The May 2025 retreat is for female or non-binary adults who are 21+. If you have questions not answered below, please contact us. No children, babies or pets are allowed on site.

No special skills or prerequisites are needed to attend, just a willingness to try new things and to express yourself. We aim to make all activities enjoyable regardless of your previous experience. Workshops are for all skill levels!

YES! This event is for you! There will be many small group activities and an intentional effort to facilitate new connections! People of all races, sizes, ages, cultural backgrounds, sexual orientations, life experiences, and religions are welcome.

All meals are included, lodging, a full schedule of activities + a retreat t-shirt! Think of this as an all inclusive weekend, you won’t need to pay extra for anything you need. There may be, however, artist merch for sale.

If staying on site overnight, you need to bring your own sleeping bag, pillow, and/or linens of choice.

Pack layers! Weather in May can vary, but layers are key along with good walking shoes/boots and rain gear.

Pack your own toiletries, such as shampoo or toothpaste.

We also recommend bringing a camping chair, reusable water bottle and/or mug.

Please bring paper and pens/pencils for writing and sketching.

There will be outdoor activities, such as trail walks + hikes. Do bring a day pack or tote bag for carrying water and layers with you.

If you play an instrument and want to share, bring it!

This is a rain or shine event. There are several buildings with heat and nearby covered picnic shelters that can house activities. This is the Pacific Northwest, so there is a chance that it might be raining at times. Bring layers, including rain gear!

Think summer camp! The sleeping quarters are bunk bed style dormitories across two buildings that, in total, sleep up to 70 people.

Linens are not provided. You will need to bring your own sleeping bag, pillow or linens of choice. All sleeping areas are fully enclosed and heated with indoor bathrooms and showers. A limited amount of camping is permitted on the grounds. Your registration will ask what your sleeping preferences are; either indoor bunk bed sleeping spaces or tent spaces.

The communal aspect of this retreat will be part of the fun, so we encourage you to stay on-site. However, yes, you can arrange your own accommodations and still attend the retreat. If you choose to do so, please let us know so we can use your sleeping spot (bunk bed or tent) for another attendee.

For 2025 we are only currently taking registrations for weekend passes, and encourage participants to stay the whole time for the complete experience. If enrollment is not full, we will offer day passes. Please send a message via the contact page if interested.

Cornet Bay Retreat Center is located within Discovery Pass State Park, on Whidbey Island in WA. With no traffic it is a 90-minute drive north of Seattle. The address is 400 West Cornet Bay Road, Oak Harbor, WA 98277

Yes. When you register, please indicate whether you are interested in carpooling. We will follow-up to connect people who need a ride to get to the retreat center.

Parking is free for weekend attendees, and there are spaces to park. Carpooling is encouraged!

Check-in will be on Thursday evening (5 to 7pm) of May 15th. Quiet hours begin at 10pm each night through 6:30am each morning. Check-out will be noon on Sunday, May 18th, as the center needs to be completely vacated and clean later that day.

Delicious! A professional chef will be preparing all our meals, which will be served buffet style. Vegetarian, vegan and gluten free food will be available at all meals. Coffee, tea and snacks will be available during the day. Please bring a reusable water bottle and/or insulated coffee cup.

A limited amount of alcoholic beverages will be available with meals. You are welcome to bring your own drinks (alcoholic or non), but please keep in mind that this will not be a wild party atmosphere.

See our tentative schedule here. There will be a variety of activities surrounding the arts, such as creative writing, visual art, music, crafting, and movement. We’ll also have time for exploring nature!

More specifics on workshop activities are forthcoming, as planning for the retreat is ongoing. Please keep an open mind and come ready to explore your creativity in a myriad of ways!

We are gathering a dynamic group of people to create this camp! There will be experienced arts education practitioners and artists in visual arts, creative writing, music and self discovery leading activities.

You can read about some of the folks involved on our Contributor page.

The spirit of this camp will be one of sharing and collaboration. We welcome and are open to suggestions! Please send us a message with your background, skills and ideas!

We ask that each weekend attendee to either help in some simple meal preparation tasks or to clean-up. We ask that you help on one meal. This helps us keep costs down and allow the organizers to enjoy the event. We think it will also be a great way to meet people and feel like an active participant!

We’ll be taking a “leave no trace” approach, and we ask that all attendees take care of all their personal belongings and trash.

No! It’s completely up to you to decide how you wish to participate. This is an experience for anyone to enjoy however they see fit. We hope that attendees will be inspired to try new things, but you will always be in control of what makes you feel comfortable.

Acorn Collective does not yet have funds to provide assistance to those in need. As we grow and gain sponsors, this will be a priority. If you are able to make a donation to help others attend, we welcome your generosity!

If you are in need of financial assistance, please send us a message and we will keep you posted on the availability. Work trade arrangements may also be possible.

You may cancel your reservation up to March 31st, less a $100 processing fee. No refunds for any cancellations after March 31st.

Contact us, if you’d like a refund.

No smoking, firearms or fireworks at the camp facility. Quiet hours are 10pm - 6:30 am. No outdoor fires except in the group fire pit.

We expect respectful interactions between attendees. Intentional words and actions that promote racism, misogyny, hatred, bigotry, supremacy, sizeism, transphobia, ageism, or divisiveness will not be tolerated and will constitute expulsion from the retreat.  Judgement of expulsionary behavior is at the sole discretion of retreat administrators. No refunds will be given in the event of expulsion.

Attendees will be required to sign a waiver at check-in that will hold harmless the members of Acorn Collective as well as WA Parks and Recreation.