Country:
United States
State:
North Carolina
Geography:
Forest, Farm, Pond
Amenities:
Family Friendly, Restaurant, Farm to Table, Tennis Court, WIFI
Physical Activities:
Yoga, Biking, Hiking
Health & Wellness:
Cooking Classes
Mind & Spirit:
Forest Bathing
Gallery:
Personal Experience:
Yes
All Inclusive:
Yes
Price Range:
$$$
Resort/Spa Rating:
Resort/SPA Description and Personal Experience:
A Mother’s Day Escape: Five Friends, One Farm, and Zero Doom Scrolling
On the Mother’s Day weekend of 2025, five of us—hailing from Charlotte, —made the 1-hour-15-minute pilgrimage to Juneberry Ridge Farm in North Carolina. Picture rolling pastures, wildflower meadows, a pond and surrounding woods. If you’re craving a mental reset from fast paced urban life – this is your spot.
Regenerative Farming 101
Our first lesson of the weekend: regenerative farming. It was not about about playing cow whisperer—though we did get to heard baby lambs that were reluctant to follow their mothers, then learn how tiny soil microbes secretly run the world. Watching our instructor coax life back into depleted fields was very inspiring, giving us a hope for a healthier and more sustainable way of life.
Forest Bathing: Yes, It’s a Thing
Then came forest bathing. No, it’s not skinny-dipping among trees (though no one looked like they would judge you). It’s an ancient Japanese practice—shinrin-yoku—of mindfully wandering woodland paths, noticing the moss, breathing the pine-scented air, and dramatically letting go of your email anxieties. Five friends shuffled along like confused deer, breathing deeply and and seeed to be happily lost in the woods.
Mindful Munching & Farm-to-Table Feasts
Every meal felt like a hug from Mother Nature herself: freshly harvested greens that were just pried from the soil that morning, artisanal cheeses, sandviches, eggs! Everything had such a flavor, the taste and smells of which were utterly forgotten and non existent in the modern grocery stores isles. Between bites, of course, we practiced mindfulness—mostly by focusing on not stuffing our faces too fast.
Shake, Stir & Sip: Mixology with a Twist
Afternoon found us back in the old lodge, but this time mixing cocktails and not manure. The mixology class was less “Top Chef” and more “That Guy Who Knows One Too Many Bottle Tricks.” We learned to muddle local herbs—lavender, mint, even basil—into delicious libations. By round three, you could hear the meadows whisper, “You’re killin’ it… or just killing your liver.”
Why You Need This
Juneberry Ridge Farm is a mere hour and change from Charlotte. It’s the perfect “I need to unplug” weekend without spending half a day driving. Whether you’re celebrating Mom (or just giving yourself the gift of easy change of scenery trip), this retreat hits regenerative farming, yoga, forest therapy, cocktail craft, and mindfulness all in one picturesque package. Five friends left a little wiser, a lot more relaxed, and with ridiculous inside jokes about “tree-hugging gone wild.”
— Nina C. & Co. (Still smelling like lavender)
