How to Visit Acorn Community
If you are interested in visiting us, we ask that you follow a few procedures to ensure that your visit is pleasant for you as well as for us.
Never just “drop in” or “show up” for any reason. Best case, this is kind of annoying. Worst, it gives us the creeps. Please respect that Acorn is our home, first and foremost – when people drop in without an invitation, we ask them to leave. With that said, we LOVE to have visitors and invite you to contact us!
If you live nearby or expect to be in the area, day tours are available. Please contact us in advance and we’ll schedule a tour. We suggest a donation of $5 per person for a tour.
If you are interested in applying for membership, the required visit is three weeks. We suggest a donation of $75.00 for these visits, based on your ability to pay. If the fee is a hardship, it can be waived. Occasionally, if either you or the community needs more time to consider membership, the visitor period is extended (with no extra fee). Membership application visits should be booked a few weeks to a few months in advance.
To WWOOF, apply for an internship, or schedule a membership visit, send a letter of introduction to info@acorncommunity.org or by snail mail at
Acorn Community
c/o Visitor Program
1259 Indian Creek Road
Mineral, Virginia 23117
The letter of introduction (1-2 pages, typewritten) should tell us:
Your age
Your gender
The work or studies in which you are presently involved
Your work history
Your hobbies and interests
How you heard about Acorn
Why you are interested in visiting community, and why Acorn in particular
Any physical ailments or limitations (e.g. back problems) which would prevent you from doing certain kinds of work
Any special skills you have or work you like or dislike, e.g. indoor work vs. outdoor work
If you have any children, their ages, even if you are not planning on visiting with them.
If you have any pets and whether you would like to have them at Acorn.
Please tell us any medications you are on and your relationship to tobacco, alcohol and recreational drugs (DON’T BRING ANY ILLEGAL DRUGS ON YOUR VISIT TO ACORN!)
Whether you are willing to share a room or live in a tent while you are visiting
The dates you would like to visit (We don’t have pre-determined visitor periods- we’re small enough to arrange things more on an individual basis. If you are taking public transportation to Richmond the best day for us to pick you up is Wednesday before 5 P.M. If you are coming into Charlottesville, the best days are Monday or Friday before 3 P.M. or Wednesday before 5 P.M.)
Your permanent postal address (or “most permanent”)
A phone number where you can be reached previous to your visit
Emergency contact information in the form of the address and phone number of a relative or friend whom we could contact in case of an emergency during your visit
Are you considering applying for an internship or membership?
What do you plan to do when your visit is over?
Keep in mind, we cannot reserve a space for you until we have mutually confirmed the dates of your visit.