Serenity Ridge is generally open from 9 a.m.–5 p.m. Monday through Friday, and during all scheduled events and retreats. To visit or for a tour, please contact the office in advance by email or by calling 434-263-6304. During retreats, registrants may arrive between 4–6:45 p.m. for check-in and registration. Retreat participants are welcome to arrive early or extend their stay, with advance arrangements with the registrar. If you cannot arrive during our check-in time, please make alternative arrangements in advance by contacting the office.

Our address is:
560 Drumheller Lane
Shipman, VA 22971

Private room with Queen + Twin, 2nd Floor, ensuite bathroomRegister for events at Serenity Ridge directly on our website. Registration includes both tuition and all meals. A variety of accommodations, including camping, are available. Our nightly rates for accommodations are:

• Tent Site $18
• Dormitory $35
• Bunk Room $45
• Single, 1st & 2nd Floors, with shared bathroom $65
• Single, 3rd Floor, with shared bathroom $75
• Double room with 2 twin beds, 1st & 2nd Floors, with shared bathroom $88
• Double room with 2 twin beds, 3rd Floor, with shared bathroom $98
• Private room with Queen + Twin, 2nd Floor, with ensuite bathroom $155
• Private room with Queen + Twin, 3rd Floor, with ensuite bathroom $175
• Private room with Queen + Queen, 2nd Floor, with ensuite bathroom $190

Pre-registration is required for all retreats, as events can sell out. If you have physical challenges or need special accommodations,  please email our registrar.

Register as a “Commuter” if you are not staying onsite.

We do not offer partial attendance at our retreats. We understand that emergencies can occur, however, and we will do our best to work with you in such case.

Should Serenity Ridge accommodations be sold out, there are many local inns and bed and breakfasts for you to choose from within a 20-minute drive. Visit the Nelson County Tourism website for the most up-to-date information: http://nelsoncounty.com/stay/bed-breakfasts-inns/.

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We provide healthy vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free dining options. Please indicate with your registration which type of meals you prefer. Those with other special dietary needs may wish to bring supplemental food. Refrigerators are available for your use in a kitchenette adjacent to the serving area, along with a microwave and toaster. We try to accommodate special dietary needs, when possible. Please contact us to learn more.

Generally, our dining schedule is:

Breakfast       8–8:45 a.m.
Lunch            1–2 p.m.
Dinner           6–7 p.m

Water, hot beverages and fruit are available in the dining area at all times.

We know that the costs of travel and registration can add up. Serenity Ridge offers discounts to the registration fee in exchange for working 2 or 3 hours per day.  Accommodations and meals are not included in the discount. For more information, please contact our registrar, Johannah-Mae at sr.registration@ligmincha.org.

Families are welcome at Serenity Ridge! Children may attend retreats with a parent or guardian. The responsible parent or guardian must contact the registrar to inquire about bringing a child to determine current room availability and pricing. The cost for children ages 15 and under to attend a retreat is $20 per day; cost for children ages 15–17 is $30 per day, plus accommodations.

Guests under age 18 must be accompanied by an adult 25 years or older, who also must sign our parent/guardian waiver. Children are not to be left alone while their parent/guardian is attending the teachings or practice sessions. Minors using our swimming pool must be under adult supervision at all times.

Maintaining quiet in the gompa (teaching hall) during teachings and practices is important to support a contemplative, distraction-free environment for practitioners, as well as to ensure clear audio recordings of the teachings and practices. Therefore, children are welcome at practices or teachings if they are able to maintain quiet, are well-behaved and are under their parent’s or guardian’s supervision at all times. We ask that children unable to remain silent and seated not be in the meditation hall during teachings and practices.

For accommodations, families may select any of the large rooms (two beds) with ensuite bathrooms). These rooms are charged per room, not per person. Families also may book double rooms, which will be charged as double occupancy. Bunk rooms may be reserved by families, and camping is available with two people allowed per tent pad. Children and minors must stay with an adult family member.

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For the teachings and practice

Cushions and chairs are provided in the meditation hall (gompa), but you are welcome to bring your own, as well as anything else to ensure your comfort. The temperature in the gompa can run from rather cool to quite warm, so dressing in layers or bringing a shawl or blanket can be helpful. Don’t forget a notebook, pens and anything else you may need to support your practice. Water bottles are permitted, but only if they have a fully closing lid or cap. Many visitors bring a yoga mat for outdoor morning practices.

Seasonal dress and supplies

Serenity Ridge has a swimming pool, open seasonally, so bring a bathing suit and a towel if you wish to swim during the late spring and summer months.

Air-conditioning is provided in warmer weather and heating in cooler months. An outdoor walkways connects the meditation hall and lodging in the Garuda House. A raincoat is advisable. During the winter ice is also common. Check the forecast and be prepared!

Insect repellent is available in the common bathrooms, but you may wish to bring your own.

Rooms in Garuda House

Sheets and towels are provided, but please bring your own towel for the pool.

Camping

If you are camping, bring a tent and anything else you might need (flashlights, insect repellent, bedding, towels, toiletries, rain gear, etc.). We only provide tent platforms.

