Awesome teacher! Great space to be creative! Yellow Springs is a great place to create art!!read more

A Quaker owned retreat center outside of Philly …read more.. I came for a holistic nurses retreat for a four day session- also slept here for 3 nights. Our conference meeting center was at Brinton house - on one side of the campus. I also stayed overnight in Britton House as well . Some others stayed at Firbank on the other side of the campus near the main house Main house is where the meals are served There is a path that circles around the campus approximately a mile around that is nice to take . You can see key features like the Beech Tree, a tower, organic garden, wetlands etc Lots of lovely flowers , tree species and insects to see - like bees and butterflies. This place is great if you are into biology and studying trees etc . It's a nice retreat place . Quiet , peaceful and delicious organic food There are no TVs which is nice to detox . There is WiFi if you need to connect but I did a social media detox while I was there It is a scent free facility as well - no candles , perfumes , sprays etc Rooms or dorm style or you have a private room. Rooms are rustic and no frills but clean. They provide linens and towels . Pillows were very flat and bed can be at times uncomfortable. Yoga and stretching helped me . Although I liked my shared room with a private bathroom - the wood floor was noisy - made noise with every step. I saw others with carpet floor . But I liked the view from my room and the desk inside was nice. Meals were at set times Breakfast 730-830 Lunch 12-1pm Dinner 6-7pm They had chicken/poultry/ fish option as well As vegetarian and vegan and gluten free options Bug spray is needed for walks especially in summer - hot and humid days . They have an art room with small donations if you use the space There is a library but I didn't go They have an organic Garden and a small grass labyrinth I liked the wetland pond area near Brinton house - so pretty . The path is a wood chipped path for most of the path- some of it is gravel. And the path is slightly confusing in a few areas but you figure it out.it appears larger in the map than what it really is

Short version: it's like a contemplative year-round summer camp for grownups, only the food is…read morereally good. Insanely long version: Last month, after wrapping up a few very stressful months on a difficult job, I was at a sort of crossroads in my life. I was looking for somewhere to go where I could clear my head, relax, and spend a few days living simply and reflecting on what was really important to me. Some people might go camping at a time like this, but I don't have a tent or a sleeping bag, and it's cold out, and long periods of solitude don't really agree with me. Also I'm small and clumsy, and could not likely defend myself effectively against a bear. What to do? Somewhere in the back of my mind I remembered hearing about Pendle Hill. It's a Quaker retreat and study center, so I must have heard of it at some point while at my Quaker school. I looked at their website and decided to check it out for a couple of days-- not a huge investment at $75 a night. My two-night stay turned into a six-night stay, which turned into a decision to live at Pendle Hill for a ten-week term as a student. I am head-over-heels in love with this place. You might not have the time or the inclination to spend ten weeks there, but below is a list of reasons why you should come check it out for a day or two. (They also have all sorts of cool weekend workshops on topics related to mindfulness, social justice, racism, peace, etc., which would be an ideal way to become acquainted with Pendle Hill.) -The food. Maybe I shouldn't start with that, but this is Yelp, after all. And it's SO GOOD. There's an organic garden and a whole bunch of chickens on the grounds, and everything is as fresh as can be. They even make the bread from scratch. I was asked when I made my initial reservation whether I had any dietary restrictions, and when I arrived at dinner the chef introduced himself and showed me which items were dairy-, egg-, fish-, and wheat-free. -The people. The people and the food are linked closely in my mind, because mealtimes are a warm, communal affair. You serve yourself and then sit with others at one of a few little tables. Everyone there is incredibly nice to newcomers. I walked in to dinner with that anxious new-kid-in-the-school-cafeteria feeling, and walked out having made four or five cool new friends (ranging in age between about 25 and 75) who made me feel right at home. (I need a lot of human interaction to keep me happy, but it's just as easy to have a more solitary experience there if that's your thing.) -The art studio. It's so cool. It's open 24 hours a day, during some of which it is flooded with sunlight, and you can just go in and play! Or you can take one of their art classes. They've got all the tools and supplies you could imagine for drawing, painting, sketching, calligraphy, sewing, quilting, knitting, book-binding, pottery, and weaving, and I'm sure I've left out a bunch of things. There's also a wood shop that I hear is great, but my dust allergies kept me out of there. -The grounds. The campus is beautiful-- old stone buildings, a lovely path through the woods, the aforementioned organic garden, and all sorts of little quiet places to think-- wooden tucked away behind a stand of trees and the like. -The library and the bookstore (see my review of the latter). Tons of books, on Quakerism of course, but also on Buddhism, Judaism, Islam, and other religions; nature and ecology; social justice and activism; history; psychology; and on and on but this review is already way too long. The library is a beautiful place to sit and read or write. -The values. I'm almost hesitant sometimes to use the word "values" because it has been so coopted by the religious right, but I won't cede it to them. Quakers believe in simplicity, peace, and tolerance, among other things. You will find Jews, Catholics, Muslims, and Buddhists there; people of all sexual orientations; people who speak all different languages. Writers, readers, artists, musicians, social workers, activists, students, and people trying to figure out who and what they are, rake leaves and scrub pots together to keep the community running. Upon rereading this, I realize I might have made it-- and me-- sound rather cultish. It's not, and I'm not; I'm just still really excited. Come visit for a weekend to write or read or think or walk or be, and see for yourself.

