Active adults typically seek a 55+ community that caters to their exciting and vibrant lifestyle. Many active adult communities offer luxurious clubhouses, world-class amenities, on-site activities directors, lush golf courses, and a rich lineup of clubs and special interest groups that support a welcoming and social environment. Residents often enjoy a friendly atmosphere and build lifelong friendships with their neighbors because of the amenities and activities that bring them together within their community.
With a wide selection of age-restricted communities found across the country, clubhouses come in different sizes and offer amenities that range from simple to the ultra-luxurious. These lavish clubhouses attract retirees because they help residents maintain a physically fit and socially engaged lifestyle without having to travel far from home.
The staff at 55places.com has toured hundreds of active adult communities and walked through numerous clubhouses and even tried out some of the amenities. Only a few of them, however, made our list of the 25 great active adult community clubhouses in the country. Here are our top five clubhouses followed by the rest of the winners, which are listed in no particular order.
1. Trilogy at Monarch Dunes – Nipomo, CA
High $500s – Low $1Ms
Trilogy at Monarch Dunes is a luxurious active lifestyle community in San Luis Obispo County, California. Residents enjoy the ultimate in resort-style living thanks to the community’s award-winning 31,000-square-foot clubhouse. It provides the latest amenities that retirees seek for an active and vibrant lifestyle.
The clubhouse features a state-of-the-art fitness center, the Sandalwood Spa, and the Exploration Lounge Center for Higher Learning, which allows retirees to enhance their educational curiosity. Residents also have access to the 18-hole and 12-hole golf courses at Monarch Dunes Golf Club as well as restaurants and golf practice facilities.
2. Sun City Anthem – Henderson, NV
Low $200s – Low $1Ms
Del Webb’s established 55+ community in Henderson, Nevada offers everything active adults could want or need. Besides quality-built homes, Sun City Anthem provides residents with not just one, but three clubhouses for a total of 130,000 square feet of indoor amenities along with two 18-hole golf courses. The community also hosts more than 50 clubs and interest groups that are sure to keep them socially engaged and busy all year long.
The Anthem Center is the main clubhouse and has 77,000 square feet of luxurious amenities and offers panoramic views of the scenic valley below. Some of the highlights of this ultra-lux amenity center include an indoor lap pool, indoor walking track, hobby studios, computer lab, grand ballroom, state-of-the-art fitness center, aerobics and dance studio, and several multi-purpose rooms. Residents also have access to a day spa that has all of the pampering services and treatments for the ultimate in relaxation.
3. Trilogy Orlando – Groveland, FL
Low $200s – Low $500s
Trilogy Orlando is a beautiful active adult community in the heart of Central Florida that offers residents low-maintenance homes as well as world-class amenities within a luxurious setting. The Magnolia House is a state-of-the-art clubhouse that features 57,000 square feet of resort-style amenities and provides the latest in dining, fitness, relaxation, and social connectivity.
The Magnolia House offers a welcoming environment where residents can dine at the on-site restaurant, mingle with friends at the lounge, enjoy five-star indoor and outdoor amenities, pamper themselves at the day spa, explore their creativity in one of the art and ceramics studios, and build lifelong friendships with neighbors in an elegant and relaxed atmosphere.
4. Encore at Eastmark – Mesa, AZ
High $200s – Low $500s
Encore at Eastmark is a lavish and new age-restricted community being built by AV Homes within the master-planned development of Eastmark in Mesa, AZ. The main attraction in this active adult community is the 15,000-square-foot Encore Center, which serves as the social hub for all residents. This clubhouse features inviting social spaces such as classrooms, billiards, an internet café, banquet room, and arts and crafts studio where neighbors share similar interests.
Adults remain active and healthy thanks to the clubhouse’s state-of-the-art fitness center and aerobics and dance studio as well as outdoor resort-style pool. Neighbors can challenge each other to a friendly game of bocce ball, tennis, or pickleball at one of the on-site sports courts. Encore at Eastmark also has beautiful walking and biking trails as well as an event lawn and park space that makes getting outdoors to enjoy the sunny Central Arizona climate easy.
