A Little background

UBarU is a Unitarian Universalist Camp and Retreat Center located on 142 rugged acres in the Texas Hill Country about an hour west of San Antonio. We offer retreats for adults including a Fiber Arts weekend, Men Aligned and Women Aligned retreat, weeklong youth summer camps, family camps and more.  We have cottages for independent rental as well as four Suites to accommodate up to 50 people.  We are an International Dark Sky certified park so the night sky can be awe-inspiring to view. We have a stock tank swimming pool, 2 labyrinths, a Memorial trail, loop trail for hiking, treehouse and indoor gathering spaces.  It is our hope to offer a chance for folks to find a peaceful space to renew their spirit, reconnect with the life around them and create community.  

Our mission is to provide a welcoming, peaceful place to gather for spiritual, educational, and recreational purposes in harmony with our Unitarian Universalist principles and the land. We hope to offer opportunities for growth, renewal and connection while appreciating the natural environment found at UBarU, including the Dark Skies.

For information: email director@ubaru.org and/or visit our website at www.ubaru.org

Some History: The land has been used over time by the standard retinue of Texas critters and creatures, including the human variety. In the not distant past, it has succored roving bands of Comanches. Recently its history has been the tale of an intentional Quaker community passing the torch of stewardship and sacred trust to the Unitarian Universalists.

Quakerland began in the early 1980s as a shared vision of a space where Quakers could find quiet, community, and refreshment for the spirit. After some years, it became apparent that the original goals of Quakerland could not be fulfilled without a body of people dedicated to living on the land and turning those goals into practical realities. Residential structures were added, the road and a parking lot were improved, and 132 acres were purchased adjoining the original ten acres.

After a six-year period of organization, growth, and dedicated exertion, the Quakerland Community found that they no longer had the resources to turn their vision into practical reality. The Quakers began a deliberate search for a successor steward for their sacred place. After serious due consideration on both sides, the First Unitarian Universalist Church of Austin was selected as the eventual recipient of this wonderful gift.

In the summer of 2001, First Church accepted Quakerland in trust for a larger Unitarian Universalist community and acted immediately to create the Unitarian Universalist Friends Retreat Foundation, a Texas non-profit corporation, to hold title and operate the property as a spiritual camp and retreat Center. The Board of Directors, mindful of its commitment to the larger Unitarian Universalist community, makes a deliberate effort to constitute itself with wide representation throughout the Southern Unitarian Universalist Region. 

Map of UBarU