People might be talking about experiential vacations as the rising trend, but perhaps what we all need most is to be grounded. And, to be grounded, we need to touch the earth. We should be barefoot, or at the very least, metaphorically surrounded by unspoiled nature and its gift of mindful reset. While poet Wendall Berry wrote that “soil is the great connector of our lives, the source and the destination,” Henry David Thoreau mused: “We need a tonic of wildness . . . we can never have enough nature.”
You’ll find what both writers were talking about at Quercus, a working ranch pocketed away amongst 4,000-acres in Georgia’s foothills, just an hour from Atlanta. All-inclusive, intimate and luxurious with just four accommodations, the retreat began (like the best lodges do) as a family hideaway that was so cherished that the owners felt driven to share it with likeminded souls. It opened last year to unprecedented acclaim.
As the only Relais & Chateaux hotel in Georgia, Quercus embraces the exemplar hospitality group’s peerless culinary standards with creative, soil-to-table dining. You’ll eat from a two-acre biodynamic garden’s bounty at meals that take place around the farm: in The Cottage (a restored farmhouse), from a picnic basket, in your suite or at Umberto, the gastronomic piece-de-resistance, which serves up multi-course, chef driven dishes. An on-site fermentation lab seals the deal. Don’t fail to notice the plates, hand-built by North Carolina potter Matt Halliburton who crafted them from the property’s own clay deposit and natural spring.
The cabin-like suites at Quercus range from one to two bedrooms. With wellness and a good night’s sleep at their core, they’ve been designed around our circadian rhythms to ensure we snooze. Organic bedding, red light therapy and natural materials are just some of the low impact elements that pamper and restore.
Quercus’ overall biophilc footprint, sustainable design and untrammelled expanses deeply connect guests to the healing powers of the outdoors. As do the countless activities, including forest hikes, horseback riding, fishing kayaking, rucking and garden tours.
The perfect fall getaway from New Orleans, Quercus redefines dude ranch with southern poetic flair. As autumn symbolizes change and letting go, Quercus will be the opportunity for refueling and transformation you need before the holidays arrive.
