Lost Caverns Retreat · Nov 6–8, 2026 · Four rooms
Hold my spot
The New River at Hinton, West Virginia in early November fall color

House of Lenore Retreats · Sisterhood

The Lost Caverns
Women's Retreat

November 6–8, 2026/Hinton & Lewisburg, West Virginia

Three days in a house on the river, at the exact weekend the mountains turn. Four rooms, never more than seven of us. No agenda you have to keep up with.

Hold my spot with a deposit From $550 for the weekend. A $250 deposit holds your room, balance due October 22.
When
Nov 6–8Friday afternoon to Sunday morning
Where
Hinton, WVRiverfront house, minutes from Sandstone Falls
How many
Four roomsSix of us, seven at the very most
Investment
From $550Lodging, meals, and activities included

What this weekend is

You do not have to earn the rest.

This is a weekend in a house on the water, in the part of the year Appalachia is at its loudest. We cook. We sit by the fire. We go underground into Lost Caverns and we sit in the salt cave and we walk out to Sandstone Falls when the light is good.

You can do all of it. You can do none of it and read on the porch instead. Nobody is going to come find you and ask why you are not participating.

Four rooms is not an accident. Six or seven women is the largest this works at, the point where everyone still gets known by Sunday.

And what it is not

  • Not a wellness retreat. No juice cleanse, no 6am mandatory sunrise circle.
  • Not a workshop. There is no curriculum and nothing to take notes on.
  • Not a share-your-trauma weekend. You can tell us as much or as little as you want.
  • Not a group that already knows each other. Most women come alone. That is the normal way to do this.
  • Not roughing it. Real beds, real kitchen, hot water, wrap-around porch.

Where we stay

A house on the river.

We take over a private home along the river in Hinton, minutes from Sandstone Falls. Wrap-around porch over the water, a kitchen big enough for all of us, and a fire pit that gets used every night.

You pick your room when you reserve. Shared, private, or private with a friend. First come, first served, and the good rooms go first.

Wrap-around porch overlooking the river at the retreat house in Hinton, West Virginia
The porch
Interior of the riverfront retreat house
Inside
Sandstone Falls on the New River in autumn
Minutes away

The weekend

Here is the whole thing, so you know what you are saying yes to.

Everything below is optional except arriving. If a block does not sound like you, skip it. The house is always open.

Friday, November 6

Afternoon

Arrive

Drive in or carpool from Wytheville. Pick your bed, put your bag down, take the porch in before anything else happens.

Evening

Dinner on the porch

A home-cooked meal over the water. No seating chart, no icebreaker, no going around the circle.

After dark

Fire and s'mores

This is where everyone stops being strangers. Stay as long as you want. Go to bed at nine if that is what you need.

Saturday, November 7

Morning

Slow breakfast

Coffee is on early. There is no set time to be downstairs.

Late morning

Sandstone Falls

A short drive and an easy walk out over the New River. Peak fall color is the reason this weekend is this weekend.

Afternoon

Lost World Caverns, Lewisburg

Underground, cool, and completely quiet. Admission is covered.

Late afternoon

The salt cave

A session at Pomona Salt Cave in Lewisburg. Forty-five minutes of doing absolutely nothing on purpose. Your session is covered.

Evening

Dinner out, then the fire

We eat out Saturday night, on the House. Back to the porch afterward, and portrait sessions run through the evening for anyone who wants hers.

Sunday, November 8

Morning

Breakfast and the river

One more slow meal. Most women sit outside a while before they load the car.

By 10:00 am

Head home

Checkout is 10:00 am. Lewisburg is worth an hour on the way out if you are not in a hurry.

The money part

What your $550 covers, and what it does not.

No surprises when you get there. If it is not on the left, it is not included.

Included

  • Two nights in the riverfront house
  • Friday night welcome dinner on the porch
  • Slow breakfast Saturday and Sunday
  • Dinner out Saturday night
  • Coffee, snacks, and s'mores
  • Sandstone Falls outing
  • Lost World Caverns admission
  • Salt cave session
  • Carpool from Wytheville if you want it
  • Candid weekend photos, delivered afterward
  • A portrait session with five finished images

Not included

  • Your drive, or gas if you carpool
  • Alcohol
  • Spa treatments at the salt cave
  • Shopping in Lewisburg
  • Lunches, so you can graze or go out as you like

Your room

Four rooms, and you pick when you reserve.

