About The Refuge
At Knoll Farm
The Refuge is a retreat center in a spectacular, private setting that has a long history of changing how people think and work together. Offering space for deep conversation, reflection and celebration, the Refuge is located on our working farm amid organic gardens and ceremonial, hand-crafted spaces that encourage inspiration and renewal.
The Refuge is available from May 15 to October 15 for retreats, conferences, celebrations, events and countless other day-long to multi-day uses. If you are attracted to a stunning natural setting, inspiring green buildings, and a land-based community a bit off the beaten track of mainstream America, we encourage you to get in touch with us. We are all about co-creating transformative experiences, and we’d love to hear about the vision you want to manifest.
We are proud that our Refuge has consistently created a safe harbor where issues of class, race, power and privilege are seriously engaged, and all people are welcomed and honored. Such spaces are sadly all too rare, and our home and refuge are an expression of what we work toward in the larger world. A rich history of change-making continues here through those of you who join us each year and benefit from what the Refuge has to offer.
“The week exceeded my wildest expectations. The environment at Knoll Farm – physical, emotional, spiritual, intellectual – was highly conducive to deep personal reflection and open sharing. The food was superb, the facilities were comfortable, and the genuine hospitality was inspiring. These ingredients enabled each participant to really test their own limits, and build relationships I never would have thought possible in a week’s time.”
-Organizational retreat leader
“The retreat and the life you lead at Knoll Farm catalyzed a reflection for me about the role of creativity in our lives and in our work. I found Knoll Farm bursting with creative energy and I loved being surrounded by it. It made me want to be more intentional about bringing creativity, beauty, stillness, and reflection into my everyday work and personal life.”
-Retreat participant
“How many times have we met in conference centers and resorts to talk about the land? This was completely different. This was where we walked our talk, if even for just a week. We all saw a different view of how the world can be.”
-Nonprofit leader
“Looking out over the valley and mountains beyond…a sense of peace washed over me; I noticed myself breathing more fully, trying to soak up as much as I could… And the serenity lasted the entire length of my stay. We could not have asked for a more majestic, inspiring location to welcome us to the state of Vermont, and remind us of just how amazing our natural environment is. If you are contemplating it at all, you should go to Knoll Farm. The pictures don’t do it justice.”
~ ECO Americorps member, reflecting on a recent training she attended at Knoll Farm
“It’s a place where big concepts are explored through the tactile experiences of making things, having conversations, sharing meals, or meditating in the early morning. It’s hard not to feel inspired toward something better while at Knoll Farm.”
-Retreat participant
The Place We Offer
Our newly remodeled retreat center is nestled in a grove of trees above the farm. What we have aspired to create is something that expresses our love of artistic design, our belief in simplicity and a light ecological footprint, and our appreciation for nature. It is a wonderful place to settle into a simpler rhythm.
- We are open for retreats and family celebrations from mid May to mid October. We encourage you to book several months in advance.
- Ideal group size in the Refuge is 14-22 people overnight, with lots of additional accommodation options nearby.
- Our outdoor ceremony sites can accommodate around 120 people.
- A historic timber frame barn provides a dining room, library, meeting and hang-out space, yoga floor and place for screening and presentations
- Along our hiking trails you will find our mountain meditation yurt, a 750-square-foot space heated by a wood stove.
- Office space is available for meetings and planning sessions, with wifi.
- Guests at the Refuge at Knoll Farm sleep in single, double, and family sized yurts.
- Yurts and pathways are lit at night with solar power. A cob and stone bathhouse in the retreat village has hot showers, flush toilets and a wood-fired hot tub.
- The farm has an extensive trail system and is within minutes of many other first-rate recreational opportunities in the Mad River Valley such as waterfalls, swimming, biking trails and the Green Mountain National Forest.
THERE ARE MANY WAYS TO VISIT
The Refuge at Knoll Farm
