Tucked into the Blue Ridge Mountains, 90 miles from Atlanta, Elohee Retreat Center sits on 220 acres near the top of Bald Mountain. With a 100-foot waterfall, hiking trails and panoramic views, the center has welcomed visitors for retreats focused on rest, renewal and spiritual awakening. This May marked Elohee’s 15th year of offering retreats and wellness programs amidst the beauty of the North Georgia mountains.

Elohee features a village of seven cottages near the top of Bald Mountain, as well as a living and meeting house at the bottom of the mountain. The facilities also include shared dining spaces, yoga and meditation rooms and a reflection pond. Retreats hosted at Elohee run the gamut from yoga and breathwork studies, women’s and men’s groups and spiritual empowerment retreats.

 

The inspiration to launch a retreat center came after Eve Cook, Executive Director and co-founder, was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma. “It was supposed to be an easy cancer to treat, but mine ended up being this refractory cancer, which kept coming back after the treatment,” says Cook. When the cancer came back the first time, she not only looked for alternative treatment methods, but felt a pressure to pursue a dream of hers. 

had “always talked about having a retreat center down the road, like a 20-year plan or something. But it was accelerated once my life became a question of how much longer I have left to live. I decided: Let’s just go for it.” 

Cook and her husband began exploring properties on the market to get a sense of what might be feasible. When they found the tract of land Elohee now sits on, she felt the energy and presence of the land instantly. That was what she was seeking.

The family purchased the land in 2010, and in 2011, they began hosting small retreats out of the “Thanksgiving House”—a house nestled in a rich cove forest at the base of the mountain that can house up to 13 guests and features fireplaces, meditation/yoga room and an outdoor patio. 

The family opened Elohee initially as a for-profit business, but it wasn’t until five years later, in 2016, when it was incorporated as a nonprofit organization, that the business began to gain real traction. By that time, Cook had won her battle with cancer, too. 

Groups of ten to 12 came for weekend retreats initially, and it was mostly word of mouth that expanded awareness and interest in the programs at the center. In response, Cook and her team built a new retreat space at the top of the mountain, one that can host groups with up to 50 participants. And the center’s offerings grew to include a broader range of programs.

“At its heart, Elohee was created to offer something that felt increasingly rare—a place where people could step out of the noise of everyday life and reconnect with themselves, with nature and with a deeper sense of meaning,” says Cook. She’s been very grateful over the years, she says, as she provided visitors with a space to heal and recharge and has watched the center expand to allow a maximum occupancy that has more than quadrupled since its opening. 

Three founding principles sit at the heart of Elohee and help guide the organization in its mission. The first is that nature is a teacher; the second is that Elohee remains spiritual but nonsectarian; and the third is that community is an important part of the experience. 

Jason Lyle, a wilderness guide and retreat leader who focuses on men’s mental health, also felt a deep connection to the Blue Ridge Mountains. 

“The first time I stepped onto the land, I knew it was different. It felt like a place where men could actually slow down enough to tell the truth,” Lyle says. He had been looking for a place that “could hold both the rugged, embodied work I do and the deeper spiritual side of it.” Elohee ticked all his boxes. 

“The combination of nature, quiet and intentional structure creates an environment where real work can happen without distraction,” he says. Through his work at Elohee, Lyle has seen “men reconnect with their families, commit to sobriety and begin taking responsibility for their inner world in a way they never had before.” 

Lyle says the combination of the land and the intention behind the center is why it works so well. “There’s a respect for the process—no rush, no pressure to be anything other than where you are. That creates trust. And when people feel safe enough to be honest, that’s when the real work begins.”

Retreats hosted at Elohee are diverse and serve many different audiences. While Lyle’s work focuses on giving men a space to connect, Cook says the majority of their retreat goers are women. Elohee sees “a lot of young moms who are totally exhausted,” she says. “They just need a break so they can rest and can go back to their family life stronger and more rested.” 

The past decade has not been without disruption. Like virtually every retreat and hospitality operation, Elohee was forced to shut down during the COVID-19 pandemic. Cook describes that period as a significant turning point. “It required a complete rethinking of operations, safety and scheduling,” she says. “At the same time, it reaffirmed how essential spaces for rest and reflection are, especially during times of uncertainty.” She says the center emerged from the pandemic with a clearer sense of its identity and a broader recognition of what it offers.

COVID, which came with extreme social isolation for many, was especially impactful for Elohee, which has always put a focus on community-building. One of the ways Elohee encourages socializing is through communal meals and dining spaces. On multiple occasions, Cook has seen visitors form lifelong friendships at Elohee. 

“There’s been so many stories of someone who’s met someone on a retreat,” says Cook. “They came solo, and then they’re coming back now with their new friend that they met. You know, it’s kind of very sweet.” 

“My favorite thing about this place is getting to allow people to open up and share their struggles, because there’s no escaping this human life without some kind of traumas,” says Cook. “I’ve been fortunate to be able to hear and hold space for a lot of people during their healing, too. It just means the world to me.”

One measure of the center’s evolution is its programming. In recent years, Elohee noticed a shift in what guests were asking for. “We noticed an increasing number of people who just want to get away with no or minimal programming,” Cook explains. “A chance to have a break from everyday commitments and just ‘be’ in a supportive environment without having to adhere to a schedule. This feedback birthed Elohee’s signature Rest & Relaxation Weekends.”

The broader retreat and wellness industry has changed considerably over the same period, as well, and Elohee has had to distinguish itself within a more crowded field. “One of the biggest changes has been the increased demand for authentic, meaningful experiences rather than transactional or surface-level offerings. Elohee has responded by staying rooted in depth—focusing on quality of experience and intentional programming and creating space for genuine transformation rather than quick fixes.”

Adriana Guaderrama, a yoga teacher who first came to Elohee as a guest at the Thanksgiving House, agrees that Elohee holds a unique sense of authenticity and presence. “I remember arriving and immediately sensing that this was more than just a retreat center—it felt intentional, grounded and deeply connected to nature. That first experience stayed with me, and over time it naturally evolved into hosting my own retreats there,” she says. 

Lyle concurs. “A lot of places feel like they’re trying to impress you,” he says. “Elohee doesn’t. It invites you. There’s a simplicity to it that actually allows people to drop their guard. It’s not about performance or perfection—it’s about presence.”

Guaderrama points out that Elohee “has remained rooted in its essence—connection to nature, simplicity and presence. At the same time, I’ve seen it evolve in beautiful ways, like the addition of the pavilion, which allows you to connect with nature even more deeply.” Hosting her first retreat at Elohee was a turning point in her own work as a facilitator. “Elohee created an environment where I felt supported as a facilitator; it allowed me to step more fully into that role,” she says. “It’s a space that not only holds participants, but also nurtures the growth of the teachers who guide them.”

Now that Elohee is halfway through its second decade, Cook is proud and grateful for the retreat center’s growth. In the coming years, her focus won’t be so much on the size or scale of the facility, but on creating a lasting institution.