A sacred space for retreat and reflection

About Hinton Rural Life Center

A Sacred Space to Retreat, Reflect, Renew, and Serve

Our Mission

Inspired by Jesus Christ, Hinton Center serves individuals, congregations, and rural communities through retreat ministries, educational opportunities, and missional outreach.

Click on these links to learn about Hayesville and Clay County, NC, and Hinton Center:

“Anchored in Hayesville” and Anchored in Hayesville video, featured in the October 2020 article and video by EducationNC
Best of Hayesville & Clay County, 2022 video by Clay County Communities Revitalization Association

Hinton Rural Life Center is a retreat and conference center in the Appalachian Mountains of Western North Carolina, where guests can come to retreat, reflect, and renew. We offer meeting spaces, overnight accommodations for groups of up to 200, as well as lodging for individuals and families.

Hinton is also a mission agency, with year-round opportunities for individual volunteers and mission teams to work with us and “alongside” our neighbors in Safe and Healthy Home Repair ministry. Other service options include our firewood ministry and Ervin Sanctuary Gardens & Trails. With its outreach focus, Hinton seeks to enhance the long-term quality of life in our rural area. And, Hinton guests “pay it forward,” as our lodging revenues help support our community outreach programs.

Hinton is a United Methodist agency, and we welcome all — all individuals, all faith traditions, and non-faith-based groups seeking to meet, retreat, and serve in a spirit of acceptance and mutual respect. We invite you to experience Hinton Center hospitality and to become a part of our community through your stay and/or service.

View a map of our campus here: Hinton Campus Map.

Our History

It began as a vision . . .

Hinton Rural Life Center began in 1957 with a vision, a building, and 4.5 acres of land in Hayesville, a small town in the mountains of Western North Carolina. The Center came into being as the result of a gift of property from J. Walter and Velma Moore of Hayesville; a financial gift from Alice Lanier Hinton in memory of her late husband, Harold H. Hinton, of Athens, Georgia; and donations of money, materials, and labor from individuals and churches interested in the development of a rural life center, under the auspices of the Methodist Church.

Today . . .

In 2021, Hinton Rural Life Center celebrated its 60th anniversary! Still offering scenic views of Lake Chatuge and the beautiful Appalachian Mountains, Hinton’s campus now consists of more than 15 facilities on 33 acres of property. Our lodging options include Hermitage cabins, Lodge rooms, retreat houses, and RV sites. Conference offerings include large and small meeting spaces and dining rooms, an executive chef, and fiber optic internet connections. There are also indoor and outdoor worship areas, including a labyrinth, as well as trails, disc golf course, fire pits, and a dock for boating, swimming, and fishing.

In addition to offering space and place for individuals, families, and groups to gather, meet, and retreat, Hinton continues to “walk alongside” our neighbors in this rural mountain community through a variety of ministries, including Safe & Healthy Home Repair, firewood, Sanctuary Trails & Gardens, and local youth and adult leadership development. Hinton also continues our commitment to training and equipping clergy and congregations in new and engaging ways, to offer transformational ministries that “cultivate hope” in their own communities.