Facilities - Whidbey Institute

Our gathering space accommodates about 150, and includes a fireplace, sound system, and vaulted ceiling with skylights. Nearby, find our dining room, chef’s kitchen, restrooms, and staff offices.

This non-denominational sacred space is often used for meditation, dance, small gatherings, and break-outs. It features a reading loft, live edge timber-framed construction, and wood sourced largely from on-site.

Storyhouse, in Legacy Forest, can be used for break-outs and small gatherings. It features a living room with wood stove, electric heat, and a kitchenette plus rustic outdoor restrooms.

This working vegetable and herb garden produces about 2000 lbs. of produce per year for our kitchen, staff, volunteers, and local food bank. It’s a year-round learning environment for students and guests.

This flower garden was planted in a celtic knot pattern over 40 years ago and is tended by volunteer Mara Grey. It provides fruit, botanical flower extracts, pollinator habitat, and space for quiet conversation.

Our 105 acre trail network is open from dawn ’til dusk. This is a wildlife sanctuary with conservation easements. Bicycles, dogs, horses, and motor vehicles are prohibited.

Our outdoor stone labyrinth is built and maintained by volunteers, and modeled after the famous labyrinth at Chartres, France. It is a popular site for reflection and walking meditation.

Our challenge course is maintained by Synergo, whose goal is to provide a place for people of all backgrounds to become better individuals through challenging outdoor adventure experiences.

This rustic outdoor shelter sits at the center of our Chinook Heartland. In the summer months, it’s a hub of arts, crafts, and creative expression during our conferences.

The greenhouse in our Westgarden is used by staff, apprentices, and volunteers as a growing space and as a casual gathering place for luncheons, potlucks, and garden workshops.

The sauna was constructed around the turn of the 20th Century by the Pietilas, a Finnish family. It can be used by pre-arrangement during small-group retreats, workshops, and conferences.

photo © John Bottone

Our heartland is dotted with additional structures, some dating to the historic Pietila farmstead. These include the Hull Cabin, home to our resident caretaker, a staff workshop, and a staff meeting cabin.