Manoir Hovey
North Hatley, Quebec / Nestled in a birch and pine forest on the shores of Lake Massawippi, 30 minutes from the U.S.–Canada border, this country hideaway in the Appalachian Mountains offers easy access to a year-round natural playground with outdoor activities, including ice fishing and skating in the winter, and kayaking and pontoon boating in the warmer months. You could also happily never leave the 125-year-old white-clapboard home turned intimate property with its cozy library, airy rooms, and English garden. You can stay in either the main house and roll up to bed after dining in one of the two restaurants—a white-tablecloth, farm-to-fork concept and a more casual pub—or one of the private cottages that are closer to the lake. We highly recommend Le Spa Manoir Hovey for the indoor-outdoor thermal circuit or any of the many body and face treatments, some of which use honey from the hotel’s on-site beehives. manoirhovey.com
Clayoquot Wilderness Lodge
Tofino, British Columbia / The only way to access this breathtaking wilderness resort in the UNESCO-designated Clayoquot Sound Biosphere Reserve is by seaplane or boat. Founded in 2000, it’s a pioneer in sustainable tourism and environmental conservation, but that doesn’t mean guests want for anything when they’re in its pampering clutches. Days are spent hiking and whale watching with naturalists, while evenings are reserved for dinners made with some of the freshest seafood in Canada. Relaxing in a cedar steam bath at Healing Grounds Spa is a lovely way to decompress before retiring to your luxurious safari-style tent with heated floors and en-suite bathroom. clayoquotwildernesslodge.com
Big Cedar Lodge
Ridgedale, Missouri / It’s no surprise that a resort from the founder of Bass Pro Shops would go big embracing the outdoors. Fishing, canoeing, and hiking get equal shine at this 4,600-acre campus in the Ozarks. Cedar Creek Spa has 11 treatment rooms, each with its own fireplace, plus a candlelit grotto pool. To blow the kids’ minds, there’s putt-putt, go-karts, a ropes course, and an underwater-themed bowling alley. And to bring all the generations together: a bonfire with s’mores in summertime. bigcedar.com
Hemlock Neverskink
Neversink, New York / Guests liken this century-old, 230-acre Catskills retreat to a healthy summer camp, where stargazing is a nightly ritual, therapy goats are a thing, and candle-making workshops are a means to making lifelong friends. hemlockneversink.com
I am 38, married, and the mother of two amazing children. We prioritize trips to all the places one would expect, like water parks and big splashy family spaces. But what I wish I found more of are the solo retreats where one can sit with nature and be restored. The places that are safe with good amenities and healing scenic views for walks and journaling and breathing in a way that life does not always allow us to when in the hustle and bustle. —Kellie Davis-Patton, Oprah Daily Insider
Lied Lodge at Arbor Day Farm
Nebraska City, Nebraska / As you might expect from the name, this historic natural preserve—once the home of the cofounder of Arbor Day—takes forest bathing seriously. Lock in a stay at the 140-room lodge for easy access to hiking trails, greenhouse programming, and Treetop Village, nearly a dozen tree houses linked by rope bridges and an exhilarating 50-foot slide. arbordayfarm.org
The Inn of the Five Graces
Santa Fe, New Mexico / One of the most storied wellness resorts in the country has joined forces with cultural tour operator Heritage Inspirations to take visitors glamping and stargazing in Chaco Canyon, a.k.a. the Machu Picchu of North America, a designated International Dark Sky Park. Excursions are pegged to the lunar calendar but also available as an add-on for any Five Graces guest able to tear themselves away from the Relais & Châteaux comforts of the inn itself. fivegraces.com
Old Edwards Inn and Spa
Highlands, North Carolina / Located in the Blue Ridge Mountains, 90 minutes southwest of Asheville, in Highlands, North Carolina, the Old Edwards Inn is a perfect jumping-off point for exploring the region’s famous waterfalls, rivers, hiking trails, and swimming holes, not to mention fall foliage. The 84-guest-room property is like what everyone wishes their grandparents’ house looked like—a mix of 19th-century Oriental rugs, European canopy beds, wingback chairs, and crisp yet comfy upholstered couches. Madison’s, the on-property restaurant, serves up rustic dishes with an elegant flair—like the bacon-wrapped sunburst trout served with a delicate radish slaw and stuffed pheasant breast with a tart cherry jus. oldedwardshospitality.com
Tutka Bay Lodge
Kachemak Bak, Alaska / When you want to get away—like, really far away—but don’t want to sacrifice the comforts of home, this is the place. The seasonally operated, mother-daughter–run Tutka Bay Lodge is enveloped by an old-growth Sitka spruce forest on a nine-mile fjord bordering Kachemak Bay State Park near Homer. With just a handful of private cabins and guest rooms, staying here means getting to know every staffer and guest through daily yoga, meditation, and cooking classes, plus outdoor adventures such as sea kayaking, dry-suit snorkeling, deep-sea fishing, glacier trekking, and brown bear viewing. After a packed day, the best wind-down is a good sweat session in the lodge’s wood-fired sauna. withinthewild.com
Wildflower Farms Auberge Resorts Collection
Gardiner, New York / The sheer variety of activities offered at this 140-acre boutique resort, 90 minutes from New York City, is what sets it apart from the competition: One minute you’re rock climbing, the next you’re making pressed-flower pottery or casting a line during your first fly-fishing lesson. aubergeresorts.com
Photo Credits: Manoir Hovey: Drew Hadley (1), Clayoquot Wilderness Lodge: Jeremy Koreski (2), Hemlock Neversink: Lawrence Braun (1), Sasithon Photography (2), Lied Lodge at Arbor Day Farm: Geoff Johnson (1), The Inn of The Five Graces: Tira Howard Photography (1), Tutka Bay Lodge: Tyrone Potgieter (1)