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Yaddo
Saratoga Springs, NY, United States
5.0(1)
About this Residency
Operating since 1926, Yaddo is a legendary retreat on a historic 400-acre estate in Saratoga Springs. Nearly 7,000 artists have worked here, collectively earning 82 Pulitzer Prizes, 34 MacArthur Fellowships, 70 National Book Awards, and a Nobel Prize. Residencies of two weeks to two months include private studios, communal breakfast and dinner (lunch delivered to studios), and free housing. About 10% of the roughly 2,600 annual applicants receive invitations. Applications accepted twice yearly with a $35 non-refundable fee.
Rating Breakdown
5.0
Exceptional
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Artist Reviews
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Sam Torres
Attended 2023 · February 26, 2026
Yaddo is as magical as the legends say
The rose garden, the mansion, the private lake — Yaddo is a genuinely other-worldly place to make work. As a novelist, the combination of total solitude during the day and charged, intellectually alive dinners at night was exactly what I needed. I finished the first full draft of my novel there. The history of the place (so many legendary writers and artists before you) can feel like pressure but mostly it feels like permission.
✓ Pros
Stunning historic estate, world-class reputation, excellent cross-disciplinary conversation at dinner
✗ Cons
Winters are very cold. No car means you're truly isolated — which is the point, but worth knowing.