DonateAdamah Home

Pearlstone Guest Experience & FAQ

We look forward with great excitement to creating an unforgettable, retreat experience for you!

Immersive Retreats at Pearlstone are memorable and inspiring, with festive farm-to-table kosher meals, inspiring Jewish learning, spirited davening, restorative nature connection, and inclusive community building. The 180-acre campus features an organic farm, rolling meadows, ball fields, wooded trails, and a tranquil creek to explore and enjoy.

Below you will find details about your upcoming visit. Take a few minutes to review – especially what to pack, how to get here, and what you can expect when you arrive. If you have any additional questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out!

Call us at 410-500-5417 or send an email to programs@pearlstonecenter.org.

We look forward to connecting with you soon!

Transportation

Pearlstone is located at 5425 Mt. Gilead Rd., Reisterstown, MD 21136

Approximate travel time by car from:

  • Baltimore Washington Airport (BWI) – 40 minutes
  • Baltimore Penn Station – 35 minutes
  • Reagan National Airport – 85 minutes
  • Baltimore City – 30 minutes
  • Washington, DC – 75 minutes
  • Philadelphia – 2 hours 15 minutes

We have ample parking on site, including a few EV charging stations.

There is no public transportation to Pearlstone, although Uber and Lyft are available.

Accommodations

A variety of overnight lodging styles provide options for solo travelers and families of all sizes.
Standard Rooms: Lodges 1-3

Our 36 large motel rooms each feature 2 queen beds, a pull-out couch, small table, and private bathroom. They are accessed via an exterior covered walkway, which also includes access to various lounges. Adjacent rooms have interior connecting doors which can be opened upon request.

Standard Rooms: Lodge 5 Hotel Rooms

Our smaller hotel rooms feature a queen bed, desk, minifridge, and private bathroom – with some having a pullout sleeper chair as well. All hotel rooms are accessible from an interior hallway, and the building contains various lounges and nooks to hang out.

Lodge 4 Dormitory Suite

This building has a series of room each with 2-5 twins or bunk beds. The lodge building includes shared bathrooms down the hall and lounge spaces for guests to enjoy.

Bunkhouse Camping

Nestled in the forest, 3-season bunk houses are the perfect place to connect with nature. Each bunkhouse has two sides with an interior pocket door between. Each bunk house accommodates approximately 16 guests in twin and bunk beds. A beautiful bathhouse with individual restrooms and showers is just steps away.

Fidler’s Grove Log Cabins

For some retreats, you can upgrade to stay in one ofour Cabins. These are perfect for larger families, and sleep 7 to 9 guests in single beds or bunk beds, and one bathroom per cabin. Functional and convenient kitchenettes offer the option to bring your own food.

Woodleaf Vacation Home

Our vacation home is adjacent to our campus, and features seven bedrooms, eat-in kitchen, family room, formal dining room, and board room. Large families who wish to enjoy some additional space during one of our retreats should contact registrar@adamah.org for availability.

 

Food & Dining

Dining at Pearlstone features Certified Organic produce, rich in nutrients, from our farm prepared with the loving care of our talented chef team. Whether it’s a bountiful buffet or an elegant plated service, your dining experience will leave you satiated and inspired.

Our culinary team prepares three meals a day during each retreat (starting with dinner on your arrival day, through breakfast on your departure day). Our staff can accommodate most dietary restrictions and nutritional preferences with enough notice – please be sure to note these requirements on your registration forms. All means are served buffet-style.

A self-service beverage bar featuring locally-owned, fair-trade organically grown coffee, hot tea, iced tea, and filtered water is always available.

The facility is certified kosher through the OU. As such, outside food is not allowed in the main building (but is allowed in the private lounges near the guest rooms). Water bottles are allowed in the main building but not in the dining room. if you would like to bring any kosher mevushal wine or other kosher alcohol to enjoy at our meals or otherwise, they must be checked in by our Mashgiach (kosher supervisor) upon your arrival.

 

Activities & Amenities

  • Fitness Room: our newly appointed fitness room boasts free weights and multifunction weight machine, a few cardio machines, and offers spectacular views of the pasture.
  • Games: Staying inside? We offer an assortment of crafts, puzzles & board games to use during your stay, or enjoy a game of Foosball or Ping Pong.
  • Play Room: groups with children and babies can request a space for a dedicated play with an assortment of toys and books.

Trails and Outdoor Amenities

  • The Red trail mostly stays on the boundary between our meadows and forests. It is mostly a wide path, although has limited shade. It is entirely within the eruv.
  • The Yellow trail is a narrow hiking path that is almost entirely inside the forest which surrounds the retreat center. There are many side trails that enable your to return to the central part of the campus.
  • Our restored stream and the Elkin Family Natural Mikvah are accessible from both the Yellow and Red trails. Please note that there is a steep descent down to the stream area.
  • The map below shows many other amenities including our farms, pools, sports fields, and play areas.

