Retreats

Host your group retreat at Silver Lake Camp & Retreat Center and find perspective, discover your inspiration, build community, and experience a greater connection to the world around you.

Vaccine Requirement

Silver Lake requires all guests to our site and participants at our in-person events to be fully vaccinated (2+ weeks from final dose) against Covid-19. Those who are not able to be vaccinated due to a medical condition or due to age may show proof of a negative PCR test taken not more than 3 days before the event.

As a ministry of the Southern New England Conference, United Church of Christ (SNE UCC), Silver Lake adheres to all the policies put in place by the Conference.

Read the SNE UCC Covid Policy for Sites and Events.

About Silver Lake

Silver Lake is a camp and retreat facility located on more than sixty acres of wooded land along a lake in northwestern Connecticut. Silver Lake has offered a respite in the woods and immersion in nature, away from the pressures of everyday life, for youth and adults alike since its founding as a United Church of Christ summer camp in 1957.

Nestled among pines, cedars, and maples, five year-round retreat buildings and two seasonal cabin villages, all of varying sizes, make it possible to welcome groups as small as ten and as large as one hundred fifty. Each of our retreat facilities is designed to promote community building, with a large central meeting space surrounded by bedrooms.

In addition to comfortable lodging, Silver Lake offers indoor and outdoor meeting spaces, full food services, recreation (including high and low ropes challenge courses), and more.

We are equipped to host a wide variety of retreats including church groups of all denominations and faiths, seekers, nonprofit groups, school groups, hobbyists and crafters, day meetings, and people seeking teambuilding, community building, a greater connection to nature, and spiritual renewal.

Your Retreat Experience

Our staff is dedicated to ensuring your retreat experience is fulfilling. Our retreat coordinator is available to your group from your first inquiry and throughout your retreat and can help with planning and organizing.

Our Executive Director and Site Manager live on site and are on call for emergencies twenty-four hours a day. Our Food Services Manager prepares balanced meals that meet the unique needs of each member of your group. Facilitators are available to lead your group through a variety of organized activities.

Each retreat is a unique expression of a community’s goals, personality, and connection. Retreat packages are customizable with mid-week, weekend, and week-long retreats available, allowing you to plan the best experience for your group.

Retreats typically begin with groups arriving, unpacking, and settling in before being welcomed by our host and introduced to Silver Lake.

Breakfast, lunch, dinner, and Sunday brunch are served family-style in the Cedars dining room, encouraging conversation and fellowship. Our chef designs a menu around the needs of each group.

Morning and afternoon activities might include facilitated field games, a ropes course experience, unstructured outdoor play, rambling through the woods, quiet reflection lakeside or in one of our outdoor chapels, or even an off-site outing.

An evening campfire, with or without s’mores, is a traditional, beloved way to close out the day. Firepits accommodate groups of all sizes.

Whatever your goals for your time away, our skilled staff can help you plan the perfect retreat.

Accommodations

Visit our Facilities page for an in-depth look at all of the indoor and outdoor spaces we have available.

Recreation

At Silver Lake, we believe an important part of the retreat experience is spending time in nature engaging in unstructured activities or facilitated programs. Outdoor basketball and volleyball courts are available in season. Try your hand at disc golf, with a nine-hole course that winds its way through the upper portion of camp. Several open fields lend themselves to a variety of games, including kickball. Swimming and boating are available seasonally. Bring your sleds and snow sculpting plans when the forecast calls for snow.

Visit our Challenge Courses page for additional details about out high and low-ropes courses.