Charlottesville Newcomers Club Tours Innisfree

Happy Newcomers Club Members during tour.

Yesterday members of The Community Outreach Committee of the Newcomers Club of Greater Charlottesville took a trip out to Innisfree Village in Crozet, Virginia.  Innisfree is a wonderful 550 acre community where intellectually disabled adults (coworkers) live with full-time residential volunteers and support staff.

The Community Center

Even though it was a sweltering day, it's just a little bit cooler at Innisfree which is located near White Hall in the foothills of the Shenandoah Mountain range.

Herbal Soaps wrapped in felted Lambs Wool.

We were greeted by Nancy who took us on a tour of the village and introduced us to some of the residents who were busy weaving beautiful blankets, placemats, and scarves or preparing to plant 1,000 Sweet Potato starts.  It's not all work and no play, there is a really nice pool and many residents were preparing to jump in to cool off.

A cooks dream, Bloggett Ovens.

We visited the Bakery where Granola and Bread is baked.  It's complete with two massive commercial pizza ovens.  We also toured the wood shop where beautiful handmade wooden utensils and cutting boards were being assembled.

I'm always drawn to farm animals and herbs so I enjoyed seeing the free roaming Lambs and Chicken Coops complete with lots of Chickens.

Eggs and Granola can be purchased at Rebecca's Natural Food in Charlottesville.  We toured the Herb House were soaps are made and cut flowers are bundled to resell at the local Grocery, and the smell was divine.  Residents grow crops and flowers to enjoy and also to sell (some items can be purchased online).  Innisfree is quite a busy place.

Beautiful Peonies ready for the market.

The organizational purpose at Innisfree is "...to acknowledge the reciprocal relationship between human and health and the natural environment."  I guess that's why I'm so impressed with Innisfree, the environment is respected as are the human beings.

-Rebecca

Amazingly Beautiful Community of Innisfree

One of my stops this weekend was to the Vegan Meetup at Innisfree Village.  My husband and two of my newbie buddies (Trisha and Cindy) drove out 25 miles West of our house in Charlottesville to the Crozet area for a Vegan potluck.  Innisfree residents that wanted to participate attended.   Many wonderful dishes were prepared (my fav being the Apple Empanadas made by Trisha's husband). But I digress... Innisfree is a wonderful 550 acre community where intellectually disabled adults (coworkers) live with full-time residential volunteers and support staff.  Volunteers commit to at least a one-year residency at Innisfree.  We enjoyed dining with a volunteer from Germany.  Apparently when you turn 18 in Germany you have two choices - to volunteer or to enlist!  After visiting Innisfree - NO BRAINER - sign me up!

The peaceful setting and kind residents make you feel as if this is the way we should ALL live.  Scenic Innisfree is a self-sufficient community that has its own bakery, wood shop, weavery, community kitchen, and organic produce and herb gardens.  Also available are pools, tennis courts, a fitness center, and a large gym.  The original Innisfree residence hall begin in a 200 year-old farmhouse.

We were given a very nice tour of the grounds and impressive workshops.  Coworkers make and sign their works of art and sell them around Charlottesville, and on their website.  CSA produce shares are sold to Charlottesville area citizens and convenient pickup locations are provided in neighboring towns.

I'm not sure who that was doing all the dishwashing and cleanup but MANY THANKS!  It was a lovely place to have a meetup while getting to know the residents of Innisfree! 

To see a breathtaking photo of Innisfree and to read more.

- Rebecca