Our Writing At The Castle Retreat is scheduled for February 1-5, 2024.
This will be a laid-back writing retreat, offering plenty of time for you to write on your current work. You’ll also be able to socialize with your fellow authors over delicious meals prepared by our private chef. Stretch your legs and clear the cobwebs with a short walk around the beautiful estate or a guided hike to one of our nearby waterfalls.
Come enjoy the peace and tranquility of our mountaintop resort, conveniently located just one hour from Asheville Regional Airport. Energize yourself with relaxation, great food, and plenty of time to write on your masterpiece.
Our sweet little lodge is nestled on top of a mountain and feels a million miles away. We are, however, conveniently located just off Hwy 74, just 1 mile up a paved and easily-accessed road. Each of our rooms is appointed with 5-star quality bedding and amenities. The lodge is conveniently located just 1 hour from Asheville Regional Airport and 10 minutes from Bryson City.
Your retreat will include accommodations for 4 nights in a private, semi-private, or shared room, along with all meals and activities. Retreat pricing is tiered, with shared rooms priced at $570 for the long weekend, semi-private at $670, and private at $770. (“Shared,” “semi-private,” and “private” refer to your room’s bathroom, not the room itself. Shared rooms share a jack-and-jill bath with one other room, semi-private rooms are part of a suite of rooms and bathrooms, and private rooms have a bathroom all to themselves.)
If a couple attends together, one pays the regular amount for their room, board, and retreat fee, while the other pays $470 for food and retreat fee.
An optional guided hike is available for a recommended tip of $10/person.
Contact the Lodge directly at info@smokycovelodge.com to make your room arrangements. Mention the writers’ retreat, and Lisa and Mary will work with you to figure out which room best suits your wants and needs.
Retreat Menu
Day 1 (Thursday)
- 5 pm – Cocktail Party/Meet & Greet
- Small cocktail reception with wine, cheese, crackers, olives, etc.
- 7pm – Dinner
- Chicken Marsala with Mashed Potatoes and Caesar Salad
Day 2 (Friday)
- 8 – 9am – Breakfast
- Scrambled Eggs
- Bacon/Sausage
- Potatoes
- Fruit
- Assorted Breads, Bagels, English Muffins
- 12:30 – 1:30 – Lunch
- Chili with quesadilla
- 7pm – Dinner
- Chicken Parmesan with Pasta and Salad
Day 3 (Saturday)
- 8 – 9am – Breakfast
- Make-your-own Breakfast Burritos with scrambled eggs, grilled onions, green peppers, mushrooms, cheese, salsa, sour cream, and bacon
- Choice of potatoes or hash browns.
- 12:30 – 1:30 – Lunch
- Minestrone Soup
- Grilled Cheese on a nice sourdough bread
- 7pm – Dinner
- Pot Roast with Potatoes and Carrots
- Veggie (probably peas}
Day 4 (Sunday)
- 8 – 9am – Breakfast
- Scrambled Eggs
- Biscuits & Gravy
- Oatmeal & Fruit
- 12:30 – 1:30 – Lunch
- Grilled Reubens
- Grilled Roast Beef & Swiss
- Potato Leek Soup
- 7pm – Dinner
- Pork loin roast served with yellow rice and broccoli or asparagus.
Day 5 (Monday, bu-by!)
- 8 – 9am – Breakfast
- Continental breakfast of assorted breads, bagels, English muffins, pastries, and possibly some fruit
Desserts and Snacks (the important stuff)
- We’ll have some dessert options after dinner (offerings to be determined).
- There will also be a tray of cookies out by the drink stations in the afternoons.
Drink Stations – located in the Great Hall, Lower Hall, and Kress Suite
- Keurig coffee and tea
- Our amazing mountain spring water
- Bring your own bottled water to keep in your room fridge, or save that space for your preferred adult beverages
* Please Note: some menu items might change due to availability
Lunch and Learn / Discussions over Dinner
Writing discussions will take place during lunch and dinner, so we get to work on professional growth while maximizing our individual writing time. These discussions can grow organically, but there will also be an idea jar (a wide-mouth Mason jar) and a stack of index cards available so attendees can write down their ideas for discussion (self-publishing, using Scrivener, etc.). If the discussion slows or veers too far from the world of writing, we’ll pull out a card and see where that idea takes us.