First of course some history:…read more Hope Lodge was completed in 1748 by Samuel Morris who was a wealthy Quaker businessman. As a young man Sammy worked with his father at a mill complex in Ambler. Later he bought and sold commercial property in Philadelphia along with owning ships, a quarry, kilns, a tannery and Mather Mill which is only a block away from the mansion. As if that wasn't enough, Morris also had side hustles as being the justice of the peace for Whitemarsh, Philadelphia county commissioner and an assessor for Philadelphia county. While Morris supposedly had never been to England, he adopted the most current architectural style of the day in both England and America, Georgian, named for King George I who was reigning at the time. The style was popular in Great Britain for its balance and symmetry. Fun rumor #1 is that Edmund Woolley, architect of Independence Hall, offered some advice on the mansion's design in exchange for some quarried lime and farm goods. Now here's where the historic part comes in. In 1777 the Whitemarsh Encampment, a six-week period of the American Revolution when the Continental Army camped in the surrounding fields after the Battle of Germantown and before encamping at Valley Forge occurs. During that time the house was used as the HQ of George Washington's Surgeon General, John Cochran. Fun rumor #2 is that while Washington never slept at the mansion or on the property, supposedly GW rode his horse through the first floor hallway of Hope Lodge during a visit. There is no evidence to support this claim, even though the hallway is wide enough, but no doubt that Washington would have visited Dr. Cochran frequently during the encampment. Eventually everything gets sold to English banker Henry Hope. Hope, to give you a sense of his importance, has enough juice at the time that Adam Smith in the 4th Edition of his still read today economics masterwork The Wealth of Nations, dedicated the book to Hope. Also if the Hope family name sounds familiar it's because among other things the Hope Diamond was named after them due to their ownership of the diamond. Never intending to live in Whitemarsh, Hope purchased the property as a wedding gift for his ward, James Watmough. It was the Watmoughs who named the site Hope Lodge, in honor of their benefactor. Prior to that and during Samuel Morris's lifetime the property is known as Whitemarsh Farms and Whitemarsh Estate. The property is then sold to a family who for almost the next century uses it primarily for farming. Lack of funds prevented upgrades to more modern things gas lighting and indoor plumbing in the late 19th century which meant the mansion's 18th century integrity is retained. From the Internet: "In 1921 the property is sold to Keasbey and Mattison, a development company whose plan was to demolish the structure and extend a nearby limestone quarry. To save it from destruction, William and Alice Degn bought the property in 1922. Early historic preservationists, they carefully restored the house and added their collection of 18th and early 19th century furnishings. They did not install a central heating system in the main house because of its destructive piping; rather they added a wing onto the existing summer kitchen for a winter residence. Both of the Degns loved flowers, and they created a beautiful rose garden on the south side of the house. After Mr. Degn's death in 1940, and Mrs. Degn's death in 1953, ownership of the house was transferred to the Hope Lodge Foundation, and in 1957, to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Today, Hope Lodge is administered by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission with the Friends of Hope Lodge, a non-profit support group formed to assist with operations at the site." So what you have today is a house that does not have the historical gravitas of a place where a Founding Father lived, worked or slept but due to the love it has received particularly from the Degn's the actual bones of the house are in amazing condition with the feature being the incomparable woodwork. If you go: Hope Lodge is not unlike a lot of other PHMC sites in that you really have to want to see it. Tours are only done one day a month, usually the 3rd Sunday, at 1pm and 2:30pm. Some months offer special events like a symphony concert, beer tasting, movie night under the stars and the biggie which is the annual re-enactment of the 1777 Whitemarsh Encampment which takes place in November. Tour admission is $5.00 for adults, $4.00 for seniors, $4.00 for youth age 6-17, children under 5 are free and Friends of Historic Hope Lodge members are free. Cash or check only. Active military personnel and their families are also free. Parking is via two smallish lots one on the side of the property near the gardens and the other in the rear of the property. The property is on South Bethlehem Pike which is very easy to get to from both the PA Turnpike and Route 309.

Exquisite site and gardens. Excellent example of 18th century architecture and furnishings. Great…read morehistorical gem in our own backyard.

Had the opportunity to help sort out some clothes here with Accenture and my wife. Eye opening…read moreexperience! GreaT to see how they went about selecting what items to keep and the quality of them as well. Everything I had expecting from this volunteer experience.

So proud of Gwynedd Mercy University students helping to pack school bags for low income families…read more The best part, my daughter and I were in need years ago. now, she was able to play it forward. It's important to give back to the community is what I always say. Thank you for providing so much love Karen Barnes, M.Ed

The services that's offered to the public is amazing and with future donations could make this…read morenon-profit successful and could help out thousands of families in the future. The Gala of Hope, support this mission indeed.

Been to the old, old locale for the soup kitchen...got good assistance for a while as well. Now, I…read moredonate when I can...this is my first visit to this location, it's really nice...though the spot next to the church had ALOT of charm!

Great community organization! Helps the community and has a great heart! Carol B truly is invested…read morein Phoenixville and wants to make a difference. Give them a donation!

Binky Lee Preserve in Chester Springs is a very picturesque and peaceful preserve. Like all Natural…read moreLands properties, it is very clean (free of litter), and trails are well maintained. The parking lot is paved, but is a little cramped, and can fill up easily because it's not very big, and this seems to be a more popular preserve. Other visitors here were friendly and many had dogs, but everyone respected leash rules and picked up after their dog. There are a number of inclines, so while the meadow is normally easy walking, the areas where it gets hilly are too steep to recommend this for disabled people (other NL preserves are good for that). This was, however, an easy enough walk for kids and dogs. You are perched up on a hillside, when you reach the apex of the meadow, and the views are very cool of nearby "mountains" of Chester Springs. down the hill, there is a wooded area with some bridges and an old stone springhouse, etc. as bucolic scenery. It is a very picturesque preserve, great for photos.

This place is a hidden little gem, great for walking your dog and trying out a new place to enjoy…read more It doesn't have a proper path, it feels a bit more like a hike than a trail walk, but certainly worth the time to just get to know a bit more of our beautiful Chester county landscape!