Trading screen time for green time at Wintergreen Studios in South Frontenac

Mist clings to the lake at dawn. A loon calls in the distance. You step outside your cabin and breathe in the scent of pine and fresh earth. Welcome to Wintergreen Studios, where the pace slows and the forest speaks.

Located in South Frontenac, just north of Kingston, Wintergreen Studios is a not-for-profit educational retreat centre that invites visitors to reconnect with nature, creativity and community. Built with straw bales and cordwood, powered entirely by solar energy, this off-grid haven offers over 200 acres of trails, meadows, wetlands, and stillness.

Unplug and settle in

Whether you come for a day or a week, Wintergreen Studios offers something many of us crave but rarely find: space. Space to breathe, to listen, to be. It is the kind of place where your shoulders drop within minutes of arrival, where your phone becomes irrelevant, and where silence feels full.

Guests can stay in one of several rustic cabins, including a whimsical Hobbit House and the lakeside Parthenon. Each offers its own charm, from woodstove warmth in winter to reading by the dock in summer. There is no electricity in the cabins, no running water, no distractions beyond the crackling fire and the call of the birds.

The main building, a straw-bale Lodge is fully equipped and also available to guests. Inside the Lodge, warm light filters through windows made for watching the woods. There is a central gathering space, a kitchen, and space for small-group retreats or artist residencies. Outside, the land unfolds gently, inviting you to take a path, paddle the lake, or sit on a mossy log and watch the day stretch out before you.

Hands-on programs and year-round offerings

Wintergreen Studio’s seasonal programming includes writing workshops, land art and biodiversity events, eco-building, and more. One of the highlights is the annual Land Art BioBlitz, which blends community science and creativity to explore the diversity of the land.

Participants include school groups, newcomer families, artists, educators, and solo adventurers. In winter, guided snowshoe hikes and fire-building sessions offer a taste of survival skills and storytelling around the flames. In spring, the land bursts open with new growth, and so do creative minds.

Some participants are newcomers to Canada, welcomed through partnerships with Immigrant Services for Kingston and Area. For many, Wintergreen Studios is their first wilderness experience. One recent guest from Sudan excitedly called snowshoeing “ice river walking.” In spring, another visitor shared recipes for grape leaves after spotting vines on the trail. The cultural exchange is as rich as the land itself.

Workshops also include beginner carpentry, nature photography, natural dyeing and guided reflective writing. Facilitators come from across Ontario and beyond, bringing experience and warmth to their teachings.

Wintergreen Studios is also a popular destination for educators, who bring students to the land for immersive learning. These land-based education sessions encourage young people to build resilience, and curiosity, and to care for the land. They might identify plant species, build forest shelters, or simply lie under a tree and listen.

Plan your rustic visit

Wintergreen Studios is open year-round and welcomes both first-time guests and returning regulars. It is ideal for solo travellers, small groups, writers, nature lovers, and anyone looking to trade screen time for green time.

You can book a cabin, join a weekend retreat, or register for a seasonal workshop. The staff can help you tailor your visit based on your comfort level with rustic living and your curiosity about the land. While some guests want to do everything, others come with the intention to rest, reflect and reset.

Just an hour north of Kingston and 15-20 minutes from Westport, it is close to home, yet a world away.

The roots of Wintergreen Studios

Wintergreen Studios was founded in 2007 by Queen’s University education professor and former dean Rena Upitis, who first purchased the 204-acre property in 1990. Once partly farmland, the land remains part of the traditional territory of the Anishinaabe people. It is a place shaped by history and continually restored through intentional care and learning.

Upitis began building cabins in the 1990s with help from high school students through co-op placements. She cut trails, hauled lumber, and with the help of family, friends and youth, completed the first cabin by 1997.

In 2007, after a moment of clarity during a conference in downtown Chicago, Upitis returned home and committed to building an educational centre that would prioritize sustainability, creativity, and connection to the land.

That year, Wintergreen Studios was named and incorporated. Construction of the main straw bale lodge began in 2008, with the help of volunteers and a team of local tradespeople.

Structures such as the Hobbit House, the root cellar and a cabin called the Parthenon were also built, each with its own charm and story. When asked why the Parthenon bears such a grand name, Upitis laughs. A friend once joked that if they were hauling in architectural salvage and concrete by hand, it should be called the Parthenon, as the materials were as heavy as marble. Her four-year-old daughter, when shown a photo of the Greek Parthenon, said, “My Mama’s Parthenon is better. It has a roof.”

More than 15 years later, the mission of Wintergreen Studios remains the same, though its reach has stretched.

“We see our role continuing and expanding, as we bring as many people from as many contexts to Wintergreen Studios as possible,” said Upitis. “Living sustainably is more likely when people forge a deep connection to nature. Wintergreen Studios is a place to do just that.”

Come see for yourself. Bring your boots, your journal, or your curiosity. The forest is waiting.