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Recreation facilities At Refreshing Mountain

Whether your group enjoys a nice quiet afternoon of fishing, or fun in the sun splashing in a swimming pool, Refreshing Mountain offers plenty of activities to help you relax, have fun, and enjoy time together. Each of the areas listed below are available for your retreat during your stay.

Community Outdoor Pool

Cool off in our near-Olympic size pool, open to the community Memorial Day to Labor Day (plus some weekends in May and September).

Enjoy a 30 ft. water slide, diving board, wet playground, and spacious decks for sunbathing. Swimming activities are only permitted when a lifeguard is on duty. A one piece bathing suit is required for females (or an opaque t-shirt can be worn over a two-piece suit). For males, boxer-style shorts are required (no Speedos).  Click the button for more information on our pool rules.

  • Summer Outdoor Activities in Lancaster, PA | Cool off in a Pool | Refreshing Mountain

319Cafe and Gift Shop

Our cafe and gift shop offers souvenirs – shirts, mugs, thermos, and sunglasses- and taste bud satisfying snacks including paninis and a variety of beverages for your enjoyment.

During the summer season, the store is open 11AM to 7PM  Monday through Saturday and 1PM to 7PM Sunday. During the off season, the cafe is available upon request- advance reservations needed.

Playground

Let the little ones burn off some energy in our wonderful play area.

In addition to swing sets and sliding boards, they will enjoy forts to climb in and explore, natural landscaping which is ideal for games of “hide and seek”, and more. For the adults, we offer tether ball, shuffle board, horseshoe pits, and other items to enjoy in this area.

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  • Playground_Summer_2012_Kids

Gaga Pit

Also known as “Israeli dodge ball”.

Gaga is a fun fast game for all ages  If you don’t know how to play, we have instructions posted on the side of the court.  Jump in and have some fun.   Our gaga pit is located in the center of the Retreat Center (between the bunks and the dining hall).

  • GaGa Pit Summer Recreation
  • Gaga Pit Summer

Gyms

If your group is in need of a large, indoor activity space, we offer two full-sized gyms on-site.  Gym #1, located on the western end of the property, features a sport-court floor, motion-sensor lighting, a peg board, and equipment for volleyball, basketball, indoor soccer, street hockey, and other indoor sports.  There is also bleacher seating and bathroom access.

The indoor climbing wall is also located in Gym #1, and can be rented as part of your event.

Gym #2, located on the eastern end of our property, features a hard carpeted floor, and equipment for volleyball, basketball, indoor soccer, street hockey, and other indoor sports. There is a second floor carpeted walking space encircling the gym for views from above.

You must schedule use of gyms with the office.  No one is permitted to be in the gym without it being scheduled for your group.

  • Gym #2 Indoor Basketball
  • Gym #2 Upper Walking Path
  • Gym 1 Soccer Nets
  • Gym 1 Teens Recreation

Baseball Field

Hit a home run on our large baseball/softball field, located at the center of our property. This can also be used for various other sports including Frisbee, soccer, football, bocci ball, etc

Baseball Field_Fall_Himrosa

Sand Volleyball

The next best thing to playing volleyball on the beach, enjoy our well-maintained beach volleyball courts, located beside our baseball field

  • Youth Retreat Volleyball in Lancaster, PA
  • Volleyball_Company Picnic_Summer

Hiking Trails

“Deer Print Trail” is a  hiking excursion through the beautiful woodlands on our 80-acre property.  A pleasant walk in any season, with close up views of plant and wildlife, this trail offers a light to moderate 25-30 min hike.  We are also a short drive from Middle Creek Wildlife Reserve, which offers hours of hiking and wildlife with a variety of difficulty levels.

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  • Sunrise depicts the power of hope
  • Deer Print Trail_Winter
  • Middlecreek Wildlife Management_Area Attraction

Pond

Spend a relaxing afternoon at our fishing pond, located at the southern end of our property.  No license is required, but we do not supply any fishing equipment.  We also ask that you follow “catch-and-release” fishing practices.  If you’re not interested in fishing, there is a shaded walking path around the lake, providing a peaceful spot for a bit of exercise. 

  • Pond_Fall_Beautiful_Retreat
  • pond_path

Campfires

Bring your group together around a campfire after a fun day of activities. We have a number of different sites available, depending on your group size. You can choose to set up your own campfire (you just need to purchase the wood for a nominal fee), or choose an option where we do all the setup including wood, kindling, and starter fluid. You just have to drop a match!

  • Campfire_Teens_Retreat_Summer
  • Campfire Area in the Fall
  • Campfire Summer Outdoor Space
  • Campfire Summer Outdoor Space

Outdoor Basketball

Located near the camp pool, these courts are ideal for a pick up game of basketball or volleyball. 

Men_Retreat_Basketball

Outdoor Pavilions


Pavilion B, located on the eastern side of our property near our team building areas.  This pavilion has picnic tables that can seat up to 50 guests.Fire up the grille at one of our beautiful outdoor pavilions.  Pavilion A, located on the western side of our property has lights, picnic tables for up to 200 guests, electric and water accessibility, and a fire pit.  Propane grills are also available to rent.

