REGISTRATION INFORMATION FOR PARISH RETREAT TO VALLE CRUCIS


OCTOBER 17-19, 2025

EARLY INFORMATION PACKET


The St. Peter by-the-Lake parish retreat weekend is your chance to renew friendships and make new ones while enjoying a relaxing getaway at the Valle Crucis Conference Center, which overlooks a peaceful, rural valley in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Western North Carolina.

 

Retreat activities are presented in a friendly, relaxed environment. Your weekend will include home-cooked meals in an intimate cafeteria setting. There is always a Saturday morning intergenerational parish activity, along with plenty of time to fish, hike, enjoy a Bible study, visit the Mast General Store, play ping-pong or nap in a rocker on the porch. Every other year (when the retreat is on the 3rd weekend in October), the Valle Country Fair takes place right across the street from our location. Saturday night can include a fire in the fireplace with games and/or singing at the inn, or perhaps a dance at the Apple Barn, followed on Sunday morning with joyous worship in that same Apple Barn. Zumba has also become a recent addition to our Saturday activities. There are also both structured and unstructured activities for children to enjoy.

 

***Adult beverages – in moderation – are welcome***

 

A tentative itinerary will be published in the late summer and early fall before the date of the retreat.

 

Driving Directions:

    Take US 321 North passing through Hickory, Lenoir, an Blowing Rock. At the intersection with NC 105 in Boone, turn left onto NC-105 South. Drive approximately five miles to the traffic light at Broadstone Road (State Road 1112, just across the Watauga River Bridge). Turn right at that road. Drive approximately three miles to the intersection of NC-194 (in front of the Valle Crucis Elementary School). Turn left onto NC-194 South. Drive approximately 1.3 miles, past the Valle Crucis Conference Center Sign and around a sharp right-hand curve, to the parking lot of Holy Cross Episcopal Church. Pull into the parking lot and drive down to the large three-story building (the inn). Approximate driving time is 2 hours from Denver.

 

GPS Address: Valle Crucis Conference Center

                        146 Skiles Way

                        Banner Elk, NC 28604




You can download the registration form and send back or fill out and submit the form below.

2025 Valle Crucis Registration Form

Please Note: By registering as early as possible in 2025, you can make payments during the summer insteat of having to pay all at onlce in the fall.  Please make all payments payable to St. Peter by-the-Lake.  Please not "Parish Retreat" in the memo field.***


Please register your family and/or guests by printing each name and checking the corresponding box.  Registration fees include lodging and Saturday breakfast through Sunday lunch.  Fees are $200.00 per adult, $100.00 per child (ages 5-11) and free for children under age of 5.  Please note the age rule must be striclty followed.  If your child is 5 on Octuber 17, 2025 they must be paid for.  As always, CONFIDENTIAL full and partial scholarships are available to those needing a little extra financial help.  To obtain the, please see Father Ron.


(Unless otherwise indicated, we assume that all persons wish to share a room)


Please select your accommodation preference. A committee will evaluate preferences and

special requests, and prioritize accommodations first on medical/physical needs, and then

preference, as availability allows. Buildings date from the turn of the 20th century.

Accommodations are simple, but comfortable, cozy and clean.

(The Inn) has 20 mission style bedrooms. Most rooms have private baths, but 3 rooms

share 2 bathrooms. The inn features a specious living area, large fireplace, and long porch

with rockers overlooking the valley. We recommend the Inn for persons with disabilities or difficulty climbing stairs, or for persons who do not mind falling asleep a little later, because

the Inn’s great room is often host to late-night gatherings and boisterous card games.

(The Annex) is a dormitory style ccommodation, with 32 beds and 3 full baths. We recommend the Annex for persons who are early to bed and early to rise, because activities generally end earlier at the Annex, but early breakfast preparations can create some noises in the cafeteria on the 2nd floor.

***Please use the following box for comments, dietary requirements (excluding Friday

supper), or for persons traveling alone who wish to list others with who you are willing to

share a room.***