Each of VPT's facilities is available for rent to groups and individuals doing sustainability, peace, and justice work. Private rentals are also available.

Reservations can be made up to one year in advance.
Lodging rates are based on a per person per night basis and are subject to change.
Guests ages 2 to 17 are $15-20, depending on the facility. Children under age 2 may stay for free.

No linens, pillows, or towels will be provided. Please bring your own. 

Voluntown Peace Trust Rental Policies & Guidelines (click to display)
Voluntown Peace Trust Facility Rental Worksheet (click to display)
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Please call (860) 376-9970 and/or email us with any questions and/or if you wish to book a stay with us.
Clicking on most of the facilities listed below will provide you with a short history and more details.

Voluntown Peace Trust does not discriminate, nor does it support discrimination, based on race, ethnicity, nationality, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, religious affiliation or lack thereof, or disability.

A Conference Hall for Meetings & Events

The A.J. Muste Conference Center features a large meeting hall, approximately 30' wide and 40' long, with skylights, industrial kitchen, accessible half-bathroom, full bathroom, covered outdoor porch, and the historic Eugene V. Debs Memorial Library. A podium, folding tables, chairs, stereo system, and large television with DVD/VCR are also available for groups to use.
For renters of other buildings totaling at least $300:
$50.00 per day
$100.00 per day including kitchen use
For non-renters of other buildings:
$150.00 Day Rental including kitchen use
$50.00 Short-Term Rental for up to three hours with no Kitchen use

A.J. Muste Conference Center
Named after socialist A.J. Muste, active in the pacifist, labor and US Civil Rights movements, the A.J. Muste Conference Center was built in 1969 by the New England Committee for Nonviolent Action, in part as a response to an attack by the militant right-wing group the Minutemen that occurred the year before. Since it was completed, the center has been used for training organizers, throwing potlucks and celebrations, holding meetings by community groups, and much more. The center also contains the Eugene V. Debs Memorial Library, which includes both foundational and rare texts about the 20th century peace movement, especially opposition to US involvement in the Vietnam War and opposition to nuclear weapons.

Lodging for Larger Families & Groups

Ahimsa Lodge and Swann House can each sleep at least 10 guests.
​Swann House recently completed a large renovation, and is now ready for guests again.

Both of these larger lodging options have full accommodations including: full kitchens, bathrooms with showers, power and wifi.
No linens, pillows, or towels will be provided. Please bring your own.
​Daily rates for both Ahimsa Lodge and Swann House are the same:
Up to 4 guests: $150
$35 for each additional guest
Guests ages 2 to 17 are $20 per night
Children under 2 may stay for free

Ahimsa Lodge

Up to 14 guests

​This former Finnish resort camp lodge is an exceptionally cozy cabin with a complete kitchen, woodstove, beds for up to 14 people, common rooms, and a dining room with excellent natural lighting that opens to a large back deck overlooking the babbling Bliven Brook nearby. ​Two bridges crossing Bliven Brook and a short trail through the woods connect Camp Ahimsa to the main property. Ahimsa Lodge can also be accessed by car off Forge Hill Road. The site has hosted youth and adult campers and visitors for decades, and we proudly continue the tradition.

The New England CNVA bought the lodge and the 5-acre property around it in October of 1965, renaming it Ahimsa (Sanskrit meaning “practice of love” or “reverence for life”), the concept that suffused Mahatma Gandhi’s practice and philosophy of nonviolence. Shortly after purchasing the property, they started a summer camp based on love, peace, and respect for life. In the 1990s, Camp Ahimsa was revived as an annual summer camp for urban youth put on by the Hartford Catholic Workers, giving inner-city children an opportunity to immerse themselves in an environment of natural tranquility.

Swann House
​[recently renovated!]
Up to 10 guests

​Nestled into a small slope and facing the woods just a few yards away, the Swann House sits back beyond the VPT Farmhouse and a little west of the A.J. Muste Conference Center. The Swann House was originally built as an experiment in affordable home design by Bob Swann, a former builder for Frank Lloyd Wright, and volunteer labor.

The house features a fully-furnished kitchen with stove, microwave and refrigerator, living room with a cathedral ceiling, one and a half bathrooms. The 1st floor dormitory room has 2 sets of bunk beds, another single bed, and a pull-out futon.

