Wonderwell Mountain Refuge, Grantham, New Hampshire | Yoga and Meditation Retreat Center

About Wonderwell Mountain Refuge

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Upcoming Retreats at Wonderwell Mountain Refuge

Meditation

Your Guides

Venue & Amenities

A/C in Rooms

Free Wifi

Spa

Sauna

Pool

Towels

Free Parking

Kitchen

Tour Assistance

Hot Tub

Coffee/Tea

Cafe

Restaurant

Fitness Center

Yoga Studio

Housekeeping

Bicycles For Rent

Located on twenty-five acres of rolling hills in Springfield, New Hampshire, Wonderwell was originally built as a summer home in 1911. Tranquil and serene, surrounded by woods, meadows, gardens, and century-old stone walls, Wonderwell’s stately main building offers a comfortable and spacious setting in which the transformative potential of meditation—for work, community and daily life—can be explored and realized. Recently, due to its many unique features, the building has been recognized as a New Hampshire state historic site.

The house is situated on a west-facing hillside with sweeping views of sky and mountains. On one end of the building is the Great Room, now the meditation hall, which can accommodate groups of up to 100 people. The hall has an oak balcony encircling the room above and two fieldstone fireplaces. Other features of this historic building include a large covered porch for outdoor practice, a kitchen with industrial appliances, dining facilities, 13 bathrooms, and 15 bedrooms of varying capacities sleeping up to 36 people. We have been working tirelessly, with a successful major capital campaign and continuing renovations, to bring Wonderwell into the 21st century, and complete the work necessary to keep this lovely historic building code-compliant, safe, and sustainable.

The house is partially shielded from a country road by majestic, old oak trees, and is framed by well-established perennials, with multiple garden spaces. Behind the house is an acre of open field that gives way to sloping forested land with excellent trail system potential and sites for several retreat cabins. The back of the house faces west toward jaw-dropping, sky-gazing views of Mount Croyden, behind which the sun sets in the evening.

For the many volunteers and benefactors who support Wonderwell, as well as for the people who work there, caring for Wonderwell has become a practice of sacred stewardship. For all of these people, Wonderwell is not just a building; it is a community.

Meals

Menu Types

Vegan

Vegetarian

Pescetarian

Ayurvedic

Includes Meat

Organic

Gluten Free

Dairy Free

Nut Free

Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are included in your accommodation fee. Our kitchen is dedicated to providing local fresh and/or organic foods whenever possible and we enjoy relationships with Kearsarge Food Hub, and other farmers in the area. All meals are vegetarian, with gluten-free and dairy-free options available at every meal. Meals are served buffet style. Snacks such as fresh fruit, toast and crackers, nut butters, jams, nuts, and dried fruit are available 24 hours a day. Coffee is offered, usually until lunchtime, and hot water and all kinds of teas are always available. The fee for the commuter registration option also includes all meals.

Getting Here

Wonderwell Mountain Refuge, 253 Philbrick Hill Road, Springfield, New Hampshire, USA

Directions

From Boston and points East By Car: Wonderwell is a 2 hour drive from Boston. Take Highway 93 North to Highway 89 North. Take Exit 12A. At the bottom of the exit ramp, take a right turn. When that road T’s take a left onto Route 114. Take Route 114 past Lake Kolelemook (to your right). After going through the small town of Springfield, turn right on Philbrick Hill Road. Wonderwell is at the top of the hill, on the left. *By Bus: The Dartmouth Coach runs from Boston (from Logan Airport and South Station) to New London (the Wonderwell stop) many times a day, and is a quick, efficient way to travel here. The Coach has wifi on board. Tickets can be purchased online or at South Station in Boston. From NYC *By Bus: The Dartmouth Coach runs from New York City to Lebanon, NH. The coach is a direct and comfortable way to travel between NYC and New Hampshire. For more information, see the Dartmouth Coach website. From the Upper Valley By Car: Wonderwell is 30 minutes south of Lebanon, NH on Highway 89. Take Highway 89 South to exit 13 (Grantham). At the bottom of the exit ramp, take a right turn. Continue past the Post Office until you intersect 114, and take a left. Take Route 114 for about 4 miles until Philbrick Hill Road and take a left. Wonderwell is at the top of the hill on the left. *See our website for information on getting picked up at a bus stop.

