2nd Annual Fiber Retreat in Beautiful Highland County, VA

On September 10, 11 and 12, 2026, is the second fiber retreat at the Highland Center in Monterey, VA.

Spend two and a half days with fiber in your hands, surrounded by good friends!
Bring your spinning, knitting, weaving, crochet, felting, embroidery or whatever fiber project you are working on.

Updated July 7, 2026.

**Please read the entire page.** You don’t want to miss important information.

The cost is still to be determined and includes the cost of the venue, plus;
2 breakfasts, 1 lunch, 3 dinners, snacks and cold drinks.
There will be a hot water kettle and a selection of tea and coffee for those of you who enjoy hot drinks throughout the day. Feel free to bring your own favorite tea bags/instant coffee and mug.


Register: Since everyone has already registered this year, this part is taken care of, thank you!

Housing: Accommodations are NOT included in the retreat price.
Scroll down for information on where to stay.
I highly recommend you secure your housing as soon as possible. Rentals could be booked at any time by those outside of our group, which will reduce the options.

Meals are catered, except for Friday lunch. Claire’s Cake Co. in Monterey will be providing the catering. We will need to discuss dinner ideas.

Payment is by check, Zelle, or cash.

Cancellation Policy: If you have already paid and cancel by September 1, 2026 you will receive a full refund. If you cancel after September 1, 2026, refunds will be given if possible. I will do my best to refund you, but it will partly depend on whether or not food has been ordered.

SCHEDULE:

Thursday, September 10
2–5 pm: Arrival at the Center, meet and greet, get your things set up at the Highland Center. Snacks, cold drinks and hot water will be provided.
5–7 pm: Dinner and casual social evening. Dinner will be pizza picked up or delivered to the Center, cold drinks will be provided and hot water for tea or coffee.

Friday, September 11
8–9 am: Catered breakfast at the Center
9 am–12 pm: Fiber time
12–2:30 pm: Enjoy lunch in Monterey at a place of your choosing and check out the shops
2:30–5:30 pm: Fiber Time
3:30-6 pm: The Highland County Farmer’s Market is set up in the pavilion right down the hill from the Center
5:30–7 pm: Raffle, catered dinner at the Center

Saturday, September 12
8–9 am: Catered breakfast at the Center
9 am–12 pm: Fiber time
12–2 pm: Lunch is at Creekside Hideaway, our cabin in Blue Grass. We will carpool there and lunch will be provided.
2–5:30 pm: Fiber time
5:30 pm: Dinner catered at the Center
6:30 pm: Pack up, say our goodbyes and mark your calendar for next year’s retreat! The tentative dates are September 9, 10 and 11, 2027.

The Highland Center on June 22, 2025.

The view from the Center.

The room we will be in.

Accommodations:
Housing is limited in Highland County. There is a maximum of 15 participants, including myself.

There are no hotels in the area. There are mostly Airbnbs or VRBOs with an actual B&B as well as some camping options. Housing is not included in the price and the plan is for attendees to share housing, 1 person per bedroom, or in the case of close friends or family, you might be willing to share a room with two beds.
Once someone reserves a house, if there are extra bedrooms or beds, that person will add the information to the sheet so that other registrants can see what is available and then contact that person to inquire about a room. There is not currently one location big enough to house everyone (like a retreat center).

Please check out the listings below and look around at others in the area. I included the ones in town and also a couple that are a bit further out.
The retreat is just over 2 months away and any of the accommodations could be booked at any time by folks who go to Highland for time away from their hectic lives. I highly recommend booking/sorting out house sharing sooner than later.

Here is the link to Airbnb for the dates with currently available rentals.
Available VRBOs here.

Below is the list I put together for last year. You may remember that I had done the calculations for per person for 3 nights. This took me hours and I haven’t sat down to update this list for this year. Some of these are rented (by some of you) and others may still be available. It is for reference only at this point.

In Monterey:

The Curly Maple, no website. Call to make reservations. (540) 468-1250

Monterey Inn, Traditional B&B

Lodging on Main, 3 bedrooms, 3 beds, 1 bath

The Latte Loft, 1 bedroom, 1 sofa bed, 1 bath

Blue View Lodge, 3 bedrooms, 3 beds, 2 baths

Outside the town of Monterey (distances are from the Highland Center):

Monterey Cabin, approx. 1.5 miles, 2 bedrooms, 1 bath

Fern Cottage, approx. 3.5 miles, 3 bedrooms, 4 beds, 2.5 baths

Monterey Campground, 4.8 miles, tent camping, there is a bath house

Nicholas Run Cabin, about 5 miles, 2 bedrooms, 3 beds, 1.5 baths

Rose Tree Cottage, 5.2 miles, 2 bedrooms, 3 beds (if you include the sleep sofa), 1.5 baths

The Haven, 6.6 miles, 3 bedrooms, 3 beds, 2 baths

Ginseng Mountain, 6.9 miles, 2 bedrooms, 3 beds, 1 bath

South Branch Farm, 7 miles, 4 bedrooms, 5 beds, 1.5 baths

The Wilson House, 7.4 miles, 4 bedrooms, 5 beds, 2 baths

Hidden Springs Cabin, 10 miles, 2 bedrooms, 3 beds, 1 bath

The Farmhouse, 6423 Mill Gap Rd, 10 miles, 5 bedrooms, 8 beds, 2.5 baths

Blue Grass Chestnut Cottage, 10 miles, 1 bedroom with 1 bed, 1 sofa bed, 1 bath (this could be good for two close friends with one not minding a sofa bed)

Riverwood Hipcamp, 11 miles, tent and RV camping, no hookups

Hi Country Farm, 11.1 miles, 3 bedrooms, 6 beds, 3 bathrooms
This does have the option of room sharing to lower costs. The views really are breathtaking in the Blue Grass Valley (this is not far from our cabin).

Provisions:
Monterey doesn’t have any proper grocery stores. There is Family Dollar and Dollar General (they have a surprising amount of name brand products, personal hygiene, OTC medicines, etc.. plus packaged and frozen foods, even some fresh produce).
Highland Roots Market has organic products, baked goods, produce and local meats. They also have whole bean coffee with a grind station.

Eating Out:
I cannot personally vouch for any of the restaurants in Monterey as I have not dined in town. You can check for reviews online.

Claire’s Cakes & Café will be catering most of our meals.
107 W. Main Street, open 9 am to 2 pm. Baked goods, breakfast and lunch.

The Curly Maple
174 W. Main Street. Serves lunch.

The Highlander
27 W. Main Street. Lunch and dinner.

High’s Restaurant
73 W. Main Street, Lunch and dinner.

There will be a table for free stuff, so bring any items you no longer use but that are still in very good usable condition.
Optional, bring a fiber item for the raffle.

Highland County is a peaceful, beautiful place to spend a few days. Leave the hectic world behind, recharge your batteries and breathe fresh air! The night sky is amazing, even if the moon is shining.
Time seems to slow down in Highland. My dream to own a place in Highland came true July 30, 2024 when my husband and I purchased a cabin in the mountains, next to a creek (we named it Creekside Hideaway), and I love spending time there! If you choose to stay a night or two on either side of the retreat, there are so many things to do and see in Highland County and the surrounding counties. Check out this link to learn more and the Facebook page.
I cannot list them all here, but one that was suggested is the warm springs in Bath county at the Omni Hotel.

I cannot tell you just how much I am looking forward to this!
It’s going to be great fun!!

~ Kimberly

Devil’s Backbone 30 May 2025

Devil’s Backbone 26 April 2025

Devil’s Backbone, 11 March 2025


October 25, 2025, view of the Devil’s Backbone from our cabin.