Over the weekend we drove a little less than two hours from Charlotte to Little Switzerland, North Carolina for a wilderness retreat at Wildacres.
Little Switzerland is a small mountain village (truly tiny) located off the Blue Ridge Parkway in western North Carolina. Wildacres Retreat was our reason for visiting the mountain town but we spent a little time meandering through the general store and the cutest coffee shop (Books and Beans — highly recommend!) before leaving on Sunday and were glad we did because both places were so wonderfully charming with a lot of character. We left with lattes, cinnamon rolls, pulled pork and hickory smoked salmon and it was a great way to round out our weekend. But the focus of this blog post is Wildacres Retreat! The time we spent at Wildacres was relaxing, adventurous, educational and unique and considering the fact that when we left Ryder said he wants to go back “10 times every month,” I think it’s safe to say our boys and our entire family loved it.
A Weekend at Wildacres
One weekend every spring, Charlotte’s Discovery Place Nature Museum plans a retreat at Wildacres Retreat, a non-profit retreat and conference center that serves other non-profit groups conducting educational or cultural programs. We first learned about this weekend thanks to an email list we were on through our longtime membership to our local Discovery Place science, nature and children’s museums. Ryan first read the email to me as I was brushing my teeth one night and when he said the retreat included salamander hikes and nature-based activities lead by expert naturalists, we knew our three boys would be in heaven.
The weekend is completely unplugged (no wifi, phones or tv) and includes a full schedule of activities for young kids ages 2 to 5, older children ages 6 to 12, and adults. (Attendees still used phones to snap photos during the retreat.) This year’s weekend retreat also happened to take place over my birthday which was another selling point for our family, as spending time together in nature with Ryan and the boys is one of my very favorite things to do in the entire world.
We registered our crew of five for Discovery Place Nature’s Nature Exploration Weekend at Wildacres and weren’t exactly sure what to expect. It was a little hard to find any information or reviews online beyond a brief overview of the weekend, so I’m hoping this blog post will serve as a Wildacres Retreat review of sorts for anyone out there who might be hoping for more information about this wilderness retreat.
Arrival at Wildacres + Accommodations
The retreat kicked off at 4 p.m. p.m. on Friday and we thought we would be one of the first families to arrive when we pulled into the parking lot a little before 5 p.m. We quickly learned Wildacres has a very, very loyal following and the majority of the families in attendance have been coming to the wilderness retreat for years. (Truly, we met some people who have been coming for 10+ years!) Upon registration, we were given a map of Wildacres and our room number in the South Lodge on the property. (A little note: Rooms at Wildacres only lock from the inside when you are in them. This didn’t bother us at all since we didn’t bring anything valuable but I figured it’s worth noting.)
Since we were one of the larger families in attendance, our room was fairly spacious. Within our room was a small bedroom where Ryan and I stayed with a bed (jury’s still out on whether that one was a full or queen size bed — haha!), a bathroom with a tub shower and a main living area where our three boys slept on a rollaway cot and a pull-out couch.
Accommodations were simple and no-frills but suited our family well, especially since we could have the boys sleep in a separate area from us. (For anyone with very young kids, the closets looked like they had the potential to very tightly fit a pack ‘n’ play, but I’m not positive on that one since we did not bring ours.) Rooms do not have televisions, alarm clocks or phones. Linens and towels were provided but our family opted to bring our own pillows and a noise machine. The noise machine was particularly helpful as walls in the lodge are thin and we could hear people walking around in the room above our room.
After unloading our belongings, we made our way back to the North Lodge to register for the weekend’s programming. This was when we realized people arrive at Wildacres early and immediately sign up for programming because certain classes and activities with limited spaces fill up. (The pottery and gem classes were the most popular.) In no way did the retreat ever feel too crowded or anything like that, but those who have been to Wildacres in the past clearly have an idea of the programs they love and sign up for them right away. (Basically my advice would be to arrive fairly early and immediately sign up for programs rather than unpacking first.)
Once we were registered for our programs, we made our way to the dining hall for dinner and then attended a welcome orientation to learn more about what was in store for our family for the weekend. The evening concluded with a few programming options (stargazing, a mocktail class or an Animals After Dark session) and our family opted to attend Animals After Dark. This was our first foray into Wildacres programming and included a short, rainy walk around the property to search for nocturnal animals and bugs lead by an incredibly knowledgeable naturalist.
Our boys loved using their flashlights to spot centipedes, millipedes, toads and salamanders and quickly bonded with some of the other nature-loving kids as they explored outside!
Wildacres Programming
The programming at Wildacres offers four different tracks: Camp Wildacres for children ages 2-5 (kids who attend these sessions must be accompanied by an adult), Kids Only for children ages 6-11 (without an adult), family (open to all ages) and adults (for anyone ages 12+). You can jump around various tracks and even change your mind at the last minute (pending availability) and we quickly learned Wildacres is reasonably flexible about the ages of children who attend the Kids Only sessions, as our middle son is 5 but turning 6 in a month and a half and he was permitted to attend a few Kids Only sessions with his 8-year-old big brother. We appreciated this flexibility very much as our big kids really wanted to attend some of those sessions together and had a blast!
Here’s a glimpse at the programming offered at Wildacres if you’d like to click on the image and enlarge it to read more about all of the activities:
And here’s a brief overview of the programs we attended:
Nature Detectives: This was a Kids Only session our big kids attended that included a hike to search for “clues” left by animals in nature. It was lead by Mr. Bruce, an expert naturalist who became a pseudo-celebrity to our family by the end of this weekend. His knowledge about nature was unparalleled and he truly had answers to absolutely any nature-related questions we threw his way. He radiated joy for his job and for the outdoors and our boys really enjoyed his sessions.
