VANCLEAVE, Miss. (WLOX) - There’s a place in Jackson County called Twisted Run Retreat where the allure of nature and getting away from it all drives expression and imagination.
“Twisted Run Retreat is a big dream of mine,” Mary Ann O’Gorman said.
O’Gorman’s dream is giving artists, writers, and musicians isolation on 15 wooded acres along the Bluff Creek near Vancleave.
“For some people, writing or composing music really requires to shut everything out for a week or however long they want to stay,” O’Gorman said.
Everything can be shut out by sitting on a screen porch, next to the river, the stone patio with a fire pit, or walking the trails on the property. O’Gorman is an experienced writer herself who understands the importance of silence.
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“Maybe as being a frustrated writer makes me a good retreat owner because you come sit, it’s quiet and peaceful,” O’Gorman said. “It’s like Seinfeld. I’m going to offer you nothing. People really do want nothing because there’s so much distraction in the world.”
O’Gorman is also a former Ocean Springs High School teacher, and she used a personal touch to connect with creative minds needing an escape.
“I just thought of everyone I know who runs a creative program around the country and I sent them a letter.”
Those letters led to writers coming from as far away as San Francisco to enjoy Twisted Run Retreat’s peaceful setting. When O’Gorman first bought the property in 2017, there were three cabins, but about a year later, she lost one of them.
“The other house that was identical to this house got hit by lightning and burned to the ground, so I thought, what do I do now?”
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Out of the ashes of the fire sparked a vision to build two new smaller cabins named after famous writers, including Mississippi’s own Eudora Welty. O’Gorman also built a screened-in pavilion with a wooded view offering a place for weddings and yoga retreats.
“I had a fire, a pandemic, and I’m seven years in. I think now it’s going to snowball. We have people that want to come. Repeat clients are the answer to all things; they love it here, they want to come back and they’re great guests.”
Along with the creative retreats, the hidden getaway is also available as a short-term rental for anyone.
“There’s something that kids say now, go touch grass. This is a place to go touch grass, to get out there and settle in.”
Twisted Run Retreat is meant for others to enjoy, but it’s also O’Gorman’s place of tranquility.
“Most people just sit out here, and this is it. I just feel like I’m lucky, blessed, and all good things.”
For more information on Twisted Run Retreat, visit their website.
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