Retreat Schedule
Thursday
- 3pm – Arrivals start. Welcome home!
- 5 pm – Cocktail Party/Meet & Greet. Meet new friends and catch up with old ones.
- 7pm – Dinner
- Evening – feel free to write as late as you want, or sit and socialize in front of a fire with your fellow authors. The Lower Hall closes at 8pm, but you have plenty of other places to go.
Friday, Saturday, and Sunday
- Start writing as early as you want, in your room or in one of our public spaces.
- 8 – 9am – Breakfast will be available in the Lower Hall
- Morning – enjoy some individual writing time or take some time off to explore the grounds.
- 12:30 – 1:30 – Lunch and Learn in the Lower Hall
- Keep those creative juices flowing by taking a quick break for lunch… or take your time and chat with your fellow authors while you eat. We’ll have an organic writing discussion every day, with a topic idea jar in case our discussion ever flags. The idea jar will be kept on the dining table with a supply of index cards, in case you feel like adding to it.
- Afternoon – enjoy some individual writing time or take some time off to explore the grounds or take a hike.
- 1pm Saturday – Guided Hike participants meet up with your hiking guides on the Loggia. These local teens will lead you on a great hike, so come prepared in hiking boots and sturdy layers. Recommended tip is $10 per person.
- 7pm – Discussions over Dinner in the Lower Hall
- Fuel those creative juices by enjoying a great meal with your fellow authors. We’ll have an organic writing discussion every day, with a topic idea jar in case our discussion ever flags. The idea jar will be kept on the dining table with a supply of index cards, in case you feel like adding to it.
- The Lower Hall closes at 8pm.
Anywhere else, feel free to write as late as you want or sit and socialize in front of a fire with your fellow authors.
We’ll have a reading the last evening in the Great Hall, so participants can share some of what they’ve accomplished here at the Castle. There is no requirement to participate or to read.
Don’t forget, Coffee and Tea Stations are available 24/7 in the Great Hall, Lower Hall, and the Kress Suite.
Public Spaces
Loggia – Climb the stone stairs on the front of the castle to this deep porch with impressive views. There’s plenty of room to write if it’s not too cold outside, or you can enter the Great Hall through the double doors.
Great Hall – The main room in the Castle, this is the first room you enter upstairs from the Loggia. You’ll find a warm fireplace, comfortable tables, and one of our Coffee and Tea Stations.
Lower Hall – Directly under the Great Hall, this welcoming hall has another great fireplace, a large table, and another coffee and tea station. Despite the sign on the door, it’s available for use until 8pm and will serve as our Dining Room.
Central Stairway – Just outside the Great Hall and Lower Hall (through the door to your left if you’re facing the fireplace) is the stairway connecting the upper and lower floors. You’ll find the downstairs entrance to the Castle beside the staircase. Try not to make too much noise in the halls, since someone might be writing in their room.
The Lady’s Solar – A cozy little room across from the top of the Central Stairway, this little room would be the perfect place to emulate your favorite Brontë sister.
Kress Living Room – Across the Great Hall from the Central Stairway and down a short hall is a cozy living room where you can find more writing space and a small kitchen with a Coffee and Tea Station.
The Fire Circle – On the other side of the Castle from the parking lot, you’ll find the perfect place to make smores or sit around the fire trading ghost stories. Please note that it may still be rather cold in February, so come here prepared for fire and ice.
The Gardens – They might not be impressive in the winter, but you’re welcome to stretch your legs here and imagine what they look like in the spring and summer.
The Patio – Tucked in between the Castle and the mountain near the parking lot is a small furnished patio that’s our smokers’ zone.
Come experience the Spirit of the Mountain ….
Namaste’
Contact the Lodge directly at info@smokycovelodge.com to make your room arrangements. Mention the writers’ retreat, and Lisa and Mary will work with you to figure out which room best suits your wants and needs.