Painting Nature: This was my only solo session and it felt like a treat to have some time alone to learn about watercolor painting. I am very much a beginner when it comes to painting and as someone with zero experience, I would’ve loved a little more instruction during this session but still enjoyed the time I had to paint and talk with the women at my table about their past experiences at Wildacres.
Nature’s Treasures: This was one of the Camp Wildacres sessions (for kids 2-5) and Ryan and Rhett attended this one together. Rhett absolutely loved it and talked about the short hike they did and the binoculars he got to use during this session all day. On the hike, they picked up “treasures” like pinecones and leaves and I joined in this session at the end and was able to help Rhett make a suncatchers which he thought was the coolest.
For the Birds: This was the second Kids Only session our older boys attended with Mr. Bruce where they were each able to dissect an owl pellet and try to identify what an owl had for dinner.
Pottery To-Go Mugs: Our entire family attended this session together and had a blast! Ryan and I helped the boys make to-go mugs out of pottery (they plan to use theirs for hot chocolate) and all three boys were into this one. They loved stamping the clay to create their own unique designs and the leftover clay was a hit with our boys who liked forming it into various creative creations. We weren’t sure how Rhett would handle this session as he’s only three years old but he did fantastic and the woman leading the session was wonderful about offering help to those who needed it.
Our Animal Friends: This session was part of the Camp Wildacres track but our whole family was able to attend together. While it’s definitely geared toward younger kids and was a session Rhett thrived in, Chase and Ryder still thought it was interesting and everyone had fun rolling our Playdoh to create animal tracks (we turned this into a guessing game), identifying animal scat and listening to a nature story. I also must give a shout out to Tali, the woman in charge of leading the Camp Wildacres programming, because she had such an infectious energy and clearly has a passion for both children and nature.
Social with Local Musicians: This was essentially a happy hour for anyone at Wildacres to attend and we had the best time sipping beer and wine (juice boxes were provided for the kids), dancing to live music with our boys, soaking in views of the Blue Ridge Mountains and chatting with other retreat attendees about their experiences throughout the day.
Night Hike Salameandering: This nighttime hike was incredibly popular! It felt like more than half of the attendees hiked along the trail in search of salamanders and while only one was found, we did see deer and toads which kept our kids interested and engaged.
Campfire & S’mores: We arrived back from our hike to a roaring bonfire with s’mores supplies set up for everyone to enjoy!
Gemstone Panning at Emerald Village: This was our family’s final activity before we left on Sunday morning and it was a huge hit. Our boys think gem mining is the coolest and this spot was so unique and picturesque, as you could see the cavern where the gems are found as you sift through your haul to find your gems.
Wildacres Hikes
A few guided hikes are offered throughout the weekend at Wildacres but guests are provided a map detailing various trails (level of difficulty, length of time estimated to complete the trail, etc.) and we found this immensely helpful.
We did a few short hikes together as a family throughout the weekend and Ryan and I also hiked together with Rhett in our hiking backpack while the big kids were in one of their Kids Only sessions.
We loved the chance to enjoy a peaceful hike in the Blue Ridge Mountains together and I heard good things from those who went on the early morning group hikes as well.
Wildacres Meals and Snacks
Five meals are included during the retreat and the best way I can describe the food is to have you picture cafeteria-style dining.
(This is an overview snapshot I took of the dining hall. All retreat attendees eat at once, so this photo also gives you an idea how many people attend the retreat.)
A bell rings 10 minutes before breakfast, lunch and dinner to let you know it’s almost time to eat and then everyone makes their way to the dining hall for buffet-style dining. Tables are first come, first serve and families are encouraged to eat together. To-go containers are also available for those who would like to eat outside of the dining hall and we used them one time for an outdoor picnic lunch on Saturday.
Meals are family-friendly and dinners included pizza, vegetarian lasagna, pasta, burgers, veggie burgers, chicken wings and a salad bar while lunch on Saturday was chicken fingers and a salad bar. (Vegetarian options were always available and I think you can request gluten-free meal options as well.) Breakfasts included egg sandwiches, an egg casserole, sausage, oatmeal, yogurt, granola, fruit and cereal.
We did not realize Wildacres was going to provide unlimited snacks but as a mom to three boys who are serious snackers, this was such a nice perk. Snacks were located in the South Lodge right outside of our room and included trail mix, Sun Chips, granola bars, organic fruit rolls, mini muffins, dried fruit bars and Goldfish.
What to Pack for Wildacres Wilderness Retreat
We thought we packed well for our trip to Wildacres so I’ll share what we brought just in case it might be helpful:
Rain jackets (it was rainy on Friday night and these were very useful)
Rain boots for the boys (I wished I would’ve packed my waterproof hiking boots for Friday night when it was drizzly)
Sneakers
Travel coffee mug (this was encouraged, as coffee is available in the common area of the South Lodge but mugs are not provided)
Water bottles
Toiletries (nothing beyond hand soap is provided in the rooms)
Layered clothing (mornings were chilly but by the afternoon we were all in t-shirts — dress for the entire weekend is extremely casual)
Pajamas
Extra socks (this was a nice addition, as changing into fresh socks after a hike felt wonderful)
Flashlights (almost everyone had them and we were so glad we brought one for each of the boys)
Sunscreen/bug spray (we didn’t need either, but better safe than sorry)
Hats
Snacks (Wildacres provides unlimited snacks, but we still liked having some of our favorites on hand)
Aaaand that may have been way too many words but I hope this blog post gives anyone interested in visiting Wildacres Retreat a better overview of what you might be able to expect during an unplugged weekend in Little Switzerland, North Carolina.
I’m also happy to answer any additional questions about the retreat in the comments section of this post, should you have anything else you’re curious about related to Wildacres!
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