Pavilion C, located on the western side of our property has lights, picnic tables for up to 80 guests, and electric and water accessibility. Propane grills are also available to rent.

  • Pavilion A
  • Pavilion A
  • Pavilion A at Refreshing Mountain

Find out More About Recreation Facilities at Refreshing Mountain

Group Retreat Promotions

25-40% Off Activities for Overnight Retreats

Offer Detail

People Love Retreats At Refreshing Mountain

Don’t take our word for it

Shannon O'Donnell
15:23 21 Dec 22
We had a great time at the retreat, the zipline was amazing and so was the obstacle course! We will be coming back soon!
Karen Spangler Harnish
17:46 27 Sep 21
something for everyone. our family of 14, ranging in age from 7 to 72! loved the 2 escape rooms , ziplining, obstacle course, climbing wall, giant swing, fishing, ... wildlife center, archery.everything top quality, staff all so friendly, kind and great at their jobs. Mark
in the wildlife center was so knowledgeable and his love for reptiles and birds of prey was very obvious. the retreat center is a jewel right here in our county. thanks for a fabulous 50th Anniversary family weekend!!read more
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FAQs

When can we use recreation “facilities” like the gyms, sports fields, and other areas of the property?

Access to these facilities is dictated by your schedule.  We do not just have “free time” where any group can use the spaces without reserving them. This allows for a more pleasant experience for your group.

Several months before your event, Guest Services will ask you to submit a preliminary schedule and on that schedule, you need to delineate the spaces you want to use at any given time.  For instance, you might write “Team Games” on your schedule, but we need to know if you want to use the baseball field, soccer field, a gym, or some other space for that activity. Indicating to us the location you want as part of the planning process will ease the planning process.

Once we have your preliminary schedule, we will compare it to other activities happening at the same time to make sure there is no conflict between groups.

Here are a few guidelines for creating your preliminary schedule:

Submit it early.  2-3 months before your retreat is recommended.
Make sure to get your meal times from Guest Services before you build your schedule, that way you can build your other requests around your mealtimes.

In general, for spaces like gyms, sports fields, etc, limit requests to 2-hour blocks of time, morning, afternoon, and evening. These are recommended time slots that we commonly use for these spaces:

8am – 10am OR 10am – 12pm
1pm – 3pm OR 3pm – 5pm
6pm – 8pm OR 8pm – 10pm OR 10pm – 12am

If you would like to have times different from this and/or more time within a bracket, feel free to note this for Guest Services.  We start with these parameters to make sure all groups have the option at some time, but once all of the schedules are set, we are happy to go back through and add more time in for you, if there are slots still open.  Talk to Guests Services about this more.

On your schedule, we appreciate it if you can include the text “Please be prompt” at each mealtime. See the FAQ on meal times for more details on this.

On your departing day, please make sure to list your “LODGING CHECKOUT TIME” as this is likely different from your departure time. Check your contract and/or with Guest Services, but generally, checkout of lodging is 9 AM (or right after breakfast) on your departing day.

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Can we plan for a baptism in the pool or pond?

Yes, you are welcome to use the pool for baptisms.  The pond is NOT an option due to safety concerns of the muddy bottom and, in general, the stagnant, untreated water quality is great for fish but not for humans!

Baptisms at the pool need to be outside of the Community Pool Hours.  During the summer, this typically means that they need to wrap up prior to 11:00 AM in the morning or start after 7:00 PM at night.  We do not charge for this service but we do need to know ahead of time so that we can schedule it accordingly.  Talk with Guest Services if you would like to plan a baptism as part of your retreat.

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What are the pool hours and rules?

For groups that are on-site from Memorial Day to Labor Day, the pool is included in your stay, during the Community Pool Times (click here for a schedule)

  • MODEST SWIMMING SUITS. Swimwear must be a ONE-PIECE SUIT FOR WOMEN AND GIRLS (ALL AGES) or else an opaque shirt must be worn as a cover-up. Certain tankini-style suits are permitted provided that no midriff is showing at any time. BOXER STYLE SUITS FOR MEN AND BOYS (i.e. no SPEEDO suits). Light-weight clothing may be worn in the pool (i.e. mesh shorts, cotton t-shirts), but no jeans, sweat pants, or full-length dresses are to be worn in the pool.
  • WET PLAYGROUND. No rough play or climbing on the pipes (there may be little children in this area).
  • WADING AREA. No shoulder chicken fights. No more than 3 persons in a “dunk party”.
  • DIVING AREA. Face-forward stunts only. One bounce and off.
  • WATERSLIDE. One person at a time. Feet first on the back only. You must be able to swim to use the slides.
  • CHAPERONES. Groups with children/teens must have Pool Monitors (adults/chaperones) assigned to the pool area to assist the lifeguards with enforcement of these and other posted rules.
  • IN GENERAL. No swimming in the roped-off areas, no foul language, and please be courteous of others.

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Are there discounts on activity pricing for groups?

Yes. Our hourly prices are discounted and when you add on activities such as ziplines, climbing tower, wildlife programs, etc. to your overnight retreat group you are eligible for an additional “Advance Planner” discount of up to 25% off.

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