Pipe Smoking Retreat

[telescopes]

I realize there are some here who prefer the company of their own pipe. This thread is not for you, LOL.

I have wanted to put together a Pipe Smoking Retreat for some time. Not a pipe show, but a retreat that would utilize a resort, maybe near a lake, and would also be close to some well known Pipe Shops.

The retreat would have one or two common dinners, a place to congregate and smoke, and a Pipe Crawl to several pipe shops.

The critical mass of people would be a minimum of 10 pipe smokers, although more is the merrier. We could invite several guest speakers or have a few pipe tables set up as well. Regardless, you get the idea.

It would be an opportunity to meet pipe smokers face to face and interact with them in real time - while smoking.

My issues. While I have access to some outstanding B&Ms in the San Diego area... it is California. A challenge to find a pipe smoking friendly establishment.

Here are my questions.

1. Who would be interested in this type of event? If you are, please post. If you aren't, block the thread and don't post.

2. Where do you think an event like this would be successful? Area, resorts or hotel names, and well known B&Ms nearby would be helpful to know.

3. Would you be willing to help organize?

I can do most of the organizing work, but it is only worth my time if I have a legitimate mass of people willing to attend.

This isn't a pipe show. It is an opportunity for like minded people to attend an event and have interesting conversations about pipes and tobacco as well as see some interesting pipe shops.

I can organize one in California, but I can't guarantee a smoke friendly hotel. What I can guarantee are some great B&Ms with some absolutely fantastic views and restaurants - Think Old Town San Diego and Bali Hai on Shelter Island. However, it is a big country.

So, any ideas, thoughts, etc?

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Pipe Smoking Retreat

Is this like Rehab?
I'm not falling for that shit again.

 

[rmbittner]

Depending on the time and location, I might be interested. I‘m not cut out to help organize, unfortunately. While I’ve sketched out my dream driving tour of midwest pipe shops, I can’t say that there are many places that are home to several outstanding B&Ms. (I might pick the Chicagoland area, but that might be old hat to those who attend the annual show.) Myrtle Beach could offer a visit to Low Country, but I don’t know if there are other good shops around. It’s definitely a resort area, though…

 

[solideogloria86]

Depending on the time and location, I might be interested. I‘m not cut out to help organize, unfortunately. While I’ve sketched out my dream driving tour of midwest pipe shops, I can’t say that there are many places that are home to several outstanding B&Ms. (I might pick the Chicagoland area, but that might be old hat to those who attend the annual show.) Myrtle Beach could offer a visit to Low Country, but I don’t know if there are other good shops around. It’s definitely a resort area, though…

If you go the Low Country route, you could throw in a Cornell and Diehl factory tour. I'm not sure about any other storied Tobacconists in the immediate area, but McCranies would be about a 3.75hr drive from Myrtle Beach. That would put you in Charlotte, so it wouldn't be too hard to make it a worthwhile day trip, or change hotels and stay the night with flights out of Charlotte Douglas Airport the following morning?

 

[SBC]

I think it's a great idea.

I don't see myself being able to attend in the foreseeable future, so have fun without me; but, if this became an annual thing, I'd want to attend when I could.

 

[DotAndBang’sPipes]

I like this idea and when I think of locations Asheville and Colorado Springs come to mind, but I’ll bet there are better spots with more brick and mortar options…

 

[georged]

This sort of thing actually works.

In the Spring of 2007, a group of guys from all over the US---Ohio, Pennsylvania, Wyoming, Oregon, Kentucky, and California, as I recall---converged at a large private home on the edge of a beautiful valley near Sonora, CA, within sight of Yosemite National Park. Some flew, some drove.

The home's owner was the host. No hotels needed as the house was huge. No cookery needed since some sort of "uses the event site's kitchen" catering outfit was hired.

The one and only "scheduled event" was lounging and conversing. Laughing and sharing stories, some light, some serious. A 1500 sq ft hillside patio deck while the sun was up; a big-fireplace-equipped "man cave" type of lodge room after the sun went down.

Lifelong friendships were made.

Life-class memories were made.

If you can make it happen, Mr. T, you will discover such times are why we do all the rest of the shit in life.

 

[AppalachianPipe92]

Many take advantage of this during pipe shows - shop, visit with friends and party afterwards.
Though a trip with a group from here could be cool, especially if near a major B&M and fine dining. I don't get to my local pipe club enough at all, but it's a great time to be able to talk in person about the hobby we enjoy so much.

Curious what comes of this thread

 

[Ben.R.C]

I like this idea and when I think of locations Asheville and Colorado Springs come to mind, but I’ll bet there are better spots with more brick and mortar options…

Asheville!

 

[chilllucky]

I would be into this. I've tried a couple of times to put something together along a similar line but with some trail hiking. I had been trying to start with a smoker-friendly rentable cabin/lodge on or very near a national park. There was never a locus of interest to drive the project, tho.

I like the idea of day-tripping to a pipe shop or two. You could map the tobacconists on this site's B&M listing to look for a cluster inside a drive-able radius as a starting point. You can search VRBO for "allows smoking" or find someplace that's got a large outdoor area in a good weather time of year.

 

[chilllucky]

It's not really a population center, and I haven't heard about any of them but the Gatlinburlier, but there appears to be a cluster of (probably cigar) shops in eastern Tennessee. Near to the Smokey Mountains National Park.

Close distance on the map doesn't necessarily mean easy travel between in that part of the world, tho. Mountain valleys and all.

