AMERICA’S 250TH COUPLES RETREAT
CRAFTING A FAMILY LIFE ROOTED IN HOME, HEALTH & HERITAGE
APRIL 13-17, 2026
YOU’RE INVITED TO A 4 NIGHT RETREAT
LIMITED TICKETS AVAILABLE
TICKETS ARE NON-REFUNDABLE
*ROOMS ARE BOOKED SEPARATELY FOLLOWING RETREAT TICKET PURCHASE
Dear friends,
Rooted is a four-night immersive retreat for couples at the historic Mayhurst Estate—an invitation to step out of hurry and back into the life-giving patterns that once shaped strong homes, healthy families, and enduring marriages.
Here, you will slow down together.
You’ll learn the old ways—baking bread with freshly milled grains, milking goats and making fresh butter and cheese. Husbands will get a chance to blacksmith while wives learn how to forage the woodlands.
You will walk the gardens of Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello finding inspiration to use for your own kitchen garden planning.
You will gather at the table with other couples in a similar season, and share meaningful conversations, adventures, and unhurried meals—sacred moments alone with your spouse woven into each day.
You will be mentored through hands-on learning and gentle teaching. And you will leave not only rested—but re-rooted in purpose, partnership, and peace.
This is not a retreat to escape your life.
It is a retreat to return to it—clearer, steadier, and more aligned with the way God designed home to be.
We cannot wait to welcome you into this intentional, beautiful slowing of time—
to walk the gardens, light the hearth, break bread together, and step into this sacred space with you.
Come, let’s be rooted—together.
3:00pm – Check in
4:00pm – Tour of Mayhurst
4:30pm – Afternoon Tea & Refreshments
Free Time
6:00pm – Elegant Candlelight Dinner at Mayhurst
7:30pm – Dessert & Bonfire
9am – Breakfast at Mayhurst
9:30am – Goat Milking Session
11:00am – Cheese Making Class in 1800’s Summer Kitchen
12:30pm – Lunch- Sandwiches, Salad, Cheese, & Fruit (GF options available)
1:30pm – Gardening Workshop with Jess: “Intensive Planting Garden Design”
3:00pm – Free Time
**4:00pm – Optional Horseback Riding Adventure ($80 add-on-notify Jess for booking)
6:00pm – Group Dinner Out
8:00pm – Outdoor Movie Night with Homemade Desserts and Refreshments
9am – Breakfast at Mayhurst
9:30am – Leave for Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello
11:00am – Monticello Home & Garden Tour
1:30pm – Lunch at Monticello & Visit the Shop
3:30pm – Pick Your Adventure:
* Carter’s Mountain Orchard- Enjoy panoramic Views, Homemade Apple Cider & Apple Cider Donuts
* Lakeside Frisbee Golf Course
* Trump Winery Tasting Room
DINNER OUT
8:30pm – Q&A with Jess & Brett by the Fireside Under the Twinkling Lights of the Mayhurst Garden and Enjoy Desserts & Tea
8:30am – Breakfast at Mayhurst
9:30am – Sourdough & Fresh Milled Flour Bread Making Class
1:00pm – Grab Your Picnic Basket & Enjoy a Charcuterie with our Freshly Made Breads & Cheeses- soak in a Romantic afternoon in the Gardens of Mayhurst with your spouse
2:30pm
*Girls: Herb & Edible Plants Foraging Adventure & Class
*Guys- Blacksmithing Workshop
6:30pm – Family Style Dinner w/ our Freshly Made Focaccia Bread
Evening: Game Night! Enjoy Games by the Fireside Along with Dessert & Tea
*Checkout on Friday, after breakfast by 11:00am
Mayhurst Estate is located in historic Orange, Virginia. This majestic, Italianate, Victorian estate sits on 37 private acres in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
The old world beauty of Mayhurst inspires the creative soul, replenishes the spirit, and provides a private atmosphere to invest in one of the most important relationships of your life.
Mayhurst Estate
MEET YOUR RETREAT HOST
Jessica Kelly is the founder of The Kitchen Gardens, an online educational platform helping families reclaim their health through scratch cooking, land stewardship, and intentional living—rooted in faith, simplicity, and the wisdom of the old ways.
A devoted follower of Jesus, homeschool mama, and experienced nurse & health educator, Jessica believes true wellness begins at home. Not in fads or fear, but around the kitchen table—through nourishing food, shared work, and skills that strengthen both body and soul.
Her teaching centers on deep scratch cooking, traditional baking, and using the homestead as a living classroom where children learn responsibility, resilience, and reverence for the land. Through everyday rhythms—baking bread, tending animals, growing food—Jessica equips families to live healthier, more connected lives while passing down practical skills that endure.
Through The Kitchen Gardens, Jessica invites families to slow down, return to what is time-tested, and rediscover the joy, dignity, and healing found in doing life the old way—together.
IMPORTANT NOTES BELOW:
Mayhurst is first come first serve. There are 9 Rooms available at Mayhurst. All rooms can be shared with a friend. The Lincoln Suite & Constitution Suite can be shared by 2-4 friends. Once Mayhurst is filled, nearby Airbnb recommendations can be requested @ 330-599-8309
Meal Plans are noted in the Itinerary above. If you have allergies or aversions please notify our team ahead of time.
Charlottesville Airport (45 min)
Richmond Airport (1 hr)
Dulles Intn’l Airport (2 hrs)
Yes, each attendee is responsible for their own transportation. Ubers and Lyfts are not easily found.
You are welcome to come early or stay later to enjoy Virginia’s epically beautiful countryside! Mayhurst is located in the heart of early American History (Montpelier, Monticello, & Mount Vernon), wine country, horse country, & the Blue Ridge Mountains.
