New Year's Reading Retreat
New Year's Reading Retreat
5637 Erie St, Racine, WI 53402, USA
Up to 15 in group
Jan 8 - 10, 2027
About this Retreat
Your Guides
Christine Noelle is the Director of Marketing & Communications at Siena Retreat Center. She has worked at nonprofits across southeastern Wisconsin for more than ten years in marketing, programming, development, and community engagement. An avid reader, Christine is active in several local book clubs and enjoys facilitating thoughtful conversations inspired by books. With a degree in Environmental Education and certification as a Wilderness First Responder, she also enjoys creating opportunities for people to connect with nature and one another. A member of the Oneida Nation of Wisconsin, Christine's spirituality is grounded in her connection to her heritage and the wisdom of the natural world, perspectives that continue to shape her love of reading, the outdoors, and building meaningful community.
Details of this retreat
Join us for a cozy winter reading retreat designed for book lovers of all kinds on the lakeside grounds of Siena Retreat Center! The start of a new year is a natural time to reset—whether that means jump starting a new reading habit, carving out more intentional time for reading, or finding a new community of readers to share the experience with.
Bring the book you’ve been meaning to finish, the novel you can’t stop thinking about, the memoir sitting patiently on your nightstand, or the fantasy world you’re fully prepared to disappear into for a weekend. Spend your days reading in our group reading lounge, sipping a hot beverage, shopping in our on-site bookstore, working on bookish crafts, or finding a peaceful corner all your own to read in. Throughout the weekend, you’ll have opportunities to connect with other readers through relaxed gatherings, optional group reading time, and bookish social events designed to spark conversation and connection. Read in community or in solitude whenever you prefer.
This retreat welcomes people of all reading tastes and experience levels. Whether you devour books weekly or are trying to rediscover the joy of reading again, there is space for you here!
Blind Date with a Book Exchange | Friday Evening Social
Bring a new or lightly used fiction book to exchange and wrap or disguise it so the cover stays a mystery. On the outside, include clues for fellow readers such as the genre, themes, mood, or fun teaser notes to help others choose their “blind date” book!
Read Your Own Book Club | Saturday Evening Social
This year’s theme is Roots. Choose a book that connects to the theme in whatever way inspires you—it might be a nonfiction book about ancestry or nature, a memoir about rediscovering home, a fantasy story with tree magic, or simply a book with roots on the cover. Read it before or during the retreat, then join us on Saturday evening as we come together like a book club to share our “Roots” reads. We’ll talk about the books we all read, discover new books that we may have otherwise never crossed paths with, ask questions, and have fun seeing how creatively everyone interpreted the theme!
Bring the book you’ve been meaning to finish, the novel you can’t stop thinking about, the memoir sitting patiently on your nightstand, or the fantasy world you’re fully prepared to disappear into for a weekend. Spend your days reading in our group reading lounge, sipping a hot beverage, shopping in our on-site bookstore, working on bookish crafts, or finding a peaceful corner all your own to read in. Throughout the weekend, you’ll have opportunities to connect with other readers through relaxed gatherings, optional group reading time, and bookish social events designed to spark conversation and connection. Read in community or in solitude whenever you prefer.
This retreat welcomes people of all reading tastes and experience levels. Whether you devour books weekly or are trying to rediscover the joy of reading again, there is space for you here!
Blind Date with a Book Exchange | Friday Evening Social
Bring a new or lightly used fiction book to exchange and wrap or disguise it so the cover stays a mystery. On the outside, include clues for fellow readers such as the genre, themes, mood, or fun teaser notes to help others choose their “blind date” book!
Read Your Own Book Club | Saturday Evening Social
This year’s theme is Roots. Choose a book that connects to the theme in whatever way inspires you—it might be a nonfiction book about ancestry or nature, a memoir about rediscovering home, a fantasy story with tree magic, or simply a book with roots on the cover. Read it before or during the retreat, then join us on Saturday evening as we come together like a book club to share our “Roots” reads. We’ll talk about the books we all read, discover new books that we may have otherwise never crossed paths with, ask questions, and have fun seeing how creatively everyone interpreted the theme!
Getting Here
Siena Retreat Center, 5637 Erie St, Racine, WI 53402, USA
Directions
We are convienently located between two major international airports in Milwaukee, WI and Chicago, IL. For details, please see our website: https://www.sienaretreatcenter.org/directions/
Accommodation
Siena Retreat Center has 67 private bedrooms with private in-room bath facilities. Linens and towels are provided and guests have access to a free, fully-stocked guest laundry. We ask that silence be kept on bedroom floors. There are rooms with one twin bed, two twin beds and with queen-size beds. Only one person is assigned to a room unless you specifically request to share. Siena Retreat Center has elevator access to all floors and ADA accessible rooms are available upon request. Service animals are accepted.
Partner Cost
Covers approximately 60% of the program and operational costs of offering this retreat.
Advocate Cost
Covers approximately 80% of the program and operational costs of offering this retreat.
Sustainer Cost
Covers approximately 100% of the program and operational costs of offering this retreat.
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
Meals
Menu Types
Vegan
Vegetarian
Pescetarian
Ayurvedic
Includes Meat
Organic
Gluten Free
Dairy Free
Nut Free
What's Included
- Overnight accommodations: Private Bedroom with Private In-Room Bathroom
- Catered Meals and 24/7 Beverage Center
- Access to indoor amenities: Creativity Room, Prayer & Meditation Room, Whole Body Wellness Room, Sitting Rooms & Book Nooks, Guest Laundry
- Outdoor amenities include: Screened-in Patio, Cretan-style 7-circut labyrinth, pathways along Lake Michigan overlooks and woods & restored prairie, two beach access points
- On-Site Bookstore with a curated selection of books and gifts to enhance the retreat experience
What's Not Included
- Airfair
- Transportation to/from center
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