Don't we know a guy with a huge farm in Humansville, MO...?

 

[SBC]

Don't we know a guy with a huge farm in Humansville, MO...?

Ok, if this wound up in Humansville, I might just have to move heaven and earth to make it. I'm a big fan of our resident attorney down thataway.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Another vote for Asheville. But, they don't really have any really good pipe shops, and stepping over piles of used needles where the hippys shoot up in open public is off-putting. They will also drive you nuts panhandling. But, it is definately a beautiful landscape

Birmingham, AL, or specifically Homewood has the largest and best pipe shop I have ever seen in all of my days travelling to visit pipe shops. You can also still smoke in most places here. But, if you don't like people smiling and stopping to talk to you on the streets, and slow talking Southern drawls... then maybe not. I would open my home and barn to you guys, but last time ya'll yanks violated my goat, couldn't hold yer liquor, and puked on so many bales of hay that I had to burn the damned barn down. And, I just got this new one raised. I don't really want you sodomites destroying another one.

I have been wanting to go to the smokingpipes store. It is close to the beach and beautiful historical areas.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

If we could all meet up at the Smokingpipes location, we might get Jeremy to give us a tour. It would be neat to shake hands with some of the folks here that pay to keep the lights on . It's close to Myrtle Beach, We could try to get a sponsorship for the meet up. I am not familiar enough with the location, as I've never been there, but maybe even someone from smokingpipes could set the whole thing up for us... or at least work with one of you guys to do it.

I'm probably too much of an asshole to organize anything. I'd be all like "fuck you vegans... we're all eating meat or starving." And, my idea of a smoking friendly hotel is one that doesn't have cameras in the hallways. I just smoke, and then spray the rooms down. I don't let "rules" and shit get in my way. And, I know some of you rule following people might be too much of a panzy for that.

 

[CoffeeAndBourbon]

I do like the smoking pipes factory/B&M idea. The beach is boring, but there is good food in the area!

 

[telescopes]

Lots of great suggestions.

I took the Smokingpipes.com suggestion and called them. They said they would get back with me with some suggestions for the area around them.

The challenge is finding a smoke friendly establishment. An organizer can't risk having people come in and not follow a stated rule and then get hit with the consequences of other people's actions.

I am looking for a place that has a combination of smoke friendly rooms, balconies, and a place on the grounds where people can gather and smoke. A few quality restaurants would be key along with some Pipe related stops - B&Ms for example.

In the country the size of ours, this shouldn't be an issue.

Ha, ha.

Vegas of course is easy. But, we have the West Coast Pipe Show already going strong there, and eh, Vegas is NOT relaxing.

The other thing is that this would be a loosely organized event, meaning everyone would book their own room and make their own arrangements for transportation. In terms of agenda, it would be limited as well.

The ideas is to give people time to meet and greet, have time to smoke, visit a few smoke places to smoke - smoking pipes has their own lounge - eat a meal or two together.

More could be added, but finding a place is job one.

Personally, if the smoking at the hotel wasn't the main issue, San Diego would be fantastic.

Shelter Island has some magnificent resort/hotels on a marina and is close to the Bali Hai, Old Town with its very magnificent pipe shop and museum, and Liberty Tobacco just up the road.

 

[CoffeeAndBourbon]

Lots of great suggestions.

I took the Smokingpipes.com suggestion and called them. They said they would get back with me with some suggestions for the area around them.

The challenge is finding a smoke friendly establishment. An organizer can't risk having people come in and not follow a stated rule and then get hit with the consequences of other people's actions.

I am looking for a place that has a combination of smoke friendly rooms, balconies, and a place on the grounds where people can gather and smoke. A few quality restaurants would be key along with some Pipe related stops - B&Ms for example.

In the country the size of ours, this shouldn't be an issue.

Ha, ha.

Vegas of course is easy. But, we have the West Coast Pipe Show already going strong there, and eh, Vegas is NOT relaxing.

The other thing is that this would be a loosely organized event, meaning everyone would book their own room and make their own arrangements for transportation. In terms of agenda, it would be limited as well.

The ideas is to give people time to meet and greet, have time to smoke, visit a few smoke places to smoke - smoking pipes has their own lounge - eat a meal or two together.

More could be added, but finding a place is job one.

Personally, if the smoking at the hotel wasn't the main issue, San Diego would be fantastic.

Shelter Island has some magnificent resort/hotels on a marina and is close to the Bali Hai, Old Town with its very magnificent pipe shop and museum, and Liberty Tobacco just up the road.

Not to mention great food!

 

[cosmicfolklore]

If everyone made their own arrangements for overnighting... then it wouldn't matter if folks broke the smoking rules. It is still the South there, so there may still be places that allow smoking, but I avoid those, because they are talking about cigarettes, and cigarettes make the rooms smell nasty. And, those rooms stink so bad that I can't sleep in them, nor will my wife. Might as well sleep in a kennel. Pipe smoke doesn't make the room smell bad.

 

[chilllucky]

There are lots of cabins/lodges/much too big houses on VRBO and Airbnb that can accomodate a dozen grown ups. A few allow smoking. But if we're talking about a place/time in decent weather, just contacting the host about a lot of pipe smokers on their patio/screened porch/pier, etc. is the wise and easy thing to do.

I'll second a C&D factory tour in NC and throw in a Sutliff tour in RVA. They've already proven willing at the last couple CORPS shows.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Driving from SP near Myrtle Beach to Richmond is more of an ordeal than it looks on a map. I have driven up the coast several times, and it is slow going.