We’re 50! WWW’s Women’s Retreat Celebrates Saturday

Rhode Island’s longest-running women’s retreat -Women’s Wilderness Weekend – hosts it 50th anniversary celebration Oct. 18.

Holy cow, can you believe it? The state’s best women’s retreat, Women’s Wilderness Weekend of Rhode Island has been around for 50 years!

1975 – The University of Rhode Island (URI) started Women’s Wilderness Weekend of RI

2000 – URI decided to discontinue the retreats the following year

2001 – A group of long time attendees took over and formed the all volunteer run non-profit we are today

2016 – URI decided not to rent the Environmental Education Center to adult groups, so we had to find a new home

2017 – Started with us trying other retreat centers that were affordable so we could keep our rates down (we’re still the least expensive women’s retreat around!)

2017 – January weekend was at Aldersgate

2017 – October weekend was at the Episcopal Conference Center

2018 – March weekend was at Camp Canonicus

2018 – We polled all participants who went to at least one of the last three weekends to see which location they wanted for our new home

2018 – October weekend was at the Episcopal Conference Center – our home!

2019 – October weekend, little did we know that would be the last one for a while

2020 – February, we held a hike in Big River

2020 – September, we had a kayak trip on the Narrow River (it was so windy and quite chilly, but smiles abound!)

2020 – October, we held an all day, outdoors, labyrinth walk/hike/craft day in Big River Management Area

2021 – May, we held a Tri-State Marker Hike & Flower Essence Class

2021 – June was Wilderness in the City where we walked around Swan Point Cemetery, learning about the plants and fungi that grow there

2022 – We took a break, with dwindling numbers at our day events, we weren’t sure if we could keep Women’s Wilderness alive (spoiler, we did!)

2023 – May, we came back and it was spectacular!

2024 – Both the May and October weekends sold out, for the first time ever

2025 – And here we are, our 50th year!

2025 – October 18 – a 50th Anniversary Celebration at noon at the Episcopal Conference Center – Sign up here!