Cozy. Intimate. Constructed from and steeped in the surrounding landscape. A gathering place for some of the 20th century's most dynamic individuals. Sounds like a PERFECT location for a Rowan Tree Travel retreat, where the Merry Band of Travelers gathers to relax, renew and celebrate our shared joy in making.

In the transition between winter's stark beauty and the budding of spring, we invite you to join us for a week at the Mabel Dodge Luhan Home, an historic inn and conference center in Taos. You will feel at home and at peace from the moment you step onto the property. Its adobe buildings, great viga and latilla ceilings, kiva fireplaces and one-of-a-kind decor will transport you to the early twentieth century, the era of those who built and lived there. In keeping with that era, guest rooms are telephone, internet and television free. You will experience a true break from our busy, modern life. (Internet and phone service are available in the common areas of the main house, in case you need to take a break from taking a break from modern life.) 

Suzie Briddsang is our retreat teacher, guiding us through her mindful “Conversations about Creativity” curriculum. Suzie is a traveler, writer, knitter, sheep nerd and self-described “creative”. She's pleased as punch to spend time with us at the Mabel Dodge Luhan House. In her eyes, it's both an historic example and an inspiring setting in which to explore how "place" weaves itself into the creative impulse -- and is, in turn, shaped by it. Facilitated sessions and activities will also delve into the experiences, values and intentions we hold regarding our own creative endeavors. There will be a sculpture workshop using flax roving (no experience necessary) excessive soaking in the thermal mineral waters of nearby Ojo Caliente, a visit to our neighbors at the Taos Pueblo* and more! A few unstructured evenings and afternoons are yours to enjoy as you prefer. Knit with friends. Spend time in quiet reflection. Venture out to explore some of Taos. 

Add in moments of reading by a crackling fire, lovingly prepared meals and a wander or two alongside the acequia, under the winterscape of towering cottonwoods and willows. Retreat cost includes accommodation, most meals, workshops (including supplies) and a few surprises. Come share your love of handcrafts and the creative impulse with us, your new and old friends. By week's end, we'll be well on our way toward spring, inspired to throw the windows of life wide open to a fresh, new season.

*We hope! Taos Pueblo has changeable hours, though it's open to the public most days. We'll simply have to wait and see whether our retreat coincides with a time the pueblo is receiving visitors.

To Register 

A Registration Form and a non-refundable $1000 deposit are required to join the trip. Once you submit your online registration and deposit payment is received, your spot on the tour is secure. See our Terms & Conditions here.

Have questions? Please contact us at info@rowantreetravel.com

~The high desert setting of Northern NM winter weather can range from brilliant sun to a foot of snow - sometimes within the span of an hour! Be prepared to manage a winter-weather retreat. You will need to have a sturdy, warm pair of shoes with you. We also recommend the use of walking/trekking poles and Yaktrax (or similar) in case conditions become icy. 

~About the guest rooms at Mabel Dodge Luhan Inn, they do not have TV, phone or internet; phone service and internet are available in the common areas of the main house. For the safety of our guests and staff, fireplaces cannot be used in the guest rooms, however in the lounge and gathering areas, the staff will monitor all fires to keep us cozy.

~One more thing, while alcohol is allowed, this property does not have a bar/lounge which means BYOB 

This tour has been announced a "Go!" 

Unless otherwise stated, our regular Terms and Conditions apply to this trip and for any cancellations (click here to see our Terms and Conditions).

Tour Activity Level 

We would describe this trip as a Retreat.

Mobility Comfort Level = 3+

Narrow Stairs in historic adobe home built in 1918; gravel and flagstone courtyard, NO luggage portaging available and no elevators on the property; 20 - 30 min walk into town

Review our Tour Activity and Mobility Comfort Levels here.

Travel Insurance Rowan Tree Travel highly recommends purchasing travel insurance. You may purchase through our preferred partner Arch RoamRight by clicking here or through your own provider.

