Illustrator information. 2 hrs session and one-on-one coaching per person
MEAL PREP or COOKING CLASS
If you would rather not spend time cooking, Val will help customize a menu for your retreat and help with one ore more meals.
Or how about a cooking class?
Ask Val to help coordinate. If you are interested in special meals, she has been wheat, corn, and almost dairy-free since 1996. Lately that encompasses gluten-free so she is happy to share cooking and health tips.
DESIGN A BOOK
Have you ever wanted to transform your handmade scrapbooking into a printed copy your friends and family can collect?
Book this add-on workshop and Val, a former tenured graphic design professor, will guide you in how to scan and use online resources to create printed books available print on demand. This basic design workshop will also cover typography, basic principles and elements of design to transform your work. This two hour session will include additional individual time for using the camp computer equipment.
CYANOTYPES
Have you ever wanted to try handmade art as a nature based elements?
Blend your nature immersion with your interest in handcraft with this workshop using natural light and the origins of photography by creating cyanotypes.
A GLIMPSE AT THE SPACE
SPACE DETAILS
For your craft group, you are seeking space to work. The Lemon Lodge has three main areas for this. First is the front gathering area which is the width of the entire house. The chairs are on casters and could be rearranged. If you want to add an extra portable table (or two) in this room that is possible. The pine room is in the back of the house and features many windows overlooking the donkeys and the field providing lots of natural light. This room has two large tables also on casters with bench seating. If you want to move your tables out of the way in the evenings and watch a movie on DVD you can do that with our small collection of titles or bring your own. The third space is a 3-season porch with 3 walls of windows. There are also smaller tables approximately 4 ft in width or 3 ft in diameter.
Then you'll need a space to sleep. The Lemon Lodge features the following:
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Private Ensuite with a King and Twin bed. The empty closet can also be set up as small workspace along with the desk.
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Private Full bed that uses the hall bathroom.
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Dormitory style Loft featuring 7 twin beds. You'll need to walk up stairs and know that the ceiling is vaulted, but it's super comfortable for sleeping.
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Daybed in the gathering room. Trundle below is an option if you would like us to set up one extra mattress.
Meals. You have full use of the kitchen to bring your own items. You can add-on the meal prep plan. Or if you prefer, the towns of Hohenwald and Waynesboro each have a few restaurants.
BOOKING RATE:
You'll book the entire Lemon Lodge for your group and be able to visit the donkeys. Additional tours including the Forest Therapy Walk or any other add-on activities can be included with additional fee per person, please inquire. If you have more than 12 people or you prefer a bit more room to spread out, please inquire about availability of the Raspberry Residency House or the option of renting RV(s) that can be delivered and parked on-site for your participants.
Base rate is $300 / night for up to FOUR people adding $35/person per night up to a total of 12.
Minimum of two nights = $600 for the first four and $70/person 5 to 12. Extend to four nights and receive 15% discount on the base rate = $1,020 plus $140 per extra person. Extend to 7 nights and receive 25% discount on the base rate = $1,575 plus $175 per persons 5 to 12 for that week.
Lodging fee includes access to the furnished lodge, linens on each bed, one towel per person, electricity, housekeeping before and after your stay, credit card processing fees, local and state taxes, and the view with donkeys to hug out the back door. Lodging fee does not include daily housekeeping and there is no laundry option in the lodge. Firewood is additional. Ask about other hospitality services. Parking is available for two cars close to the house, and additional cars within easy walking access.
Must reserve your stay with a 50% non-refundable deposit with the balance due 45 days before arrival. Your reservation must be paid in full and is non-refundable if cancelled any later than 45 days before the arrival date. If you book your group within a 45 day window, 100% of the booking fee is due and is non-refundable for any reason including any participant needing to withdraw for health reasons including covid. It is highly recommended that you acquire travel insurance for this possibility.
For those needing broadband, please note that we have broadband on site and will have wifi in the Lemon Lodge via a farm antennae. If everyone in your group needs to be on a zoom call with their own laptop and access, you may encounter slower speeds. If you require more robust broadband, please ask about booking the Raspberry Residency House where the modem lives. Cell phones do not work well inside the house and usually only work in certain spots outside based on the provider, although we are working on experimenting with cell phone booster antennae.
RESERVATION PROCESS:
Contact Val at mail@campwonderwander.org with your details including number of participants, preferred date options (please provide at least two, or identify months if you don't have specific dates), general purpose for the retreat (what type of craft or art or other activities will you be doing?), any special requirements or needs (cutting matts, irons, extension cords, etc.), and any add-on activities you would like to include. Val will respond with a quote. If you agree to the terms, then you will receive an invoice for the deposit with the balance scheduled to be due no later than 45 days from your arrival date. The deposit is non-refundable and the balance is non-refundable if cancelled at any time there-after for any reason. Please note that if anyone in your group has any issues with the outside natural world like bugs, humidity, rain, heat, dirt, etc. then this may not be the place for you. Please make sure to show your group pictures of the facility before arriving. Updated pictures of the dorm loft are coming soon.
ABOUT CAMP WONDER WANDER
Born out of the desire by Val, the proprietor and founder, for a quiet inspirational place to commune with nature and be reinvigorated as a creative person on her sabbatical journey back in 2015, this 17-acre slice of beauty and serenity is the actualization to create a community for camaraderie and artistic endeavors of various forms. Val really believes that rewarding experiences occur when we get LOST – lost in thought, lost in a good book, lost in translation, lost in conversation, lost in place. Here you will be allowed and encouraged to do so at your own pace or in a more structured session.
YOU ARE ENCOURAGED TO BECOME A WONDER WANDERER!
Camp Wonder Wander is open year round, but limited availability may occur during certain seasons so please inquire and plan far ahead. The space was designed for customized creative retreats or booking general workshops in nature immersion creative activities. When the facility is not reserved for these formal events, you can request to customize or create your own adventure in the rural rolling hills of mid-south TN near Hohenwald.
Individuals or groups working on creative projects of any kind will find that the facility has been developed to embody the value of retreat methodology within a natural environment and encourages the fellowship that comes from connecting with others in small communal opportunities. We are committed to aiding participants and short-term residents in connecting to a deep, enhanced level of creativity & camaraderie. Please contact Val to coordinate your stay whether it be a weekend, week-long or longer term experience.
The goal is to provide a safe, carefree place for guests and workshop participants (crafters, quilters, scrapbookers or thrifters, designers, writers, artists, musicians, storytellers, creatives of any discipline or those just seeking a creative outlet) to Get Lost – to explore their inner dreamscapes and rejuvenate one's inner spirit.
You will be immersed in and on a beautiful mid-south Tennessee 17-acre property combining pasture with woods in the hills near the Natchez Trace Parkway in Lewis County (named after explorer Meriwether Lewis). Split into two parts the campground is an easy walk to explore and about 1/4 mile to the get to our 500 ft of the Buffalo River. Approximately 1.75 hours drive from the rich, culturally diverse city of Nashville, 1 hour north of Florence, AL, 1 hour west of Columbia, TN, about 2 hrs nw of Huntsville, AL and 3 hrs east of Memphis.
LOCATED IN A BEAUTIFUL PART OF TENNESSEE WITH LITTLE LIGHT POLLUTION. The Western Highland Rim of the mid-south is convenient from Nashville, Memphis, Florence, and Huntsville. You may want to see our campground information and possibly schedule your time so that you can see starry nights (weather permitting).
