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Visit Details

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To reserve your dates with us, simply email or call and we will pencil you in.  We will ask for a $100.00 nonrefundable deposit to hold the dates for your group.  We begin to get reservations as early as June or July for the following year so please contact us as soon as you know you would like to join us here at Earth Kin! 

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We will send an invoice for the balance due once you know your final number or no later than a month before your arrival.  The cost per person is $550.00 to include:

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  • Lodging for 6 nights (usually Sunday evening through Friday evening)

  • Meals

  • Staff support for service projects

  • Entry fees for the Sequoyah Museum, the Smoky Mountains Heritage Center and for Rocky Branch Mountain Music. 

  • Educational speakers and programs during the week

You will need to have transportation for the week to get to various service sites.  If you are flying, the nearest airport is McGhee-Tyson in Knoxville which is only 20 minutes from our site. 

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One day each week, usually Wednesdays, is set aside for you to explore and have some fun in the area.  We are happy to give you ideas and advice so you can plan out your free day in the Smokies!

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ACCOMMODATIONS

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We live on a seven-acre farm in the foothills of the Smoky Mountains.  So you will be visiting our home and we will be sharing our personal history here as well as our dreams for the land.  

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Our FUTURE Bunkhouse will be composed of four rooms.  Each room will have an entrance off a central breezeway that runs down the middle.  The central breezeway will be covered to encourage gatherings in and around the rooms.  There will be four bunkbeds in each room so that 8 people can stay in each room.  The bunkhouse is planned to be of strawbales and stucco which provides very well insulated areas for our mini half-split heating and cooling.  The use of energy for internal climate control is minimized and a good example of sustainable practices.  Until our bunkhouse is built, groups stay in large, canvas wall tents (with heaters) and in our strawbale woodshop so either way, we have a plan for you to be safe, warm and comfortable each night.  

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The Shower House is composed of five private stalls with an entrance from the outdoors, spacious with overhead lighting and heat if needed.  There is space to keep your clothing and supplies dry with a chair, hooks, shelves, and a curtain.  There is also a mirror and a small sink for you to use as needed.  The showers are supplied with on-demand hot water, so it is very efficient way to provide the warm water for the shower.  We have been told that our showers are the nicest showers ever!  We think you will agree!

We call our Restroom Facility, “The Loo” just for fun because it is a very unusual restroom.  Our Palace de Loo is part of our composting program in that we have composting toilets.  There are four spacious stalls that are very clean and simple to use.  The composting toilets allow for using less water, requires no chemicals and contribute to the composting process that feeds the soil in our gardens. 

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Meals will be served from our home kitchen.  Generally, we serve breakfast each morning and dinners each evening with sack lunches being carried with us for each project day.  Students assist with the preparation and clean-up of meals.  We can accommodate strong food preferences and/or allergies if site leaders inform us in advance.  For example, we have worked with vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, lactose-free, and other food allergies in our menus in the past but need advance information to do so. 

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We live on the property so you will be welcome to visit our home, barn and wood shop where Scott designs and builds custom furniture.  Anyone interested is welcome to visit the shop and to learn about woodworking.   And at least once during the week, we share an evening around the fire to tell stories, sing songs and simply enjoy a Smoky Mountain evening. 

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WHAT TO BRING

Critical Items You Need to Bring:

 

These items will help you to be comfortable and to participate fully in the experience you will have here.  Please do your best to bring these items and anything you may need for your own comfort and caring.  We have some items we can loan, and we will do our best to find what you need while you are here.

  • Face Mask(s) – just in case some public places require wearing a face mask

  • Flashlight or head lamp

  • At least one if not two Refillable Water Bottle

  • Heavy Duty Work Gloves (preferably leather)

  • Warm Sleeping Bag or Bedding

  • Pillow

  • Small day pack - to carry your lunch each day

  • Warm hat and gloves

  • Rain jacket with hood and, ideally, rain pants

  • Long underwear

  • Outer Layers - thin, insulating layers

  • Wool socks

  • Warm sweater and/or jacket

  • Sturdy work shoes or hiking boots that are waterproof for service projects

  • Comfortable shoes (tennis shoes? Sandals?) for down time and travel

  • At least three sets of work clothes – heavy pants i.e. denim jeans and/or canvas work pants – that you don’t mind getting dirty and, possibly, torn or caught up on thorns and stickers outside (not stretchy, yoga-type pants or leggings)

  • Comfortable clothes for down times

  • Bath towel and toiletries for showering; shower shoes if you prefer

  • Pajamas

  • Bathing suit, shorts, t-shirts (for warmer weather should it happen)

  • Personal medications as needed

  • Cash for small purchases; credit card and ID

  • Cell phone and charger, of course!

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Consider the weather we can typically expect:

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JANUARY:

Average high temperature in the Smokies is 37 degrees F and the average low is 19.9 degrees F.  January is one of our coldest months.  We will spend a lot of time outside!

 

MARCH:

Average high temperature in the Smokies is 46.9 degrees F and the average low is 28 degrees F so it is important to bring warm clothing.  We can see signs of spring and have very warm days in the 60’s or 70’s so bring some shorts and t-shirts just in case!

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