Arranging Your Flights In order to gather easily for the tour, we provide an arrival and departure "window" at a major transportation hub - typically an international airport at your destination country. Flights scheduled outside the provided windows may result in additional transportation costs and missed tour activities. For this reason, we greatly appreciate your cooperation in booking travel that accommodates our specifications. Please do not purchase airfare until the tour is guaranteed by RTTF to go forward.

Please Note the Following Rowan Tree Travel reserves the right to alter any part of this itinerary in order to address weather conditions, unforeseen circumstances or to improve the participant experience.

No official transportation will be provided on this tour. Travelers fly into ABQ or SAF, rent a car and drive themselves to Taos. While in Taos, everyone is responsible for their own transportation to these activities: Taos Wools 20 min drive followed by dinner afterwards; Ojo Caliente 50 min drive and Taos Pueblo 10 min drive, but carpooling is of course encouraged!

We will connect participants once the retreat is declared a “GO” so you can coordinate car rental/transportation from the airport, if desired.

Welcome to Taos, NM!

RTT is hosting its 2nd Creative Retreat, this time here in the US, in Taos, NM, lovingly nicknamed “a bohemian mecca”. We’ve chosen a historic inn, known for over a century, as an artists hub; oh if these thick, warm adobe walls could talk; what might we hear? Our group-exclusive time here centers on abundant conversations and sharing while the pinon fireplaces envelope us in snugness. We’ll be fed phenomenal homemade breakfast and lunches each day from their historic kitchen. Suzie Briddsang will lead us through a series of daily explorative sessions in “Conversations in Creativity.” These group sessions are curated to help you reflect, search, learn and be inspired by what it means to be in the creative process; what it means to identify as a creative maker; and what is this creative process really all about? Enhancing these daily conversations, we weave in various workshops and presentations from local artists whose presence amongst the high desert setting of NM inspires their life, art and work. Shall we sit and knit one evening learning just who was Mabel Dodge Luhan? Yes, the fireplace will be stoked all day, everyday. And for that ultra retreat feel, we’ll visit Ojo Caliente for a soak in their thermal mineral waters with the stunning sandstone rock formations in the background. The small, arts and culture rich town of Taos is a short 20 minute walk from Mabel Dodge Luhan Inn where you can enjoy galleries, shops and the famous New Mexican green, red or Christmas chile with a margarita.  I’ve looked up all the synonyms for “cozy” that I could find to describe our time together, we hope you’ll feel inspired to join us. The quotes following each day’s description are from artists who visited and stayed at Mabel Dodge Luhan house.

You will self-transport to our retreat home in Taos from either ABQ or Santa Fe. Once you arrive, the immediate intimacy of this stunningly unique setting invites you to set your luggage down and take shelter. We’ll welcome you to our 4:30pm introductory meeting and Suzie will host the Initial Conversations about Creativity session. We’ll get to know each other as we enjoy a relaxed dinner at MDL.

“There is a vitality, a life-force, an energy, a quickening, that is translated through you into action and because there is only one of you in all of time, this expression is unique. It is not your business to decide how good it is nor how valuable nor how it compares with other expressions. It is your business to keep it yours clearly and directly, to keep the channel open.”

Martha Graham

Bring your coffee or tea along after breakfast and join us for Conversations in Creativity, Session #2 which will fill our morning. Our afternoon continues with time on your own before we head out to visit Taos Wools located in nearby Arroyo Seco, home to a small family business supporting local ranchers and sheep followed by a group Dinner in town tonight. 

“Artistic growth is, more than it is anything else, a refining of the sense of truthfulness.”  Willa Cather

It’s another cozy, warm breakfast today, followed by our Creative Conversations, Session #3 (A tease for you): the theme is Observing and Defining Your Creative Self. Hmmmm.  After our lunch at Mabel Dodge Luhan, you can enjoy a quiet afternoon on your own, wandering into town, or whatever your retreat-self needs.

We just might have a pizza dinner party at the Inn to welcome a NM photographer who finds inspiration photographing Route 66 and images of abandoned architecture. What a treat.

