STONEHAVEN RANCH
4999 Hillard Rd.
San Marcos,Texas 78766
Stonehaven is now closed. We are leaving the description up for herstorical purposes.
Stonehaven Ranch is a private non-profit retreat center nestled in the beautiful Texas Hill Country, 8 miles west of San Marcos, Texas and twenty-six miles south of Austin, Texas. Stonehaven is an ephemeral community of guests, caregivers, animals and the land itself.
Stonehaven is dedicated to social change according to the theory of The Gift Economy, proposed by author Genevieve Vaughan in her book For-Giving: A Feminist Criticism of Exchange. The purpose of the ranch is to serve groups, particularly women’s groups, who are working on issues of peace, justice and economic betterment by providing them with a woman-led, free and welcoming weekend meeting space.
Stonehaven Ranch is a drug-and alcohol-free space, which is owned and operated by women, for women, however, both women and men who are working together to affect social change are welcome here as long as basic principles of respect and equitable relations are observed.
Stonehaven has been in operation since 1984. Since that time Stonehaven has served hundreds of groups that have used the space for free or at low cost, working on issues of: social justice, peace, domestic violence, environmental preservation, sexual orientation, gender, women’s spirituality and a variety of other issues.
The ranch is on 171 acres of wooded land. We welcome you to share in the magnificence of this space by hiking the marked trails. Please see the maps in your guest package. We suggest that for your safety you never hike alone, you always inform someone in your group before you depart, and you take plenty of H20.
The facility is completely equipped with towels, bed-linen and a laundry room. Our full service kitchen is stocked with cookware, dishes, and of course food.
A staff person is available to cook for you three times a day with love, and at no extra charge. Please be sure to identify dietary restrictions on your application and upon arrival notify us as to when you would like to have your meals. However, if you wish you are welcome to do your own cooking. Our home is your home.
In the Mother House there is a working fire place, a TV monitor and VCR for your convenience, and of course we invite you to enjoy Stonehaven’s swimming pool and Jacuzzi.
The primary function of Stonehaven is to serve non-profit groups and organizations that are working to find better, more compassionate ways to live in our world and in fellowship with all of its inhabitants. As previously stated, groups, who are dedicated to social change receive the highest consideration.
We reserve the right to limit the use of Stonehaven to groups that best reflect the fore-mentioned definition, and to groups that will respect the peaceful and natural quality of life at the ranch, and the principles which Stonehaven was intended to serve. Unfortunately we are unable to accomodate individuals. Thank you.
Photos of Stonehaven