Your Stay at The Clearing

The Clearing consists of 75 acres of mostly wooded land and is under the care of Richmond Friends Meeting.

 

Facilities include a modern lodge with a large multipurpose room, a smaller meeting room, full kitchen and two bathrooms; a large sleeping cabin; a smaller cabin; an Adirondack shelter; campsites; two outdoor privies; a worship circle with fire pit; a picnic pavilion adjacent to the large clearing; and trails with access to the adjacent Amelia Wildlife Management Area.

Basic Rules for Users
  • Please use the property and facilities “lightly,” as is appropriate for a spiritual retreat.  That said, we encourage full appreciation of this natural area, including hiking our trails and vigorous activities in the open land near the Pavilion.
  • There is a notebook with instructions for use of the buildings and grounds on the table in the Lodge kitchen. A guide to emergency services is included, and first aid supplies are in a kitchen cabinet. (Note: There is no telephone at The Clearing, and cell service is unreliable.)
  • Alcohol and other drugs are not permitted.
  • No pets are allowed.
  • No firearms or other weapons are allowed on Clearing property.
  • Hunting is not permitted on the grounds.
  • No open flames are allowed except in designated areas.
  • Leave wildflowers and other plants so that others may enjoy them too.
  • Wash all dishes and return them to their proper storage places.
  • If you can take your trash with you when you leave, it would be most appreciated.
  • Leave the area at least as clean as you found it.  The Clearing is maintained by our community, largely through volunteered time.  Please don’t let your gathering create work for us!
Important Fire Guidelines
From March 1st to May 15th no open fires are permitted until after 4 p.m. Build fires only in prepared fireplaces, woodstove or fire pit.  Do not leave any fire unattended. Smoking is not permitted inside any building, and smoking materials must be carefully and completely extinguished. All fires (except in the wood stove) must be put out with water when leaving. Drought-related bans on outdoor fires must be respected. Detailed fire rules are posted on the lodge porch, but please note that burning of candles or tiki torches or the use of fireworks is prohibited.
The Lodge
The Lodge has heat and air-conditioning throughout. The large meeting room can accommodate groups of up to 60, but capacity must be in accordance with current VDH COVID guidelines. There are roll-away tables and chairs. The kitchen is large and well equipped, and meals for large numbers can be prepared there. The smaller meeting room has a wood stove and its own tables and chairs. Two large bathrooms each have individual toilets and shower stalls. Groups can sit and visit on the sizable covered deck. The lodge is handicapped accessible.
The Pavilion
 The Pavilion, about a hundred yards down a gravel drive from the Lodge, is a versatile space for picnics or group activities. The roofed structure has a concrete floor and is open on three sides. There are six full-size picnic tables. A large fireplace and two cupboards close off the fourth side. A nearby well is fitted with a hand pump for drinking water.




 The large open, grassy “clearing” adjacent to the Pavilion is ideal for outdoor games. There is a large sandbox for younger children.

			

				
				
				
				
				
Sleeping Accommodations

				
  The Large Sleeping Cabin is 22’ by 24’ with six 2-person bunks and six cots. Near the Lodge, it does not have its own bathrooms, heat or electricity. Twenty folding  chairs are available for meetings.




  The Small Sleeping Cabin has three single beds. It does not have heat, electricity or a bathroom but is also close to the Lodge facilities.

			

				
				
				
				
				
Camping

				
There are cleared and marked campsites in the woods and along the drive between the Lodge and the Pavilion. These are served by two outdoor privies. There is also an open-air Adirondack sleeping shelter for six, a worship circle with fire pit, and the Pavilion, with picnic tables and a stone fireplace for cooking and campfires. The campsites adjacent to the drive have space for a single car to be pulled into the site next to a tent. Sites in the woods do not have car access.

			

				
				
				
				
				
Parking

				
The designated parking areas are at the end of the main drive into The Clearing, just before the turn-around circle in front of the Lodge and adjacent to the Large Sleeping Cabin. Please do not park cars on the turn-around circle. Cars can be parked on both sides of the drive in the areas designated by signs. Cars may be parked temporarily at the Lodge or the Pavilion for the purpose of unloading equipment or transporting the disabled.

			

				
				
				
				
				
Telephone and Internet Service

				
Please be aware that there is no landline phone at The Clearing, and that cell phone service may be spotty. Also, there is no wifi.

			

			

			

				
				
				
				
				

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 The lodge meeting area.



The lodge's fully equipped kitchen.



The "Clearing" in 75 acres of forest.



Fireplace at the Pavilion.



The Adirondack shelter built in 1985.