Customer Reviews

4.00 out of 5.0 average rating

Anonymous • Sep 24, 2024

3.0

Verified

Fall Equinox celebration (zoom)

This was my first experience with WonderWell.

I was disappointed that over an hour of the 90 min session was the music group playing. I did not really know what to do during this time, perhaps because I am such a novice.

The guided meditation near the end with Lama Liz was wonderful.

Kristen • Aug 12, 2021

5.0

Verified

Stellar!

Lama Liz and the Natural Dharma Fellowship community is so incredibly welcoming and kind. I have never seen a community so unbiased and open in my life! This is a community for new and experiences practitioners of Buddhism and is tremendously welcoming to all variations of faith of practice.

Mission & Vision

Since its founding in 2011 as a Buddhist retreat center dedicated to the cultivation of mindfulness, wisdom, and compassion for a better world, Wonderwell Mountain Refuge has provided a sanctuary for the transmission and preservation of authentic and ancient lineage teachings, as well as for the rediscovery of these teachings as profoundly relevant to contemporary life.

Wonderwell Mountain Refuge is owned and operated by Natural Dharma Fellowship, a non-profit 501c3 organization dedicated to the preservation of the teachings of the Buddhadharma in the West. While grounded in the practices and teachings of the Buddhist tradition, Natural Dharma Fellowship’s mission is enhanced by retreats at Wonderwell that explore the realms of contemplative care, social justice, secular ethics, and activism.

Wonderwell has hosted over 150 residential group retreats supported by dedicated staff and guided by experienced meditation teachers. The types of retreats hosted include:

• Silent group retreats to deepen in meditation practice, to steep in the timeless wisdom of the Buddhist teachings, and to cultivate the heart of compassion

• Contemplative retreats for activists, educators, caregivers, artists, writers, couples

• Gatherings dedicated to exploring the intersection of Buddhist ethics with ecological sustainability

• Yoga and mindful movement retreats

• Events for local communities in and around Springfield, New Hampshire

At present, Natural Dharma Fellowship’s vision, and the programming and development of Wonderwell, are stewarded by Lama Willa B. Miller, PhD, Founder and Spiritual Director of Natural Dharma Fellowship and Lama Elizabeth Monson, PhD, Spiritual Co-Director of Natural Dharma Fellowship and the Managing Teacher at Wonderwell.

Both Lama Willa and Lama Liz are fully authorized teachers within the Kagyu lineage of Tibetan Buddhism and are trained scholars of the Buddhist traditions and translators (Tibetan-English). Their work is supported by a community of over 30 meditation teachers, visiting teachers and mentors, who participate in creating a web of support for students who participate in Wonderwell’s retreats and trainings.

Wonderwell Mountain Refuge

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About Wonderwell Mountain Refuge

Upcoming Retreats at Wonderwell Mountain Refuge

Watching the Mind: Resting in One’s True Nature (Residential Only)

Winter Solstice Celebration – Rewilding the Soul (Online)

The Wonder of Awareness: Annual Online Winter Retreat

Entering the Diamond Path: Exploring the Vajrayana (Online Course)

Watching the Mind: Resting in One’s True Nature (Residential Only)

Winter Solstice Celebration – Rewilding the Soul (Online)

The Wonder of Awareness: Annual Online Winter Retreat

Entering the Diamond Path: Exploring the Vajrayana (Online Course)

Your Guides

Venue & Amenities

Meals

Menu Types

Getting Here

Directions

Customer Reviews

Anonymous • Sep 24, 2024

Fall Equinox celebration (zoom)

Kristen • Aug 12, 2021

Stellar!

Mission & Vision

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