Packing List

We provide:

  • Linens, towels, and soap in all guest rooms with extra blankets and towels available upon request
  • Limited siddurim and chumashim – bring your own if you prefer
  • Yoga mats and meditation cushions

Consider packing:

  • Clothing
    • Comfortable clothing to wear throughout the retreat – in general, our retreats are not formal!
    • Lots of layers for variable temperatures
    • Closed toed shoes for walking around our farms and campus trails
    • Rain gear
    • a bathing suit during warmer months
  • Personal supplies
    • Over the counter and/or prescription medications
    • Toiletries
    • Sunblock, bug spray, sunglasses, and a hat
  • Retreat & travel items
    • Chargers for electric devices
    • Water bottle (ideally labeled – especially for kids)
    • Your own ritual wear (talit, tefillin) and/or prayer book
    • Your personal yoga mat and/or props
    • Small backpack for kids to carry their water bottle & sunscreen during daily activities around campus

FAQs


What is a typical retreat schedule?


Details for a particular retreat can be found on the page for that event – see calendar below.

General mealtimes are as follows – adjustments are made for holiday services and candle lighting times:

  • Breakfast at 8:00 am ET
  • Lunch at 12:00 pm ET or after services
  • Dinner at 6:00 pm ET or 7:30 pm ET on Fridays and Holidays

Prayer Services and Activities

  • Holiday and Shabbat retreats offer various prayer options each morning.
  • Educators and staff lead inspiring classes and engaging activities throughout the day, with age-appropriate programming for kids.


What is the weather like?

The weather in Reisterstown, MD (21136) can fluctuate widely throughout the day. Parts of the campus can be quite windy and chilly, even if indoor spaces are nice and warm.

In the event of inclement weather, outdoor activities may be rescheduled or canceled. Many outdoor activities go on as planned even if the weather isn’t ideal.

Please check the forecast before coming on a retreat and pack accordingly!


If needed, are medical services available?

Pearlstone does not have medical professionals on site during our retreats. Most of our guest services, programs and hospitality team members are certified in first aid and CPR, and we have many first aid kits and defibrillators throughout campus. We hope that no one will need to seek any medical care, but in the event that they do, the closest urgent care facility is 5 1/2 miles from campus and the closest hospital is 13 miles from campus.

Our team is available to help with many of the more minor first aid needs. We have staff available in the retreat center from 8 a.m. until at least 11 p.m. each day. We also have an emergency assistance phone carried by retreat management, 410-500-5393 that guest can call at any time for emergency assistance. Of course, in the event of a medical emergency, guests are instructed to call 911 first before contacting a staff member.


What are the current COVID Guidelines?

In order to ensure the health and well-being of all our guests we have established some health protocols. As we all are aware, there are many illnesses circulating in recent months including Covid-19, Influenza, Norovirus, Strep and many other viruses. We hope that all guests arrive in good health and ask that you join us in acting to ensure the health and safety of the group throughout your stay at Pearlstone. To that end, we will ask all guests to monitor their own health throughout their stay and if you experience symptoms that may be contagious, we will ask you to wear a mask around others and isolate if needed to avoid spreading illness amongst our guests.

  • Testing: We ask every participant to take a rapid test for Covid-19 on the morning of your arrival. Please label with the name and date of each person in your party and take a photo of each for verification upon arrival.
  • Travel guidance: We recommend wearing a mask at all times during any public transportation or air travel.
  • Masks: Pearlstone is currently mask optional. We have disposable masks available for those who need.

Symptomatic Individuals and Covid Diagnoses

  • We require that anyone exhibiting symptoms such as sneezing or coughing wear a mask while taking food from the buffet, and request masks be worn when around others. Such individuals are invited to eat in the outdoor spaces.
  • Guests who test positive will be required to isolate in their rooms. We may have private lodging in the unlikely event that someone needs to isolate from others in shared lodging. Meals will be brought to the guest’s room in these situations.
  • We ask that anyone who recently had COVID (but now tests negative) wear a mask up to day 10 from first testing positive.
  • Pearlstone will communicate if a guest or staff member has tested positive for Covid or has other infectious diseases so that individuals can make choices that align with their risk tolerance.

Pearlstone Protocols:

  • Pearlstone staff have all complied with a vaccination mandate.
  • The retreat center HVAC uses MERV 13 filters which are replaced quarterly.
  • Hand sanitizer is available throughout the facility, including near the dining room buffets and in shared bathrooms.

More details can be found here.


Cancelation and Refund Policy

There is no refund for arriving late or departing early from any retreat. The refund amount is based on how far in advance we receive the cancelation request prior to the start date. For most retreats at Pearlstone, the cancellation policy is:

  • 31 days or more – fully refundable less a $75 fee (for Pesach – 60 days prior)
  • 15-30 days prior – 50% refundable (for Pesach – 30-59 days prior)
  • 14 days or less – not refundable (for Pesach – 29 days or less)

If you are sick with a communicable disease such as Covid-19 and are unable to attend, you may receive a credit (less $75) valid through the end of the of the following calendar year towards a future retreat at either Isabella Freedman or Pearlstone. You must provide medical documentation attesting to your illness in order to receive this credit. We suggest obtaining insurance for such situations.

Pearlstone reserves the right to cancel any program at any time. This includes cancellations due to inclement weather if, in our judgment, we are unable to operate safely. In the event of such a cancellation, a full refund will be issued. If the retreat proceeds as scheduled, no refund will be offered.