Two bunk rooms, a twin room, and the orange room with the queen bed. First come, first served, so reserving early is how you get the one you want.

You will never be asked to share a bed with a stranger. The only bed anyone shares is the queen, and only if you bring someone you already know.

The most spots

A bunk in a bunk room

$550
per person, all in

Two rooms with bunk beds, shared with women you probably have not met yet. Your own bunk, your own blanket. These rooms are where the late-night talking happens.

4 bunks left

Only one exists

The twin room

$675
to yourself, all in

A single bed and a door that closes. For light sleepers, and for anyone whose whole reason for coming is quiet. One woman, and that is the whole room.

1 left

Only one exists

The orange room

$795
to yourself, all in

The queen bed and the best room in the house. Take it alone, or bring a friend and split it.

With a friend: $625 each. You share the queen, so bring someone you would actually want to. Book at the same time.

1 left

Included, and genuinely optional

A portrait session is part of your weekend.

I am a photographer before I am anything else, so this is not an upsell. Your session is included, and so are five finished images. We shoot in the house, one woman at a time, door closed.

Nobody watches. Nothing is shared without your written permission. And if you would rather just be on the porch with a glass of wine while someone else takes their turn, that is a completely normal choice and it will not be remarked on.

IncludedFive finished images, yours to keep
Portrait session photographed by Madeline Lenore
Madeline Lenore, founder of House of Lenore

Who is running this

Madeline Lenore

I have photographed more than 1,200 women, most of them convinced beforehand that they were not the type. I run House of Lenore out of a studio on Main Street in Wytheville, an hour and a half from the house we are staying in.

I built these weekends because I kept watching women leave a two-hour session lighter than they walked in, and thinking that two hours was not enough. This is the longer version.

You will not be handed off to a facilitator. It is me all weekend.

13+ years behind the camera Featured in Forbes + Good Morning America 1,200+ women photographed

Honest answers

The things women ask before they book.

What if I do not know anyone?
Most women come alone. That is the normal way to do this, not the brave exception. Six or seven people in one house for two nights means you will know everyone by Saturday morning whether you plan to or not.
How far is the drive?
Hinton is roughly an hour and a half from Wytheville, two hours from Blacksburg, two and a half from Roanoke, and about an hour from Beckley. We carpool from the Wytheville studio for anyone who would rather not drive it alone.
Do I have to do the boudoir session?
No. It is included in your weekend, which is not the same as required. Plenty of women will skip it and sit on the porch instead, and nobody will remark on it. If you do want yours, you keep five finished images.
Will I have to share a bed?
Not with a stranger, ever. Two of the rooms have bunk beds, so you get your own bunk. The twin room is a single. The only shared bed in the house is the queen in the orange room, and that is only if you booked it with someone you already know. Rooms go first come, first served.
What if I am not outdoorsy?
Sandstone Falls is a short walk on a boardwalk, not a hike. The caverns are a guided walk. Nothing this weekend requires fitness or gear, and every outing is optional.
What should I pack?
Layers, something warm for the fire, comfortable shoes for the falls and the caverns, and whatever makes a house feel like yours. Early November in West Virginia runs cold at night. You will get a full list once you reserve.
Is there cell signal and wifi?
Cell signal out there is spotty, so plan on that. The house has wifi, so you can still reach anyone who needs to reach you. If someone at home is counting on getting hold of you, give them the house address before you leave.
How does payment work?
A $250 deposit holds your room. The balance is due October 22. If you need to split the balance across two payments, tell me and we will work it out. Nobody misses this weekend over timing.
What if I have to cancel?
Your $250 deposit is non-refundable, but it is transferable to another House of Lenore retreat within twelve months. If you cancel more than 30 days out, the balance is refunded in full.
Can I bring my own drinks?
Yes. Alcohol is not included, but bring what you like.

Reserve

Four rooms. Then the house is full.

Send this and I will come back to you personally with the room you picked, the address, and what to pack. No automated sequence, no sales call.

  1. Tell me which room you want below.
  2. I confirm it is still open and send you the deposit link.
  3. $250 holds it. Balance due October 22.
  4. You get the address, the packing list, and a group thread with the other five.

Rather talk first? Call or text 276.444.9448.

Already know your room? Skip ahead and put your deposit down. Send the form too, so I know which room to hold for you.

Pay the $250 deposit