On the 2nd floor there is a bedroom with two twin beds and another bedroom with a single full bed. Both of the 2nd floor bedrooms have direct access to the new back deck. 

Lodging for Individuals & Small Families

Chuck's Cabin and the Johnson Yurt have both been recently renovated with new accommodations. Each of these two unique lodging options now include: a small refrigerator, microwave, toaster oven, coffeemaker, and dishes/glasses/eating utensils.

Full bathrooms with showers are available in adjacent facilities.
No linens, pillows, or towels will be provided. Please bring your own.
​Daily rates for both Chuck's Cabin and the Johnson Yurt are the same:
$45 for one guest
$80 for two guests and $30 for each additional adult
Guests ages 2 to 17 are $20 per night
Children under 2 may stay for free

Chuck's Cabin

Up to 6 guests

This one-room cabin is available as a sleeping space for up to six guests. It has two double beds and a sleeping loft with two single beds. Guests have access to the full bathroom in the Farmhouse nearby. $5 per night for firewood during the heating season.

Built as a Finnish sauna during the migration wave into eastern Connecticut from New York sometime between 1920 and 1960, the building originally included a hole in the floor where the woodstove and heating stones would have been. After the establishment of the Voluntown Peace Trust, the sauna was repurposed as a temporary living facility and served that function for years. In the late 1990s, the building was repurposed again, this time by Chuck Matthei, the Executive Director of Equity Trust, Inc. when the organization was based at VPT. It was remodeled to be a year-round, Walden-esque cabin for Chuck while he continued his work of supporting community land trusts and other alternative economic systems.

The interior is relatively unchanged from when Chuck lived there, and guests can appreciate the rich history of the building: from the original wood panel walls from its days as a sauna, to the little quirks and rustic hominess that Chuck added in his time.

Johnson Yurt
Up to 4 guests

​This 16 feet in diameter yurt is available as a sleeping space for up to four or a break-out room for conferences. Inside is a futon, pull-out couch, and space heater. We provide a mattress cover, blanket, and pillows. Please bring your own bedding (or sleeping bag) and towels or rent them for charge of $10 per bed. The bathroom with a shower is steps away in the conference center. Picnic tables on a covered porch are available for your use. It is also the perfect space for a small family or for a personal retreat.

Standing a couple feet off the ground, the design of this structure is inspired by the traditional dwellings of nomadic peoples of the Eurasian Steppe. The concept of yurts was first imported to the West in the 1960s-1970s, and they have been adapted to the change in environment and in purpose. The Yurt at the Voluntown Peace Trust was gifted to us by the Johnson family, who built an insulated wooden floor made of 6 wedges for mobility into the structure. They also installed additional insulation along the walls.

Occasionally there may be other people using the conference center for programs or work. There are two bathrooms in the center. A campfire circle is available. Guests must obtain instructions from the VPT caretaker before wood is collected or a fire started.

Camping Between Field, Farm, and Forest

As a member of The Last Green Valley National Heritage Corridor, the Voluntown Peace Trust is a part of "the last swath of dark night sky in the coastal sprawl between Boston and Washington DC." With virtually no light pollution, this is an excellent camp site for stargazers.

$30 per tent per night.
​Tents may be pitched in the area around A.J. Muste Conference Center.
Guests may use Conference Center bathrooms, which includes a shower.
Local Attractions
Voluntown is the perfect place to enjoy New England's natural splendor. Pachaug State Forest comprises much of the small, quiet town. Green Falls Pond, Beach Pond, and other natural bodies of water attract boaters, fishers, and more. Walking trails run all across the area. Visit the links below for more information about the various natural attractions of Voluntown.
​Beach Pond (crosses into Rhode Island)
​430-acre pond that crosses the CT-RI border. Boating and fishing are permitted, but swimming is not.

Beach Pond boat launch
Boat launch open to the public year-round. Three-space parking lot. Seasonably available chemical toilet nearby. Blue Blazed Trail is easily accessible from the boat launch.
Green Falls Area (Pachaug State Forest)
Many miles of wooded roads and trails for hikers, snowmobilers, motorcyclists, equestrians, and more. 

Trails in Voluntown and surrounding areas
Discover even more trails across Voluntown and Pachaug State Forest, including 9 moderate-level trails ranging from 1.8 to 9.4 miles and from 206 to 508 feet above sea level.