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Craft and connect getaways are a sweet escape for women, offering stunning views, cozy crafting time, and friendships to cherish. According to Statista’s 2024 Global Consumer Insights

Survey, 23 percent of Americans 50-64 enjoy crafting or DIY hobbies, with many adults placing travel and socializing among their top 10 leisure lists. Craft retreats combine creativity and

connection, allowing women 50-plus to “sew-cialize” while soaking up peaceful scenery. Across the U.S., dozens of locations now host themed retreats where you can learn or refine skills such

as quilting, knitting, or needle felting. Ready to craft your perfect getaway? Here’s where to start. Travel to Texas Hill Country for Dexter Oaks Retreat’s four-day quilting retreats.

Courtesy Dexter Oaks QUILTING: DEXTER OAKS RETREAT Dexter Oaks Retreat in Texas Hill Country hosts four-day, three-night crafting retreats for $185 per person, which includes shared

hotel-like accommodations. Catered meals are optional, and visits with the resident cows — kept strictly as pets — are complimentary. Guests enjoy a welcoming environment and access to a

custom-designed crafting space featuring design walls, individual workstations with task lighting, and comfortable seating. The 22-acre ranch offers “open” format crafting retreats, meaning

no formal classes or workshops are held. This allows uninterrupted time for projects, with many guests completing extensive work, like a quilt, within a few days. Karen Keany, 64, a lifelong

seamstress from Lago Vista, Texas, who took up quilting eight years ago, praises the camaraderie. “I’m the young one of the group. We go up from 64 to 80,” she says. “We learn so much from

each other because we’re all at different levels.” Solo crafters and groups alike are welcome. Retreats include welcome snacks and access to a fully stocked kitchen. About 60 percent of

guests opt to prepare their own meals, while others use the retreat’s partner catering services. Owner Debbie Glum highlights the appeal of the ranch’s cows. “The ladies love the cows.

They’re a big draw,” says Glum. “They line up at the fence every time they see a car come because they know they’re going to get treats.” For details and reservations:

https://www.dexteroaksretreat.com/ Fiber arts specialists can take spinning, knitting, weaving, and needle-felting classes at Nome Schoolhouse in North Dakota. Courtesy Teresa Perleberg

NEEDLE FELTING & FIBER ARTS: NOME SCHOOLHOUSE In rural Nome, North Dakota — population 51 — a 108-year-old schoolhouse has been transformed into Nome Schoolhouse retreat, a unique

destination for fiber arts enthusiasts. Co-owners Chris Armbrust and fiber artist Teresa Perleberg invite guests to experience the full “farm-to-needle” journey, from wool harvesting to

hands-on fiber arts workshops. Participants enjoy themed retreats featuring classes in spinning, knitting, weaving, needle-felting, and other creative skills, led by Perleberg and guest

instructors. “I have a flock of sheep,” says Perleberg. “I’ll take them out to my farm and show them where the wool comes from. And then they tour the fiber mill and then they get to make

things with the wool,” she says about her felting retreats.