Stepping Stones Farm & Retreat Center - A New Hampshire Retreat Built Around Wellness (could be yoga, meditation, spiritual, church, fitness or food)

Stepping Stones Farm & Retreat Center is a historic 28-acre farm and retreat center in Temple, New Hampshire, with a history of hosting retreats and gatherings dating back to 1975. Today, the farm continues that tradition by offering a peaceful setting for wellness retreats, group gatherings, workshops and restorative stays.

This farm started operating as a retreat center since 1975 when the Reverend Gene Robinson and Isabella (Boo) Martin purchased this 28 acre property from Boo’s parents, Gene and Bella Martin.  The Martin’s bought the whole farm of 400 acres in 1965.  They  moved the family, dogs, cats and 18 horses from metropolitan  Washington, DC to this quintessential New England farm seeking a better, more healthy and happy life for the family than the hustle and bustles of the Washington social scene with private schools and country clubs.  They yearned for a simple family farm where most all of the food was grown right on the land with the family working side by side.  They believed to their core that happy and healthy was way more important than wealth and prestige.

The family thrived in its new life.  With a big garden, apple and peach orchard, a milk cow named Tiny, beef, sheep and pigs, the family flourished for years.  As college approached for Boo, she knew she wanted to be a teacher and work with children.  After saying a private and tearful good bye to the land and the beloved horses, she went off to UVM to become a teacher, only to meet her college Chaplain, Gene Robinson.  From smitten parishioner to becoming engaged, Gene and Boo got married and Gene finished seminary to become a priest in the Episcopal Church.  They dreamed of a retreat ministry instead of the typical parish ministry because they had both been involved in many retreats and saw first hand the transformation that a day or a weekend could bring about.

One day, Boo’s parents called and said they had decided to sell the main part of the farm.  They asked if we wanted to buy it.  On a church salary of $6,000 and Boo finishing up college at Fordham University, Gene and Boo said YES.

It never occurred to either of them that they could not make the farm succeed.  When the lawyer who helped form the original Sign of the Dove Retreat Center and Pony Farm, our summer camp, asked them “How soon do you expect to turn a profit?”  They enthusiastically replied “We better do it this month.”

Undaunted, they immediately began to host retreats in The Homestead, Boo’s childhood home. The farm attracted retreats for youth groups, prayer groups, vestry and ministers’ gatherings.  Soon, the demand out paced the Homestead and the planning began to secure the funding to build a dedicated retreat center.  With a year of retreats under their belts, they had learned that the ideal size of the building needed to accommodate 20 to 25 people and have a full kitchen and meeting room.

The construction of a large log cabin lodge began.  Each log was peeled, lifted, stained and placed in the walls and roofs by hand. Since its dedication in 1977, this same log cabin has welcomed those who are seeking renewed hope for the world, community, confirmation of faith and healing. Though the world has changed and Gene went on to become the first openly gay Bishop in the Episcopal Church, the mission of warmth, welcome, invitation and inclusion has never changed.

Why Stepping Stones Farm Is a Special Place for Wellness Retreats...

Today we welcome and support a variety of different faiths, wellness modalities, meditation, yoga and fitness retreats.  The same spirit remains as the facility has improved its amenities.  The farm still features horses, chickens and farm animals.  People still walk in a look up.  Retreat hosts feel supported during their retreat.  Retreat attendees still gather and learn and relax and have fun.  Some things never change.  Some things get better with time. Today, the Stepping Stones Farm & Retreat Center still does both!

Let us help you plan the budget, marketing, food and program options so you can host a successful and financially worthwhile retreat.  We can’t wait to talk to you and see if we have the space you need to do your important work of healing and wellness.  Talk to our team! We are eager to share our beloved farm and land with you as you gather people and create community. Remember Stepping Stones Farm & Retreat Center for your Wellness Retreats. See our FAQ page.