Pipe Smoking Retreat

[telescopes]

A number of cities in Florida and also Vegas came up during my conversation at Arlington last night as likely places to search for a smoke-friendly resort.

Florida is an outstanding place for cigar centered meet ups. I agree. I am leaning toward the Myrtle Beach area due to the ability to get near Smokingpipes.com and C&D, both which would provide tours. However, if I had my way, a lodge near a lake or in the mountains or both that allowed pipe smoking at meals and on the property would be my first choice. Participants could bring tobacco and pipes and we could smoke away.

 

[hoosierpipeguy]

Florida is an outstanding place for cigar centered meet ups. I agree. I am leaning toward the Myrtle Beach area due to the ability to get near Smokingpipes.com and C&D, both which would provide tours. However, if I had my way, a lodge near a lake or in the mountains or both that allowed pipe smoking at meals and on the property would be my first choice. Participants could bring tobacco and pipes and we could smoke away.

Find an airbnb or cabin near SP with a patio.

 

[chilllucky]

Last year was the tenth anniversary of a group of pipe smokers getting together at my camp for a week of not much but eating, drinking, fishing and smoking.
I can’t encourage it enough.

Please tell us more about this camp!

 

[chilllucky]

I'm seeing vrbo's in Little River, SC with outdoor spaces, smoking allowed, that have 4-7 beds in 3-4 bedrooms. No privacy, double bunking. But if we could find two houses reasonably close together, we could segregate the Latakia smokers more easily...

Maybe have a house to house cook-off challenge?

 

[jpberg]

Please tell us more about this camp!

It’s in the Catskills, on the Beaverkill river. One day I pm’d a few guys and said “hey, why don’t you come spend a week?
We’ve had Ohio, Florida, Pennsylvania and Tennessee represented.
Covid threw a wrench in the works, but we’re recovering.

 

[stearmandriver]

Boston area would be a possibility, with both Peretti's and Watch City nearby.

 

[jpberg]

I wonder if the intent is to geek out at pipe shops or get together with pipe smokers?
Doing both would be great, but getting together anywhere should be the primary goal.

 

[telescopes]

I wonder if the intent is to geek out at pipe shops or get together with pipe smokers?
Doing both would be great, but getting together anywhere should be the primary goal.

Concerns are the cost of traveling to a local, both financial as well as time. For me, neither of those are an issue, although I like being a bit tight with my money.
But for most people, it is something to be mindful.

Maximizing possibilities is always first and foremost on my mind.

1. Meeting and socializing with other pipe smokers
2. Time to share tobacco, talk pipes, etc
3. A meal or two shared
4. A possible excursion to a pipe locale
5. Opportunities for exploration by people on their own.

Location should allow smoking somewhere on the premises and have a place where people can pull up a chair and smoke.

Vegas and Nevada obviously are great locations for being able to smoke on site - for example, casinos.

But... damned the smoking laws in so many other places.

 

[augiebd]

I am interested. As a Canadian I don’t have much knowledge about the smoker friendly locales below the 49th parallel. Although, I look forward to seeing if the logistics will work for me.

 

[chilllucky]

With Telescopes permission and knowledge, I just got off the phone with a gentleman from this hunting lodge:

Home Page - Moree's Sportman's Preserve & Sporting Clays - https://moreespreserve.com

They can accommodate groups from 4-40 for a long weekend full of conservation activities in their property from hunting and fishing to hiking or golfing. All the rental lodges include wrap around porches and fire pit areas where he said smoking is allowed! Just not in the house is the rule.

It's a two hour drive from Charlotte, NC airport or Myrtle Beach Airport and Low Country Pipe and Cigar.

 

[mso489]

The retreat would focus more on a get-together and less on the selling of pipes and tobacco at a pipe show, though both are social occasions.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Even pipe shows though, I tend not to buy a lot of pipes at those. They tend to be more expensive there, at least the pipes I want. I am usually at pipe shows just to socialize anyways. Especially to meet pipemakers and make contacts for buying a pipe later.

 

[chilllucky]

This idea is too good to leave fallow.

From re-reading the thread, it looks like there is some consensus (or what passes for consensus in this crowd) for meeting at a location that allows us to tour Smoking Pipes as a day trip.

Time of year and type of accomodations are next sort. Telescopes and I agreed off-line that October was best for us, then the Last Vegas Show announced their dates. We could go a couple weeks earlier and risk hot weather and distracted blenders, or later and risk cooler weather and cutting close to people's holiday plans.

The proposed housing solutions are 1. Hotel/resort that will allow outdoor smoking on their property, most likely on Myrtle Beach. 2. VRBO/Airbnb's in town with smoking allowed decks/porches. 3. That hunting lodge up in the hills.

Only folks seriously considering going should weigh in, please. We're looking for a time and place that will work for a large enough group to make it fun/not cost prohibitive. Probably 6-12.