A private, exclusive-use campus for overnight Catholic school retreats, class retreats, and faith-based student programs
By Mike Sokol, Owner, Orange Springs Retreat Center
September 2026
Orange Springs Retreat Center provides a private, exclusive-use setting for Catholic schools planning overnight retreats, leadership retreats, class retreats, and faith-based student programs in Florida.
The campus is in North Central Florida, between Gainesville and Ocala, on more than 100 acres bordering the Ocala National Forest. One organized group uses the entire property at a time. For Catholic private schools bringing 60-200 students and chaperones, that is the difference between renting rooms and holding a retreat.
This page is for the administrator, campus minister, or retreat coordinator who already knows why the retreat matters and now needs a venue that can hold the school as one group.
A private retreat setting for Catholic schools
At Orange Springs, exclusive-use means the school is the only group on campus.
No second retreat in the dining hall.
No outside guests on the waterfront.
No shared activity schedule.
Cabins, meeting rooms, the dining hall, the lake, fields, and gathering spaces belong to the group that booked the weekend. Faculty can set prayer, sessions, meals, and recreation on one clock. Chaperones are supervising one community, not a public campus.
That model is explained here: What Does “Exclusive-Use” Really Mean at a Retreat Center?.
A Central Florida location for Catholic schools
Orange Springs Retreat Center is located in Orange Springs, Florida, between Gainesville and Ocala. The campus sits on more than 100 acres bordering the Ocala National Forest.
The location works well for schools traveling from North Florida, Central Florida, and South Florida that want an overnight retreat destination without leaving the state.
Approximate drive times:
- Approximately 40 minutes from Gainesville
- Approximately 35-45 minutes from Ocala
- Approximately 90 minutes from Jacksonville
- Approximately 90 minutes from Orlando
Gainesville Regional Airport is the nearest commercial airport. Groups typically arrive by charter bus.
Designed for overnight Catholic school retreats
A Catholic school retreat is a logistics problem as much as a spiritual one. Students need somewhere to sleep, eat, gather, pray, and spend unscheduled time together without leaving the property.
Orange Springs is built around that list:
- Climate-controlled cabin lodging for groups of 60-200+
- A dining hall that can seat the whole group
- Indoor meeting and breakout spaces for talks, small groups, and weather backup
- Quiet indoor and outdoor areas for prayer and reflection
- Recreation on the same campus – lake, pool, fields, courts, ropes, campfires
- Chef-prepared meals with dietary accommodations
- Bus access and a contained campus for supervision
The related question is whether a venue is actually designed for groups, not merely large enough to sleep them: What Makes a Retreat Venue Truly Designed for Groups?.
Supporting the Catholic school retreat experience
Catholic school retreats can take many forms: freshman or class retreats, leadership retreats, senior retreats, campus-ministry programs, service-oriented weekends, and faith-based student gatherings.
Orange Springs provides the physical setting. The school’s campus ministry team, chaplain, teachers, and retreat leaders shape the program. The private campus gives those leaders the flexibility to build prayer, reflection, small-group discussion, recreation, meals, and community time into one continuous retreat experience.
This page is for Catholic private schools. Parish weekends, church confirmation groups, and youth-ministry retreats are covered separately: Catholic Group Retreats in Florida.
A place for prayer, reflection, and community
Catholic school retreats usually need more than a pretty setting. They need rooms that can hold talks, prayer, worship, and large-group gatherings, plus space for small groups and somewhere quiet that is still on campus.
On an exclusive-use property, those pieces do not have to be reserved against another organization’s clock. Morning prayer can start when the school is ready. Small groups can stay outside after a session. An evening gathering can run long because nobody else needs the room.
The school brings the program, the chaplain or campus minister, and the intention. The venue supplies a private environment where that program can stay together from arrival through departure.
Activities that help students connect
The activities matter because they keep a large student group on campus between sessions.
Available on the same property:
- Spring-fed lake and private white-sand beach
- Canoeing, kayaking, and paddleboarding
- Lake inflatables and a swimming pool
- Sports fields, basketball, tennis, and volleyball
- Ropes course and climbing wall (scheduled separately)
- Trails and outdoor gathering areas
- Campfires
The point is not the list. The point is that students can move from a session to the lake or a field without boarding a bus. Informal time stays part of the retreat instead of becoming a transfer.
Campus details: Orange Springs Retreat Center Amenities.
Meals, lodging, and group logistics
School decision-makers usually ask the practical questions first.
Lodging. Climate-controlled cabins. More than 200 beds. The whole group stays on campus.
Dining. Chef-prepared meals in a dining hall that can seat about 200. Menus can be coordinated with the school’s schedule and with common dietary needs when those are sent in advance.
Meetings. Indoor spaces for the full group and for breakouts, with AV for talks and weather backup.
Supervision. One contained campus. No public waterfront. No mixing with another youth group in the dining hall.
Our minimum group size is 60 because exclusive use of the entire campus is the product-not simply a collection of rooms and activities.
Why Catholic schools use an exclusive-use retreat venue
Shared campuses can host faith-based programs. The tradeoff is operational. Dining shifts, activity windows, and another group on the waterfront change how much of the weekend the school actually controls.
For a Catholic private school, that control is often the point. A class retreat, leadership weekend, senior retreat, or campus-ministry overnight works better when every student on the property belongs to the same school.
How school groups compare exclusive-use and shared campuses: Top Group Retreat Locations in Florida: Exclusive Venues vs. Shared Campuses.
What makes a retreat location work in Florida: What Makes a Great Group Retreat Location in Florida?.
School pages this resource supports
Florida School Group Retreat Venue
Class Trip Retreat in Central Florida
How to Plan a High School Retreat
What to send us
If a Catholic private school needs the whole campus for an overnight retreat, start with three facts: estimated attendance (students and chaperones), first-choice dates, and two backup date patterns.
The 2026 calendar is fully booked, with an active waitlist for cancellations. New school reservations are focused on Fall 2027 through Summer 2028.
When Should You Book a 2027 Florida Group Retreat?
Orange Springs Retreat Center Rates, Availability & Booking Guide
Call or text Mike Sokol at (561) 221-7773
Email campshalomfl@gmail.com.
Orange Springs Retreat Center
168 Camp Shalom Trail, Orange Springs, Florida 32182
One group at a time. Always.
No shared spaces. No outside guests.
