Welcome to the
Riverland Retreat

A place for healing and health in nature

Our Purpose

Riverland Retreat provides a peaceful, natural setting for integrative health programs, educational workshops, counseling, and restorative outdoor experiences designed to support the physical, psychological, and spiritual well-being of patients undergoing cancer treatment, cancer survivors, and their caregivers.

Here, nature becomes part of the care team.

Features

Forest Therapy

Scientific research continues to affirm what many feel intuitively: time in nature reduces stress, improves mood, and supports whole‑body wellness. Forest Therapy is an ancient, new practice… inspired by the Japanese practice of Shinrin‑Yoku.

Our certified guide leads gentle, sensory‑rich walks that help participants slow down, reconnect with the natural world, and experience deep restoration. These sessions are ideal for individuals seeking calm, grounding, and emotional resilience.

Mindfulness Meditation

Arrive here to find a place to breathe, rest, and reconnect.
Through guided meditation sessions in peaceful, natural settings, we invite you to experience the calming, restorative health benefits of mindfulness and nature - supporting peace, resilience and well-being along the cancer journey.

Organic Farm Experiences

Our working organic farm invites retreatants to reconnect with the earth through hands-on gardening, and participants often describe these moments as grounding, joyful, and nourishing. Vegetables, fruits, and flowers grown onsite supports our programs, participants and community

River Paddle Journeys

A slow, quiet paddle down the pristine Yadkin River offers a rare chance to breath deeply, reflect, and restore. We offer an opportunity to rejuvenate your sense of peace and contemplate your true place in nature. Guided paddles of varying distance are available seasonally.

Fire Circles

Gather around the fire with others who understand the cancer journey. Participants are invited to gaze upon the
magic and mystery of nature. Fire Circles foster community, storytelling, and emotional connection - essential elements of healing.

Event Hosting

Our retreat and farm are also available for mission-aligned gatherings, including fundraisers, survivorship celebrations, birthdays and community events. With a full kitchen and wood fired pizza oven, we create warm, joyful spaces for meaningful connection.

Who We Are

Scott Wilson

Scott is an an Associate Professor at Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist and has worked as an orthopedic oncologist at the Comprehensive Cancer Center for the last twenty or his thirty year career. He has witnessed many of his cancer patients needing more than physical healing to fortify their spirits as they fight their life-threatening diagnoses. He believes 'comprehensive' cancer treatment must include more than surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy and embrace the psychological and spiritual aspects of the patient care. As the executive officer of The Riverland Retreat he plans to create a 'Can-Survivor program' to promote integrative health opportunities for cancer patients that working closely with the cancer center faculty and staff in an off-campus facility located in a quiet, remote place in nature.

Beth Thoresen

Beth is a certified Forest Therapy Guide and Mindfulness Meditation teacher whose work is grounded in compassion, presence, and a deep belief in nature’s capacity to heal - a conviction shaped by her own personal experience. Her decades of leadership in nonprofit national program settings have given her the ability to hold space for both vision and practical stewardship with care. At Riverland Retreat, Beth cultivates experiences that invite people to slow down, reconnect, and rediscover their own inner steadiness. She believes healing unfolds through connection - with the natural world, with community, and with oneself—and she designs each pathway to inspire peace, resilience, and hope.