Deer Run Retreat Provides a Place for Relaxation
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A private wooded setting near Thompson’s Station offers the opportunity for quiet reflection – yet it also encourages adults and young sters to test their limits and discover their strengths.
Deer Run Retreat opened in 2003 on 84 acres‚ about 10 minutes south of Franklin. Facilities include a camping area‚ a seven-bedroom lodge‚ high and low ropes courses‚ and a 3-acre spring-fed lake‚ says Rick Bowles‚ development director for the center.
“Deer Run is a nondenominational Christian retreat center‚ and its mission is to provide a place for rejuvenation‚” Bowles says.
Visitors may come to Deer Run for a daylong retreat or stay overnight.
Deer Run offers overnight group retreat packages with lodging in platform tents‚ use of meeting facilities‚ lake activities‚ evening campfires‚ out door movies and more. Programs for individuals and families include a Valentine couples’ retreat and Family Fun Day.
The low ropes course is a team-building exercise that works for all types of organizations‚ from church youth groups to business and industry work teams‚ Bowles says.
“The high ropes course is more suitable for individuals who want to challenge themselves‚” he adds. “It’s pretty much an all-day course.”
In summer 2007‚ Deer Run added youth camping to the retreat center’s offerings. Middle and high school-age students could sign up for overnight camps‚ and children in grades one through five could attend day camps.
Plans call for the addition of a bunkhouse that will sleep 80 for larger gatherings.
The retreat center sponsored its second Angel Tree camp in July 2007. The camp is for children whose parents are incarcerated.
“We raise money so the kids can come for free‚” Bowles says. “It’s for kids in grades four through seven‚ and a lot of them have never been camping before.”
Story by Renee Elder
