Thank You for a Magical 2026 Season
Thank You for a Magical 2026 Season: Looking Back at Our Third Year of Bee Therapy and Holistic Wellness in Stillwater, MN
The 2026 season at the Honeycomb Cottage MN has officially come to a close, and as we look back, we are overflowing with gratitude. Our third season as a bee therapy and holistic wellness destination in Stillwater, Minnesota, in the heart of the St. Croix Valley, was our busiest and most meaningful yet. More guests came out to the cottage this year than in our first two seasons combined. Visitors from Stillwater, the Twin Cities, Minneapolis, St. Paul, and beyond came to rest, breathe, and listen to the hum of the hives.
The season also included our biggest event ever, the Forest Lake Nature School open house, which welcomed close to 150 people to the land.
This post is our heartfelt thank-you to everyone who made it happen: the guests, the practitioners, the mentors, the teachers, and the neighbors and friends who showed up with work gloves and open hearts.
An Early Start to Bee Therapy Season
We opened for bee therapy sessions in May and were able to begin welcoming guests right away. If you're new to us, the Honeycomb Cottage offers a gentle apitherapy-inspired experience. Guests relax on resting benches above enclosed beehives, with steel mesh keeping the bees safely on their side. The warmth, the soothing hum, and the aroma of honey and beeswax come through. For many people in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, it has become a favorite way to slow down and unwind.
Opening in May set the tone for the whole summer. We hope to open even earlier in 2027, with a goal of April, so more people across the Twin Cities and St. Croix Valley can enjoy the bees in spring.
Gatherings, Walks, and Workshops
Our events this year brought wonderful people together on the land.
We began the season with forest bathing walks, slow, mindful time among the trees that invited everyone to reconnect with nature. We also hosted a highly empathic event which included a sound bath in front of the bee hives, what a magical, educational experience that was. In July, we held a divine feminine remembrance event which was such a powerful healing experience for all who attended.
In August and again in October, we welcomed Maria Wesserle for foraging events here in Stillwater. Maria taught us and our guests to see the wild plants, herbs, and edible treasures of the St. Croix Valley in a whole new way. We are so grateful for her knowledge and generosity, and for the way she makes every walk feel like a gift.
Practitioners Who Filled the Cottage With Healing Energy
One of the greatest joys of this season was watching the cottage become a home for so many kinds of holistic wellness. Every practitioner added something special.
Molly, our dear friend, offered massage sessions in the cottage. Her skill and warmth made each session feel like a deep exhale, and we're so happy she will likely offer massages here again in 2027.
Melissa, another dear friend, led sound baths in the cottage. Combined with the natural hum of the bees, they created one of the most peaceful experiences we've ever witnessed.
Jenny of Apotheosis in Wyoming, Minnesota, offered Reiki energy healing sessions this year. Her gentle presence made the cottage feel even more like a sanctuary.
We love offering a wide variety of wellness experiences in one place, and we'd like to expand them next year. If you're a massage therapist, sound healer, Reiki practitioner, or other holistic wellness provider in the Twin Cities or St. Croix Valley who feels drawn to the Honeycomb Cottage, we'd love to hear from you.
Welcoming the Forest Lake Nature School to Our Land
A dream we've worked toward for years finally came true this fall. The Forest Lake Nature School began its very first season in September, right here on our property in Stillwater. It has been one of the most rewarding and special things we've ever done.
We spent the whole summer getting the land ready. We worked long days in the beating sun clearing and cleaning areas, sawing logs, hauling logs with tractors, digging garden beds, and mowing trails. We decided where the most beautiful outdoor classrooms could go, so children could learn from the land itself.
None of this would have been possible without Anthony and Melissa, the founders of the Forest Lake Nature School. They helped bring to life the vision we've held for this land since the very beginning. They showed up, again and again, and helped organize community work parties where 15 to 18 people worked eight to twelve hours in a single day. To everyone who came out to those work parties: thank you. You gave your time, your muscles, and your love to this land, and the children are walking on trails and sitting in classrooms that you helped build.
Our Biggest Day Ever: The Forest Lake Nature School Open House
In early September, we hosted the largest event in the history of the Honeycomb Cottage: the Forest Lake Nature School open house. That single day, we welcomed 34 families, close to 150 people (children included!), onto our land here in Stillwater, in the St. Croix Valley.
Families wandered the trails and classrooms we had spent all summer building. They joined in songs and activities, went foraging, and met every guide and instructor who would be teaching at the nature school. Seeing so many families from Stillwater and across the Twin Cities area walk the land, laugh, learn, and play together was a moment we'll never forget. After a summer of sweat, sawdust, and tractor work, it was the most rewarding payoff we could have imagined.
To every family who came, and to everyone who helped make that day possible: thank you.
Watching the Children Learn
Now, seeing the children interact with the land has been unforgettable. They are learning to forage from Maria Wesserly, who also leads adult foraging walks on our property and around the Minneapolis-St. Paul area. Other guides are teaching carpentry, survival skills, music, and art, and the children are cooking with what they gather right here, including wild sumac, apples, and many other herbs and edible plants. We are so grateful to every guide who brings their gifts to the nature school. Watching children have these formative, hands-on educational experiences in nature, right here in the St. Croix Valley, is a joy beyond words.
All that hard work had another gift hiding in it. For the first time, the land was cleaned up and beautiful enough that we could walk our bee therapy guests around the grounds and show them the whole space. In our first two seasons, there was simply too much to be done. This year, the beauty of the land became part of the Honeycomb Cottage experience.
Learning From the Bees and From Our Mentors
Our relationship with the bees deepened this year, thanks in large part to two extraordinary mentors.
This summer, we had the honor of learning from Laura B. Ferguson, head of the College of the Melissae. We never could have imagined the impact her teachings would have on our beekeeping and our relationship with the bees and the land. She taught us about history, about ourselves, and about how to put the bees first in a truly bee-centric practice. Her time, effort, and willingness to mentor us through our third season were an invaluable gift, and we are eternally grateful.
And to Mike, who has been with us since day one: we will always tell everyone that the idea for the Honeycomb Cottage was yours. We probably never would have done any of this without you. You're the person we call when something goes wrong and we don't know what to do, and you come right over. More than once this year, you saved the day and talked us through the hardest parts of beekeeping. We truly wouldn't know what to do without you, and we're so grateful for your leadership, guidance, and friendship. You are such a blessing.
To Our Guests and Community
To every guest who booked a bee therapy session, attended an event, or simply came out to see the cottage: thank you. We met so many incredible people this year who taught us so much, and we've made beautiful connections that we'll carry into the next season. You are the heart of the Honeycomb Cottage.
Looking Ahead to 2027
We are so excited for what 2027 has in store. We hope to open in April, continue growing our holistic wellness offerings, welcome more practitioners, and watch the Forest Lake Nature School grow after such an incredible first open house. Whether you're from Stillwater, the St. Croix Valley, Minneapolis, St. Paul, or anywhere in the Twin Cities area, we can't wait to meet you.