Chapel at Sinsinawa Mound in Wisconsin (Lori Erickson photo)
Sinsinawa Mound Center in Wisconsin: The scenic, rolling countryside of southwest Wisconsin is home to Sinsinawa Mound, the mother house for an order of Roman Catholic Dominican sisters scattered across the globe. The 450-acre complex includes walking paths through woods. More on Sinsinawa Mound
Ghost Ranch in Abiquiu, New Mexico: Set amid the spectacular desert landscape made famous by Georgia O’Keeffe, the Presbyterian-affiliated Ghost Ranch offers self-led and guided programs.
Prairiewoods in Hiawatha, Iowa: Run by Roman Catholic Franciscan sisters, Prairiewoods blends spirituality and environmental programs.
Zen Mountain Monastery in Mt. Tremper, New York: This secluded monastery in the Catskill Mountains offers Zen training to people of all religious backgrounds. A weekend Introduction to Zen Training is one of its most popular offerings.
Isabella Freedman Jewish Retreat Center in Falls Village, Connecticut: This center in the Berkshire Mountains offers spiritual retreats inspired by Jewish traditions.
Breitenbush Hot Springs near Detroit, Oregon: Hot springs set amid a temperate rainforest await visitors to this non-denominational center.
Hope Springs near Peebles, Ohio: This retreat center in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains offers peace, environmental, social justice, and community-building programs.
Saint Leo Abbey near Tampa: This Roman Catholic Benedictine abbey welcomes pilgrims of all faiths to a landscape of woodlands and lakefront.
Abbey of Gethsemani in Kentucky (Lori Erickson photo)Shasta Abbey Buddhist Monastery in Mt. Shasta, California: This Zen monastery near the Oregon border conducts a year-round schedule of retreats, Buddhist ceremonial festivals, and Dharma Talks.
Holden Village in Chelan, Washington: For a wilderness retreat experience head to this former mining settlement that now houses a Lutheran renewal center. The village is accessible only by boat, and is located high in the Glacier Peak Wilderness of Washington State’s Cascade Mountains.
Saint John’s Abbey in Collegeville, Minnesota: One of the Midwest’s largest abbeys, Saint John’s is home to a community of more than 200 Benedictine monks. The monastery and adjacent Saint John’s University include 2400 acres with 12 miles of forest hiking trails and a beautiful church designed by Marcel Breuer in the late 1950s.
Yogaville in Buckingham, Virginia: A huge shrine built in the shape of a lotus flower sits at the heart of Yogaville, set amid the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in central Virginia. The 750-acre complex is home to an ashram founded by Sri Swami Satchidananda. Guests of all faiths are welcomed.
Main page for Retreat Centers in U.S.
Lori Erickson is one of America’s top travel writers specializing in spiritual journeys. She’s the author of The Soul of the Family Tree, Near the Exit and Holy Rover. Her website Spiritual Travels features holy sites around the world.
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