Located on Elkhorn Creek north of Frankfort,
Kentucky.  Owned and operated by Normandi
Ellis and David Hurt.

An historic home for writers and spiritual seekers
on retreat.  Beautiful rural setting, including the
music of the creek and the ineffable beauty of the
natural, blooming & resting world.  An official
Kentucky Heritage Council landmark.

PenHouse is now open for weekend retreats and
has been taking writing and spiritual retreat residencies since Spring 2010.       APPLICATION
PenHouse Retreat Center
PenHouse Retreat Center offers affordable, comfortable, private rooms for creative people in need of a restorative place to write, think, and meditate.  We provide opportunities to focus on one's craft.  This may include individual conferences, consultations, and workshops, or simply time away from the frenetic pace of life.

We are an eco-friendly environment offering garden-fresh produce for our guests' meals.  We cater to your needs for internet access, quiet spaces, as well as communal space.  We are accessibile to, and will pick up from three airports (Louisville, Lexington, and Cincinnati).  Walk and explore our 15 acres, which includes an island in Elkhorn Creek.

Amenities include 5 private porches with porch swings and chairs, private quarters with desks, beds, rockers, linens, quilts, and dressers for client comfort.  We offer WiFi and printer access, 5 libraries featuring fiction, poetry, comparative religions, spirituality, Kentucky literature, and books on the craft of writing.  Original art hangs in every room; the barn offers space for performing arts, run by artists who understand artists' needs.

We are open from mid-March to Thanksgiving.  $60 per day includes 3 meals.  Stay for 4 nights and receive a 5th night free.  Call 502-352-7503 for available dates and reservations.     APPLICATION
Click here to read the November 2011 article by Maggie Greene of
Kentucky Monthly Magazine about
PenHouse Retreat Center.
In April, our island in Elkhorn Creek is covered in bluebells. Canoe Kentucky rentals nearby.Farmland views and 15 acres to walk.The old root cellar. See our PenHouse Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/PenHouse-Retreat-Center/229825902323 Bleeding hearts bloom by the back door.David walks among the apple blossoms.You could be writing here! Book a stay at PenHouse by calling 502-352-7503.A poetry reading beneath the trees featured Danny Howell.Even the butterflies want to stay at PenHouse.Banjo in anticipation.Elkhorn Creek--This is one of many vistas the noted watercolorist Paul Sawyier (1865-1917) painted during his visits to the Penn family farm.We serve heirloom variety beans and other tasty treats from the garden to our PenHouse guests.Guests take a stroll through the garden during a PenHouse literary event.David makes kraut. Yum!
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Call: 502-352-7503      or E-mail: ellisisis@gmail.com