Thomas the Apostle Center – An Event Space Like No Other In Cody

On a wind-blown hillside just east of Cody, with unobstructed views of Cedar, Rattlesnake, and Heart Mountains, there’s a retreat space designed to remove distraction and focus on the spirit. Thomas the Apostle Center (TAC) was founded in 1989 by the Rev. Daphne Grimes Buchanan, an Episcopal priest, who wanted to set aside this land to support and encourage artists and others in need of space for creativity and spiritual awareness to flourish.

For the last 35 years, the non-profit facility has hosted thousands of guests, offering lodging, conference rooms, catering, and solitude to those seeking inspiration.

A Space To Focus

However, TAC offers more than just a conference center and lodging. On its 350 acres are walking trails, a labyrinth, and a path following the Stations of the Cross. Additionally, an art studio and gallery are available for rent. TAC’s niche is group retreats, both public and private. While the Center is open year-round, the majority of their guests stay during the summer months.

“We are open year-round, but it is highly used, of course, during the six months Yellowstone’s gate is open,” said Co-Director Rebekah Mason. “In 2025, we had a thousand people come through the property over a six-month period.”

And the property’s varied meditation spaces draw more than just retreat guests. Mason said anyone can come stroll the walking trails, the labyrinth, and the Stations of the Cross garden that are spread across 350 acres – so long as they call ahead first. “Just call the office, leave a message that you’re coming,” she said. “You’re not leaving a message to ask permission, you’re just leaving a message to let someone know you’re on the property.”

Over a thousand acres of preserved land around the property are visible from the hiking hill, and there is nearly 3/4 of an acre of xeric gardens, featuring more than 100 varieties of water-wise and native plants. Mason pointed out that while the outdoor spaces are always available, the indoor facilities are by request only, and are available for rent.

“There’s a local gallery space where a local person is able to put up what they make, a no-fee offering by TAC. We hope it’s a local promotion for art and even allows for some sales to our statewide and nationwide audience,” she said. “And then there’s also Daphne Grimes’ art gallery, which has a lot of her sketches, paintings, and sculptures.” Additionally, the library and chapel are open to the public, but by request only, said Mason. “We might have a group here,” she said. “We don’t want someone to interrupt if they’re doing a service or something like that.”

Private Rentals vs. Public Events

Mason pointed out that, although TAC is a non-profit organization, private rentals pay the bills. “Maybe it’s a board meeting, maybe it’s a church curriculum or church gathering, church respite, maybe it’s a family reunion – those are private rentals,” she said. “They call the office, they ask for a full property rental. They ask for a house, two houses, and they tell me the number. They ask for catering or no catering.”

However, Mason explained that anyone is welcome during the Center’s public events. She said those are opportunities for anyone to utilize the space through a structured offering. “We offer around seven to eight public retreats a year, and they’re normally two- to three-night stays,” she said.

In 2026, those events will include three writers’ retreats, a retreat focused on the Heart Mountain Interpretive Center, and a workshop in August led by Prof. Catherine Reintz titled 3 Days with Bees, Bulbs, and Bison. “[The workshop’s] all about the Yellowstone ecosystem,” said Mason. “Dr. Catherine Reintz has been working with beehives for a lot of years, and trying to help kind of simulate really good growth of the bees’ lives and therefore the environment in general.”

All the retreats listed on the website are nationally marketed, Mason said, although there are opportunities for locals to participate with a discounted day guest pass. “People fly in from all over the country and fill that space,” she said. “We offer integrated retreat design services to handle everything from activities to airport transportation, so that organizers can focus solely on the agenda and experience.”

What TAC Offers

In addition to the Stations of the Cross hike, the labyrinth, and the hiking trails, horse pastures and a wild bird preserve trail are available to guests throughout their stay, and a guide can also be requested. Depending on the season, snowshoes or kayaks can be provided – as well as outdoor fires and s’mores kits.

Conference rooms can be rented by the half-day or the day, with complimentary coffee bar, wi-fi, and livestream equipment provided. The Art Studio seats up to 30 people, and the upstairs conference space seats 45. “All the boards that come through find it to be a minimal cost, high efficient space for their needs,” said Mason. “On a statewide scale, we have non-profit or business boards that come through all year and just really find it to be a perfect space for what they need to do. And we pride ourselves in that.”

And then, there’s the food. “We do all the catering on property,” said Mason. “We partner with Shoshone Farms six months out of the year, as they’re able to bring in the kind of a farm-to-table vegetable experience and produce experience.”

Mason said the Center was able to showcase its culinary capabilities this month, with the Community “Friendsgiving” Fundraiser held on November 10. “The goal is really just to show hospitality to the wider Bighorn Basin,” she said. “We have people get tables from Thermopolis, from Basin, from Powell and Cody, and the night is just a time to really just to see what we are all about. Also, of course, paying for your plate and supporting the mission.”

Leading The Center

Rebekah Mason is the co-executive director of TAC with her husband, Rob, who coordinates property management and curating events. Mason said that her first stay at TAC in 2020 was actually a major life event. “In 2020, Rob and I came out to do a big camping loop of Wyoming, and Rob proposed,” said Rebekah. “And that night we stayed at Thomas the Apostle Center as guests.” The Masons moved to Cody less than ten months later to take over administration of the Center.

“(Former directors) Jay and Connie Moody had gotten to know Rob on the phone, and really thought he was fantastic, and heard some of our story, about having gone to seminary together and ministry stuff,” said Mason. “And they just said, ‘You should consider working here,’ so we got married and moved in May 2021.”

Mason, who earned her undergraduate degree in Bible and Religion and her Master’s in Divinity, also grew up the daughter of a summer camp director. She said that her experiences taught her about the importance of a retreat center like TAC.

“I learned through those experiences what set-aside land and space can do for churches and groups and the individual,” she said. “Especially when it comes to spurring along faith and growing in all different kinds of ways, whether it’s curriculum-based or just taking time for yourself, or finding solitude and implementing a spiritual practice away from maybe your normal setting.”

The Episcopal Connection

The Center is governed by an independent Board of Directors, and supported and partially owned by the Episcopal Church in Wyoming. However, TAC is open to all, regardless of their religious affiliation. That was the intention of founder Daphne Grimes Buchanan, who painted the vision for being in collaboration with an ecumenical board of directors and the Episcopal Church in Wyoming.

Mason explained that Buchanan came to her own personal faith in her 50s through an Anglican church in England. She said that Buchanan came back home to Cody, to the land that she grew up on, with a desire to use what she had been blessed with for something bigger than herself. “She didn’t have any kids, and she started dreaming of creating an English-style retreat center in Wyoming,” said Mason. “So she started building houses and welcoming guests, bringing in retreat directors.”

Buchanan named the Center after two Thomases who were special to her. “I named it the Thomas the Apostle Center because, first of all, the wherewithal to do it came from my husband, Tommy, and what he left me,” wrote Buchanan. “But my favorite apostle has always been Thomas. Doubt is not the opposite of faith, but a way to faith. I think we need to question and not accept blindly.”

Locals Welcome To Stay

Up to 50 people can stay at TAC at any given time. There are three rental houses (with a fourth one added over the summer to meet demand), with a total of 40 beds in 20 rooms. Although TAC’s primary purpose is as a retreat center, individuals – either local or just passing through – can book a stay. That is, if there’s room, said Mason.

“They are normally two-night stays, with the caveat that we offer the opportunity for locals to Sabbath, especially in the off-season,” she said. “Where there is space, we’d love to fit a local in to come Sabbath, or to come take rest.”

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