GRAY, Tenn. -- Rosemary Kleske had spent hours online.

Some venues required her group to pay for their cooking services – a tough bill to swallow when her group of church ladies could certainly whip up a good meal on their own.

Other retreats restricted the use of alcohol, but Kleske was planning a wine tasting 101 session for the 40 women from the Holston Valley Unitarian Universalist Church (HVUUC).
 
Other venues also had lengthy, complicated contracts.   

But the women’s retreat was a simple weekend event, and they just wanted to have fun and relax.

“It was very hard to find someplace that fit all of our criteria,” she said.

Eventually, she found Sugar Hollow Retreat. Now she’s planning her third woman’s retreat there for 2010.

“The beauty speaks for itself. It’s just gorgeous and everyone loves the hikes,” she said. 

The rain is coming down steady today, slowly dripping from the eaves, and watering the wildflowers and lawn behind the Lodge.

Fall is one of the most beautiful seasons, but lately, it’s been pretty rainy at Sugar Hollow.

When it rains, we spend time making sure your Sugar Hollow cabins are shipshape – light bulbs, any minor things that need to be fixed.

But what about you?

Here are 10 ideas to keep you busy if Mother Nature just isn’t outdoor-friendly during your stay with us:

BUTLER, Tenn. -- Ever wanted to be Indiana Jones, searching for treasure?

Got a GPS unit?

Then you’re all set. While you’re spending time hiking, horseback riding and antiquing around Sugar Hollow Retreat, you can also grab that GPS unit and hunt for treasure.

It’s one of many activities at and around Sugar Hollow Retreat, and it’s called geocaching.

There are 923,340 active caches worldwide, and you can take part in your area by searching for treasure at geocaching.com.