“To know ahead of time what you’re looking for means you’re then only photographing your own preconceptions, which is very limiting and often false”.  Dorothea Lange

Something different this morning; it might be winter out there, but once you don your swimsuit  and walk amongst the sundrenched thermal pools of Ojo Caliente, you are enveloped in pure bliss . Which thermal mineral waters (lithium, soda, arsenic and more) will you immerse yourself in? All, we hope. Feel free to bring a book along and sit in the high desert sun in between soaks. A towel is provided at Ojo, renting a robe is extra. Attitude adjustment costs nothing. 

You can grab lunch or a snack at the cafe before we return to the retreat house for Session #4 of Conversations in Creativity.

Lunch is on your own. Dinner is included tonight. 

“I found I could say things with colour and shapes that I couldn't say any other way- things I had no words for.” Georgia O’Keefe

After breakfast we’ll engage in a special workshop learning to make contemporary texture paper using flax roving to form over a diverse variety of molds, choosing shapes that inspire your imagination. Once dried, you’ll embellish with various methods of mark-making and stitching. Getting creative throughout the process is The Plan. Our instructor, Jacqueline Mallegni, from nearby Arroyo Hondo, has an artists’ story to tell. An Italian-Mexican girl grew up in the Mission District of San Francisco in the 50s. She loved to crawl around in Mrs. McQuire’s garden snail hunting and being seduced by the scent of tomatoes and basil. She also loved making mud pies under the giant fig tree. After many years disassociating, she moved to the Sierra Nevada Foothills, where -unbeknown to her at the time - was an area where sheepherders drove their herds during the summer when it was too hot in the San Joaquin Valley. Her great-grandfather was a Basque sheepherder from Spain. She felt a sense of belonging in this little town of 50 inhabitants where sheep roamed free and like them, she found her freedom and her sense of being. 

Suzie will keep the creative fires burning for us after lunch, as we engage in Creative Conversations Session #5 in the afternoon.. 

Lunch is included. Dinner is on your own tonight.

“No gods, no masters”  Margaret Sanger

This morning we have a slow start with time to take a walk or enjoy some quiet. Then plan to have a guided tour of Taos Pueblo*, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We’ll return to Mable Dodge Luhan for our lunch and partake in the closing session of the Creative Conversations. 

Our closing dinner will be at Mabel Dodge Luhan.

*Unexpected closures do occur for religious activities and an unexpected death in the community. Taos Pueblo is a living community, there are rules and regulations to abide by during your visit.
“In wisdom gathered over time, I have found that every experience is a form of exploration.” Ansel Adams

It’s time to say goodbye and journey home holding this sentiment in our hearts:…..

....I found out that the sunshine in New Mexico could do almost anything with one: make one well if one felt ill, or change a dark mood and lighten it. Mabel Dodge Luhan

Suzie is an avid knitter, spinner, and all-around fiber enthusiast plus writer, gardener, adventurer and appreciator of both cityscape and landscape.  When she realized she could combine her love of making things with her love for travel and new experiences, she found her happy place! Suzie lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico. She’s the author and illustrator of The Nervous New Owner’s Guide to Angora Rabbits. No longer a fiber animal owner, she loves nothing more than visiting fiber animals someone else owns -- preferably in another country. She writes about her travel experiences at www.studiobriddsang.com

Colleen is knitting multiple projects right now, spinning hand-blended fibers on her Lendrum DT, and has found it difficult but not impossible to knit and watch a South Korean show on Netflix with subtitles at the same time. She is curious about makers' stories of the lineage and evolution of their craft and where to find truly awesome pie.  Her professional background in outdoor tour guiding and small business ownership makes a great match with RTT. Colleen loves to drive a convertible, swim in natural waters and hula hoops. Does she talk to her plants? That’s what her friends want to know.

Anna is an avid knitter and fledgling spinner with a general passion for all things fiber and textile. After being intimidated early in her crafting, Anna feels strongly about creating a welcoming environment within the fiber community for people of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds. She enjoys knitting and fiber traveling, test and service knitting, a good challenge (knitting or otherwise), and is likely to have at least 3 WIPs at any one time. She lives with her husband and three fur babies (dogs) in Minnesota.