Spring Thaw
April 10 - 12, 2026
NOTE: Registration is a two-step process for those that want a private room. First, select your event ticket (commuter, residential, or camping) and the program fee will be added. If you’d like upgraded lodging (a private room instead of the dorm or cabin included with the basic on-site event price), you will then be directed to our Cloudbeds to complete your accommodation selection. All rooms are available on a first-come, first-served basis. If you have mobility concerns and need assistance finding an accessible room, please contact our front desk.
camping: $360.00 Commuting: $330.00 Residential: $460.00
cancellation policy
With one week or more notice of cancellation, we can refund any payments made less a $50 cancellation fee.
With less than one week‘s notice of cancellation, we can refund any payments made less a $150 cancellation fee.
With less than 24 hours’ notice of cancellation or non-attendance, we can refund any payments made less $250 or the Conference Admission Fee, whichever is greater.
Welcome to the Spring Thaw Retreat, a community for men who love men, where every man is embraced, valued, and celebrated for who they are. Join us in a community of camaraderie, support, and joy.
ABOUT THE WINTER RETREAT
We welcome you to our newest retreat for Gay, Bisexual, Trans, and Queer men, “Spring Thaw: A Retreat for Men Who Love Men.” This retreat emerged in the years following the COVID pandemic. At that time, we were worn out by the pandemic yet yearning more than ever for the kinds of connections we can create at Rowe. And so, we gather with a desire to rest and relax deeply, together.
“Thaw” is significantly less busy and less programmed than our other retreats. It is a shorter weekend retreat with fewer planned activities and more free time. While some retreats encourage us to push our “growing edges” or lean into challenging activities, the call here is the opposite. This is a weekend for extraordinary men to be content with “just enough”, a weekend for relaxing into ourselves just as we are.
The weekend is open as a reunion for previous Rowe attendees but also welcomes those new to Rowe and curious about our community. We provide newcomer support both before and throughout the weekend and are happy to answer all of your questions as you consider attendance. Expect delicious, nourishing meals, gentle morning yoga (beginners are welcome), reflective workshops, a great dance on the last evening, games, quiet corners in which to read or converse, and more. The weekend is lightly programmed and spacious.
Beyond our indoor activities, Rowe Center’s trails offer a serene and remote retreat for those craving time in nature, and our hot sauna will take the chill off when you return from your hike.
We welcome all gay, bi, trans, queer, and questioning men. We celebrate men from every walk of life—from all races, cultural identities, spiritual beliefs, economic backgrounds, body shapes, physical capabilities, gender expressions, and neurological diversities. This is a sober (alcohol- and substance-free) event.
Please consider joining us this April.
While a great deal has changed in the nearly 40 years since, we still gather for comfort, companionship, a sense of family, and a celebration of this life together. We are the oldest continuous gathering of our kind in the nation, a place where hundreds of lives have been transformed across the decades, and a place where all who seek to join us are warmly welcomed.
Meet your Co-Directors
Bill Chisholm has been teaching yoga and stress management for 30 years. He is certified in Kripalu Yoga and completed Herbert Benson’s Mind/Medicine course through Harvard. He has also done extensive study and practice in vinyasa, Iyengar, and PNF yoga. He is the former founder of Cape Ann Yoga Center and has taught stress management and yoga at the Marino Health Center in Cambridge and several other medical facilities in the Boston Area. He is a fine art oil painter exhibiting throughout New England and a passionate student of both cello and duduk.
JIM PETOSA (co-facilitator) is Professor Emeritus at Boston University’s College of Fine Arts, where he directed the School of Theatre (2002-2019) and taught through 2023. He served as artistic director of New Repertory Theatre (2012-2018), Boston Center for American Performance (2009-2019), and Olney Theatre Center in the DC area. He is co-artistic director of Potomac Theatre Project/PTP/NYC (1987-present).
A member of Actor’s Equity and the Society of Directors and Choreographers, Petosa is a current board member and past president of Becket Arts Center, chair of Quincy’s LGBTQ+ Commission, and has served on the Board of Governors at United First Parish Church in Quincy, MA.
Tour UU Rowe Camp & Conference Center
