The Ozark Natural Science Center is located in the heart of the Ozarks and has access to 8 miles of trails surrounded by 15,000 acres of wilderness. We have a large event/dinning hall that can accommodate over 100 guests and lodging for up to 68 people. Additional the campus includes a fire pit in a large pavilion with amphitheater style seating. Many outdoor covered spaces, an education building with overhead projector, and more can be used during your retreat. Lots of options!
Faith
Non-Faith Based:
Non-Faith Based
Open to All:
Open to All
Mission/Lineage: Our mission is to enhance the understanding, appreciation, and stewardship of the Ozark natural environment. We are not faith based but open to all faith or non faith based practices. We want to connect people with nature. By bringing more people to our facility located deep in the wilderness, we are furthering this mission.
Average Cost: $ - $$$$
We are willing to work with any budget. Some groups have chosen to cook around the fire and bunk together in a single lodge for less than $20 a person! Other groups have chosen to cater meals with us, add environmental education programs or guided hikes, and used every part of the campus resulting in an overall bill of thousands of dollars. Contact us and we will find a way to match your needs and your budget!
Work Exchange:
Yes!
We are open to work exchanges! We do a wide variety of programming and are open to partial trades in which instructors hold classes open to the public in exchange for discounts on their rental package. Please ask if your budget is tight and we might be willing to work with you!
Environment: Mountain, River / Stream, Rural, Rustic, Woods
Gay Friendly: Yes!
Special Needs: Allergies, Wheelchair Access
Environmentally Sustainable:
Yes!
Our facility uses a Geo-Thermal heating and air system in the main event/dinning hall building. It also has an array of solar panels on the roof. Most of the buildings also use passive solar designs as well. Additionally we have a food waste program and sustainability program that educates at least 3,000 students a year. We compost, recycle, and reduce in any way that we can do. We continue to think about our environmental impact and hope you will do the same if you stay with us!
Overnight Guest Capacity (defined as):
70
Meeting Space Capacity (defined as):
100
Dates Closed to Groups: Closed Mon-Thurs in Oct-Dec & Feb-May for school field trip programs but open most weekends!
Meeting Rooms:
| Room Name | Square Feet | Capacity | Description |
| Ewing Center | 5000 | 100 | The Ewing Center is our main event hall and dinning hall. It is bordered with beautiful windows and skylights as well as a wrap around porch and deck. It includes a wood stove, tables, chairs, kitchenette, & salad bar as well as plenty of bathrooms. |
| Education Building | 1000 | 80 | The education building is a great space for a presentation or class. It has an overhead projector, school supplies, white boards, as well as tables and chairs. If you don't see something you need, ask, we have lots of educational materials! |
| Pavilion | | 100 | The pavilion has a fire pit in the middle and a dome shaped roof that sheds rain while not capturing campfire smoke. Seating is on logs, amphitheater style but chairs can be added behind the back row if needed. |
| Tree-top Deck | | 50 | Also known as our outdoor classroom, this space is over 20 feet off the ground in the treetops. It is a covered space with lighting and a white board but it has no walls so you feel like you are in a tree house. We also have a similar observation deck too |
| Lodges | | 68 | We have 68 beds (all bunk beds) in 3 lodges. Each lodge has 5-6 rooms with 1-3 bunk beds in each room. Every room has a bathroom & shower. Every lodge has a living room & porch. The lodges don't have kitchens so meals take place in the event/dining hall. |
Groups Served: 12 Step / Addiction / Recovery, Arts / Crafts, Business, Church / Faith / Religious, Dance / Theater, Educational, Families, Health / Healing, Lesbian / Gay, Meditation Groups, Mens Groups, Music, Nature / Adventure, Non-profit, Peace / Justice, Personal Development Groups, Reunions, Silent, Weddings, Womens Groups, Writing, Yoga Groups, Youth Groups
Amenities: Fire Pit / Circle, Fireplaces, Gardens / Outdoor Space, Hardwood / Tile (non-carpet), On-line / Internet Access, Pavilion, Walking/ Hiking Trails
Special Features: As an environmental education center we are always happy to add on a program. We can lead nature hikes, outdoor skills classes, or various science programs. We love to collaborate with our local community too so we can often find local programs if we can not offer them ourselves. We also have some canoes and a canoe trailer for rent as well as a great river only a short drive away!
Technology and AV: We have Wi-Fi in the main buildings. Overhead projectors and computers are available upon request. Other equipment might be lying around as well, just ask!
Room Types: Cottage / Cabin, Dorm, Tent
Total Number of Rooms:
16
Children OK: Yes!
Housing: We have 68 beds (all bunk beds) in 3 lodges. Each lodge has 5-6 rooms with 1-3 bunk beds in each room. Every room has its own bathroom with a shower. Every lodge has a central living room and a large porch. The lodges do not have kitchens so all meals will take place in the event hall/dining room. Additionally there are mattresses that can be put on the floor if you need to add more people. We also have a few private apartments available at certain times of the year. Linens are an extra fee.
Food: Raw Food Options, Restricted Diet Options, Vegetarian or Vegan Options
Meal Availability: Available On Site, Provided - All Meals
Location of this Retreat:
1905 Madison 1305
Huntsville, AR 72740
United States
Travel Info: We are located in the wilderness 30 minutes from Eureka Springs and 20 minutes from Huntsville. Our campus is down 3 miles of dirt road. The closest airport is a little over an hour away in Bentonville (XNA) or an hour and a half away in Brandson Mo. The campus is about 50 minutes to an hour from most places in Northwest Arkansas, the region which includes Fayetteville, Rogers, and Bentonville. There are not many transportation options in the wilderness and we do not provide transportation.
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Emily Meyer
3/16/2019
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A nice relaxed atmosphere, beautiful architecture, great big windows in the reception hall (Ewing center), lodging for family and friends, a huge deck, a fire pit, and catering! The price was also amazing for how much we opted to include in our entire package!...staff were super hospitable and outstandingly accommodating. They went above and beyond to make sure we were taken care of and the vision of our day was how we wanted!...I’ll cherish my memories at the ONSC forever!
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Claire Gist
11/17/2018
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My sorority had our retreat here, it is was absolutely fabulous! We had a great time! The staff were so gracious and kind to us. Definitely recommend!!
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Nancy Gilmore
4/12/2019
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The Northwest Arkansas Master Naturalist in training had a wonderful 3 days. Beautiful setting with great trails. Lodging was comfortable and had a nice 'living room' area and porch. Perfect to sit and just listen to the wildlife we were learning about. All the staff were more then helpful and all so friendly. All and all, a wonderful experience!
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Reservation Criteria: We ask that a 10% down payment (or $100, whichever is greater) be made at the time of booking. The remaining balance is due before or upon arrival. We also ask for a $500 refundable deposit for the group that we will return to the group as long as nothing is damaged during your stay with us.
Retreat Contact: Roslyn Imrie
Phone: 479-202-8340
Website:
View Retreat Website
Organization Contact:
Ozark Natural Science Center
1905 Madison 1305
Huntsville, AR 72740
United States
Organization Website: View Organization Website