Welcome to the Hostel in the Forest

The Hostel is a membership organization, please browse through our website before calling us to make a reservation. If you have further questions, we would be happy to answer them over the phone any day between 10am and 6pm, 912-264-9738. We can not accept reservations, cancellations or provide availability by email. If you have a reservation PLEASE try to check in by 7pm or let us know if you can’t. and please bring a valid ID with you.

If you are interested in working at the Hostel please review the applications page.

IF VISITING FOR THE FIRST TIME PLEASE READ THIS

We are always looking for skilled instructors willing to share their knowledge on a variety of subjects that support our vision. If you have some ideas or suggestions, or would like give a suitable presentation or workshop, please contact us..

If you are interested in working at the Hostel please review the applications page.

Our Vision

The world would be a much healthier and better place if all its inhabitants advocated sustainability instead of unlimited growth. Rather than trying to control nature and use it as a resource for development, we should revere it, respect it, and work with it. The Hostel in the Forest is taking steps to manifest this vision. We see that nature’s creatures, including humans, animals, birds and insects share the same land in a unique manner. Inspired by the creativity found in the natural environment, we have transformed our ideas into actions by having an organic vegetable garden used in our dinners each night, recycling our wastes, having a cutting-edge gray-water system, watering plants with a solar powered irrigation system, and using a worm box that composts our table scraps into fertilizer for the garden. Hostel members sleep in tree houses, hike the T-trails through the 133 acre forest, swim and paddle canoes in the lake, take part in the healing process of walking our labyrinth, participate in the sweat lodges held on the nights of the full moon, eat a healthy vegetarian or vegan meal each night, and attend the many educational retreats and lectures designed to teach us how to move toward a wholesome and more sustainable future. We invite you to visit us and be a part of our work in progress; even participate in helping us with our projects, if you so desire. If you are financially able to do so, we would also be most appreciative of any gifts to our 501 C 3 tax-deductible organization in order to encourage and further our goals.

OWN A PIECE OF HOSTEL HISTORY

Latest News and Events

Upcoming Events

Posted April 24th, 2019

We are currently planning new events to take place at the Hostel over the coming weeks. Details of these will be published very soon.

Posted by Hostel Admin Filed in Events

Winter Update

Posted January 5th, 2019

Winter Update:

As the leaves begin to drop with the changing of the seasons, so does the temperature. The birds and mammals of the forest have been busy collecting their winter food supplies and building warm sleeping areas. Similarly, the humans of the forest have been cooking up hearty soups and stews, while getting cozy at night with piles of blankets. Chilly days bring about long conversations around the warmth of the campfire, which is further enjoyed with hot beverages and musical instruments. And thanks to our well-loved wood stoves, the main dome and library are kept toasty warm with roaring fires throughout the season. Movie nights in the library and game nights on the screen porch are not uncommon this time of year. And while the lake may be too cold for swimming, it’s still a favorite spot for folks to take our canoes and kayaks onto the still, peaceful water.

With less hours of daylight, the chickens have been laying fewer eggs, while using this time to molt their old feathers in order to grow beautiful new ones. The ducklings we raised in the summer, have grown into full-fledged adults and spend their days lounging at the pond and exploring the puddles after it rains. Fall brought the migration of hawks through the forest, and many woodpeckers were seen frequenting our dead trees for tasty insects. Thanks to the cold temperatures, mosquitos and flies are now a thing of the past, and it is pleasant to get out and walk the T-trail without such distractions. Bats have also become a more common and welcome sight in the early evening hours, especially over the lake.

Winter has brought nights below freezing that narrowed our options from the garden. But thankfully, with a little love and care, our gardens have provided us with an abundance of unique greens, which are combined with wild foraged edibles to create some truly tasty salads! It’s been such a blessing to continue to eat fresh produce year-round, especially straight from our own soil! As we move toward spring, we look forward to growing a wide assortment of veggies in our main garden as well as the solar field gardens.

In summary, the winter is a very special time of year in the forest. A time for quiet reflection. A time for observation. And a time to gather in the warm company of new friends

Posted by Hostel Admin Filed in Forest News