About Us

A natural environment for all gatherings

Our mission is to inspire wonder and encourage discovery while making meaningful connections in a natural environment.

We are a communal habitat promoting natural health, simple living, creative expression, and sustainable practices with a focus on bringing together local and visiting like-minded folks to explore, learn & relax in nature! Come experience freedom, tranquility, and exploration here in the beautiful Lowcountry!

Come gather on our 54 acres in beautiful Ridgeville, SC. Our rural oasis is only 20 minutes from Summerville and a 35 mile scenic drive from the city of Charleston. 

We offer:

  • Walking trails

  • Fishing ponds

  • Edisto River access with private dock and beach

  • Friendly farm animals

  • Archery

  • Yard games

  • Craft center

  • Bonfire pits

  • Hammock stations

  • Bathhouse

  • Communal Lodge

  • Sunshine and fresh air!

Types of gatherings we see:

  • Weddings

  • Girlfriends getaway

  • Group retreats

  • Family reunions

  • Church groups

  • Summer camps

  • School groups

  • Boyscout troops

  • Music festivals

  • Yoga festivals

trails hiking charleston

  Ground Rules

Be aware of:

  • Gathering Grounds is natural, wild land & we must coexist with other inhabitants such as:

  • poison ivy/oak

  • fire ant hills

  • snakes

  • spiders, mosquitos & other bugs

  • chiggers

  • alligators

  • wild boar

  • Our female peahen feels threatened by small children

We do not supply:

  • sunscreen & bugspray

  • towels

  • firewood

  • flashlights

  • cooking utensils & stove

  • propane

  • chairs for fire pits (we have TENTS for rent)

  • bottled water (we have a well water refill station)

  • internet/WiFi (unplug & reconnect with NATURE!)

Policies:

  • Pack it in, pack it out!

  • Leave no trace

  • Catch & release fishing only

  • 7 mph speed limit

  • Animals must be leashed at all times

  • Respect the land and all its visitors & inhabitants

  • Read & follow signs, bathhouse rules

Restrictions:

  • No driving past ponds/homestead area

  • No children unattended, especially with animals

  • No swimming in ponds

  • No littering or trash left behind

  • No destruction of property

  • No theft of grounds items or other visitors

  • No glass

  • No alcohol

  • No pets without membership

  • No use of glamping tents, campers or houses without prior rental

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Meet the owners, Maren & Josh

My longtime passion for people and education flourished through my formal schooling. I received a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and Spanish and then returned to Graduate School for a Masters in Education.

After opening up Charleston's first eco-friendly, drop-in creative arts learning center, PLAY GARDEN, our family relocated to the country to embrace the homestead lifestyle.  Our 54 acres of land in Ridgeville provided us with the freedom to connect with nature, live amongst many animals & play in the river every day! Our family realized that will all the land, we want to share our land with others in order to encourage wonder and discovery in the amazing outdoors.  So was born the Natural Gathering Grounds!

Through a love for physical challenges and entrepreneurship, I received a Pilates Mat Instructor certification and opened Charleston's first Fair Trade shop, Global Awakening Market. 

My other life adventures have involved a great deal of travel, seeking a depth for learning other cultures and ways of life. I moved to Anchorage, Alaska to enjoy every bit of sunlight for a life changing summer. I took inspiration from Jack Kerouac and with two college, earth-loving friends, camped and drove out west hitting as many National Parks and making as many camp grounds home as humanly possible. I also lived abroad in Granada, Spain, spent some of the most amazing months jumping on and off the Eurorail exploring the beauties of Europe and the diversity of hostels with an incredible and inspirational best friend. Back in the United States, I had my heart filled and my feet grounded living ocean front on Folly Beach, South Carolina in a duplex house with 8 women and many more travelers passing in and out to enjoy the view and the company of such positive and continuous energy.

Then I left most all my material possessions behind and worked on and maintained an organic farm in La Florida, Costa Rica where a typical day was harvesting bananas, lighting candles for electricity, and riding horses bare back over the hills to the closest "soda" to use the phone or hopefully find a block of ice. Feeling compelled to have a piece of the lowcountry to always return to, I bought and completely renovated a small cottage style home in James Island, South Carolina. With a desire for more Spanish and a craving for the simplistic life, I moved to Mal Pais, Costa Rica where I taught Pilates and began writing a book while hanging in the hammocks under the morning calls of the Howler Monkeys taking over each limb in the mango tree above the casita. Following inspiration and the open space of the west, I packed up again and relocated to Santa Cruz, California where chanterelle mushrooms, golden beets, and local lettuces had my mouth drooling and my dedication to unprocessed, local, organic, real food reignited while getting to know the passionate farmers behind the food supply in one of the most epic places in the US.

Finally, being pulled back to my roots of family and friends, I find myself currently living in historic  "smiling faces beautiful places", Charleston, South Carolina bringing all the lessons and love from around the globe to share my holistic health counseling, create abundance and find time to focus on all the positive growth of life experiences.

~Love & Light~ Maren & Josh