Wildacres is a true retreat, undisturbed by through traffic. The buildings sit atop a mountain called Pompey's Knob at an elevation of 3,300 feet. The property itself is 1,600 acres adjacent to the Blue Ridge Parkway surrounded by thousands of acres of the Pisgah National Forest. Our Solatido workshop meets in THE STUDIO, a beautiful, wood paneled room on the edge of the mountain overlooking the highest peak east of the Mississippi. Some fine songs have been written in this room!

Wildacres Retreat is private. It is not a holiday resort and does not cater to the traveling public. Among the many groups using the facilities are music and art master classes, religious and interfaith groups, mineral and lapidary societies, medical, social science, natural sciences, academic, environmental and senior citizen groups. All groups must be non-profit and have planned educational programs.  

Wildacres' buildings are modern yet rustic. Guests stay in two lodges which have 57 bedrooms. Each room has a private bathroom and accommodates two guests. There are no televisions or telephones in the rooms. Linens are supplied. The nearest village is Little Switzerland, North Carolina -- about halfway between Asheville and Blowing Rock.

Three family-style meals with vegetarian options are served each day in the dining room. For Solatido, we'll have use of the 165-seat auditorium with its grand piano, stage lighting, and spectacular eastern view of the surrounding mountains.

Wildacres is near the 75-year-old Penland School of Crafts and Mount Mitchell, the highest peak east of the Mississippi . Many craftspersons have studios nearby. See   www.wildacres.org

About Little Switzerland

"The developers bought more than 1,000 acres on Grassy Mountain to create this resort, designed as an escape from the summer heat of the Queen City. Upon visiting the spot for the first time back in the early 1900s, one of the visitors from Charlotte declared that the spectacular views here reminded her of the Jura Mountains in Switzerland. The idea stuck and Little Switzerland has been its name ever since. Today Little Switzerland is the only commercial village that is immediately adjacent to the 469-mile Blue Ridge Parkway, permitted here because it preceded the construction of the Parkway.

For the literary tourist, the Little Switzerland Book Exchange is home to one of the best collections of used and rare books in the state."

--From Literary Trails of the North Carolina Mountains by Georgann Eubanks, Solatido workshop leader

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