Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
to people of all faiths, and as one wag said, “They don't offer room service, but they might
just deliver your soul.”
Here are five places to get the silent treatment:
Abbey of Gethsemani.
This Catholic monastery founded in 1848 is where Thomas Merton
wrote his best-selling book
The Seven Storey Mountain
(1948). Retreatants are invited to join
the Trappist monks in their daily program of prayer, sacraments, and silent reflection, begin-
ning with vigils at 3:15 a.m. and ending with a rosary at 7:45 p.m. Located on 2,000 acres
of heavily wooded land about 50 miles from Louisville, Kentucky, the abbey offers private
rooms, each with a private bath, and three meals a day. Rates are based on a voluntary dona-
tion system, but a typical offering would be $25 to $75 a day.
Abbey of Gethsemani,
3642 Monks Road, Trappist, KY 40051, 502-549-3117 (main),
502-549-4133 (retreat information), www.monks.org.
Dayspring Retreat Center.
Set on 200 acres of rolling hills and forests in the Maryland
countryside, this silent retreat center was built in the 1950s by an ecumenical Christian com-
munity. It can accept up to 18 retreatants at a time, most of whom design their own sched-
ule, but Dayspring also offers what it calls “spiritual companionship” for those who request
it. Some of the scheduled weekend retreats are titled “Generous Listening” and “Opening to
Divine Love.” Weekend retreats are $155 and include accommodations and vegetarian meals.
Nightly rates for individual retreatants are $40; this rate doesn't include food, but allows ac-
cess to the fully equipped kitchen.
Dayspring Retreat Center,
11301 Neelsville Church Road, Germantown, MD, 20876,
301-428-9348, www.serve.com/dayspringretreat.
Insight Meditation Society.
This Buddhist retreat center, housed in an old mansion, is 1.5
hours west of Boston. It's been hosting silent retreats since 1976, with a full schedule of more
than 25 two-day to three-month courses. The average retreat lasts seven to nine days. Most
retreats are silent, offer daily talks and meditation instruction, and include both walking and
sitting meditation. Dorm accommodations and meals are on a sliding scale and range from a
“low rate” of $160 to a “high rate” of $225 for a weekend; $375 to $575 for seven days; and
$480 to $740 for nine.
Insight Meditation Society,
1230 Pleasant Street, Barre, MA 01005, 978-355-4378,
www.dharma.org/ims.