Wi-Fi is available in the main community building, Kunzang Khang (the House of All Goodness), where meals are served. Because of our rural location, wireless access may not always be available.

Serenity Ridge Retreat Center is dedicated to support the spiritual practice and well-being of all of our guests, teachers and staff.  As safety remains a top concern, we continue to follow both CDC and Virginia state guidelines to minimize Covid exposure and transmission. Our current policies to protect our guests and our staff from Covid infection are:

• COVID-19 Test Not Required Starting August 1, 2023: Effective August 1, 2023, we will be lifting our mandatory COVID testing requirement for arriving guests.

If you are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms please reschedule your visit or contact our registrar to receive a credit toward a future retreat. Email: sr.registration@ligmincha.org.

• Complimentary Masks Available: Though masks are not required either indoors or outdoors at Serenity Ridge, we will have complimentary masks available in the Bookstore and the entrance to Kunzang Khang for anyone who would like to wear a mask who doesn’t have one.

• Air purification has been introduced into all the HVAC systems in the Garuda House dormitory building, as well as in Kunzang Khang (our community building and dining hall), to ensure clean, virus-free air circulating both day and night.

• Hand sanitizing stations will be placed in easily accessible locations throughout the campus.

• Any guest staying onsite who contracts COVID-19 while on campus may stay in Garuda House in rooms set aside for those who test positive for the virus. These rooms are on a separate air exchange from our other guest rooms, to protect other guests from exposure. Guests will still be able to participate in the retreat online through a Serenity Ridge laptop or their own digital device. Meals will be brought to the rooms and Serenity Ridge staff will work to provide sick guests with a  retreat experience without risking infection to others.

At Serenity Ridge, we want all our sangha to come and enjoy the teachings and practices that our retreats offer, but we do know that there are occasions when plans suddenly change.  Effective December 12, 2022, we have adopted the following policy and rates for cancellations:

ONLINE CANCELLATION:
A $25 processing fee will be charged for all cancellations.

The closest city to Serenity Ridge is Charlottesville, VA, which is about 40 miles to the north. You can drive to Charlottesville, or arrive by plane, train, or bus, and then use a car, rideshare or taxi to get to Serenity Ridge.

Our address is 560 Drumheller Lane, Shipman, VA 22971

Detailed information on options of getting to Charlottesville can be found at: www.visitcharlottesville.org/plan/getting-around

Airports –

• Charlottesville airport (CHO) is 45 min. north (33 miles); Use rental car, rideshare or taxi to Serenity Ridge.
• Richmond airport (RIC) is 1 hr 50 min. east (105 miles). Bus, train or rental car to Cville. Use car, taxi or rideshare to Serenity Ridge.

Note: Greyhound bus and Amtrak trains from Richmond to Charlottesville leave from central Richmond stations, not airport, so a taxi to these stations would be required.

• Dulles airport (IAD) is 2 and 1/2 hours north (130 miles). Bus or rental car to Cville. Use car, taxi or rideshare to Serenity Ridge.

Car rentals are available at all three airports.

Bus –

• Megabus (www.us-megabus.com/virginia-breeze) offers once- daily service from Dulles airport to Arlington Blvd in Charlottesville (next to Barracks Road) and once daily service from Charlottesville to Dulles airport. Currently $35 each way, departing approx. 10:50, arriving 1:15 each way, with several stops.
• Greyhound bus lines (www.greyhound.com/en) services downtown Charlottesville at 310 W Main St. Call 214-849-8966 or visit website for schedule and destinations.

Train –

• Amtrak has a station near the downtown mall at 810 W. Main St. (www.amtrak.com/station/cvs ) Visit website or call 800-872-7245 for schedule.

Taxi –

• Taxi’s serving Charlottesville’s airport and surrounding areas can be found at: www.gocho.com

Ride services –

• WeDrive4U is a collection of independent drivers, often also Uber and Lyft drivers, that services all of Charlottesville, Serenity Ridge and beyond. Call or text Mario Halkyer at 434-401-7793 to schedule. Email: ghostdriversk@gmail.com. Rates to and from Serenity Ridge depend upon destination, size of car, number of persons, amount of luggage, and whether round trip. Many of our retreatants have used this service and been very pleased. Prices may be less than Uber or Lyft.
• Uber and Lyft are available through their respective apps. Note: Rides from Charlottesville to Serenity Ridge are available, but usually not from Serenity Ridge back to Charlottesville.

Directions by car –

Travel on US 29 South for about 30 minutes. Continue down US 29 past VA Route 6, then turn left at the second exit, Route 617. Travel on Route 617 along the Rockfish River for approximately four miles, then turn right at the third bridge onto Drumheller Lane. Follow Drumheller to the very top of the hill until you get to Serenity Ridge. You will see a red brick entrance gate with a Serenity Ridge nameplate at the entrance.

We maintain a rideshare board at the center for those looking to carpool from Serenity Ridge to other locations.

The Ligmincha International Bookstore & Tibet Shop is open daily during most retreats and also accessible online here. The shop stocks a comprehensive selection of books, malas, thangkas and many other practice supports.