For many retirees, one of the best perks of the extra free time is the opportunity to bake more. The feelings of accomplishment and satisfaction can be just as rewarding as those from fishing or playing pickleball. And baking has a way of drawing people together. It’s hands-on, it’s personal, and the results are meant to be shared.
In many 55+ communities across the country, residents have turned their love of baking into a social pastime, attending clubs and events that do more than just produce delicious desserts. For active adults considering a 55+ community, the presence of a baking club or regular baking events can signal something important: People here actually want to know their neighbors.
During these gatherings, residents bond over butter measurements and bread recipes, and friendships form while waiting for timers to go off. If you value social connection, lifestyle-driven amenities, and the perfect chocolate-chip cookie, we have gathered a list of active adult properties where baking brings neighbors and friends together.
Baking Clubs
A baking club gives residents a reason to show up regularly, recipe cards in hand. These groups meet in shared kitchens, homes, or clubhouses. Some work on a rotation system—one month, it’s grandma’s pound cake; the next, it’s sourdough starters. Members bake at home and bring creations to meetings for tasting and feedback. It’s low-pressure but consistent.
Others prefer hands-on sessions where everyone bakes together. These are louder, messier, and full of laughter (especially when someone forgets to set a timer). Many 55+ community baking groups contribute to community events, preparing cookies for holiday parties or bread for fundraisers.
Communities With Baking Clubs
The Pines of Delray – Delray Beach, FL
Mid $100ks – Low $200k
Located in Delray Beach, this gated 55+ community has 684 villas and condos, two clubhouses, pools, fitness rooms, and tennis, bocce, and shuffleboard courts. The homes range from 812 and 1,600 square feet. Also, the homeowners’ association (HOA) covers maintenance, so residents enjoy a lock-and-leave lifestyle close to beaches and local attractions.
Baking Events
Not everyone wants the commitment of a club. Baking events are usually one-time or seasonal gatherings, like holiday cookie exchanges, pie competitions, or baking days organized around a theme or charitable cause. These events offer flexibility; participate when it fits your schedule without weekly commitments. Some are friendly competitions with categories like “best fruit pie.” Others are purely social: bring what you baked, try what others made, swap recipes, and chat.
For newer residents, these are easy entry points. Show up with something you baked, and you’ll be in on a conversation before you know it.
Communities With Baking Events
Brandle Meadows – Altamont, NY
Mid $200ks
This 55+ community offers an active lifestyle with clubs like book group, poker nights, and fitness classes, including water aerobics. The 72 condos range from 1,320 to 1,896 square feet with two or three bedrooms. Amenities include a clubhouse, a heated pool, a putting green, a nature trail, and community gardens. There are also nearby golf courses and state parks.
Apache Wells – Mesa, AZ
Mid $200ks – Mid $700ks
This Mesa, Arizona, 55+ neighborhood features 1,823 condos, attached homes, and single-family homes. Its resort-style amenities include an activity center, a fitness facility, pools, sports courts, and a golf course. Residents enjoy year-round clubs, events, and activities. Also, Apache Wells is located just 30 minutes from Downtown Phoenix.
Northtown – Phoenix, AZ
Low $200ks – Mid $300ks
This Phoenix 55+ neighborhood offers 281 single-family homes ranging from 816 to 1,784 square feet, with one to three bedrooms. The clubhouse features an arts/crafts space and a catering kitchen. Outdoor amenities include a pool and patio. Residents enjoy monthly dinners, holiday events, and various clubs in a quiet, scenic setting near the mountains.
Leisure Lake Circle Condominiums – Boynton Beach, FL
Mid $100ks – Mid $200ks
This Boynton Beach 55+ community has 43 condominiums, typically offering 969 square feet with two bedrooms and bathrooms. Residents have access to three clubhouses, a fitness center, pools, a golf course, and sports courts, and the HOA provides lawn care and maintenance.
Brooke View – Boise, ID
Mid $200ks – Low $400ks
This Boise-based 55+ community has affordable single-family homes ranging from 1,040 to 1,880 square feet with two to three bedrooms in a land-lease setting. Its Club Sixty Eight offers an exercise room and libraries, and there are outdoor walking/biking trails. Residents enjoy bingo, potluck dinners, pancake breakfasts, and numerous social events in a low-maintenance neighborhood.
Myrtle Beach Golf & Yacht Club – Myrtle Beach, SC
Mid $100ks – High $200ks
Myrtle Beach Golf & Yacht Club offers 1,024 single-family homes ranging from 1,100 to 1,800 square feet with two to three bedrooms. The clubhouse includes a multipurpose room, a pool, and tennis courts. The HOA also provides lawn care and maintenance. Residents enjoy fitness classes, golf clubs, and other social activities near coastal shopping, dining, and recreation.
Fairfield Glade – Crossville, TN
Below $100k – High $900ks
This master-planned community has 4,000 condos, townhomes, and single-family homes ranging from 938 to 3,041 square feet. Its resort-style amenities include five golf courses, 11 fishing lakes, pools, tennis/pickleball courts, equestrian facilities, and onsite churches, a medical center, and restaurants.
Pie Nights
Pie night is a tried-and-true tradition that active adults love. Community residents bring homemade pies, gather in a common area, and spend the evening tasting each other’s creations while catching up.
First-time bakers bring store-bought crusts with canned apples, and they’re welcomed just as warmly as the resident perfecting their pecan pie for forty years. These gatherings become highly anticipated events that residents note on their calendars. Pie is inherently comfortable, as it’s nostalgic, approachable, and always a conversation starter.
Communities With Pie Night
Trilogy at Power Ranch – Gilbert, AZ
Low $400ks – High $700ks
This gated haven offers active adults 55+ resort-style living with a clubhouse featuring fitness facilities, creative studios, and gathering spaces. Outside, you’ll find walking trails, tennis courts, and an 18-hole championship golf course. The homes range from 1,153 to 2,505 square feet. Join neighbors for pickleball, Mahjong, or line dancing—there’s always something happening.
Cake Decorating
Cake decorating is a learned art. These workshops or informal classes let residents learn from one another, practice new skills, and create cakes they can share or take home to serve.
Cake decorating appeals to the artistic side of baking. There’s problem-solving, creativity, and immediate visual feedback. Beginners learn basics like crumb coating and smooth frosting application; experienced decorators share tips on fondant or sugar flowers.
The social aspect matters as much as skill-building. You’re working side by side with neighbors, asking questions, offering suggestions, and sharing compliments. By the end, you’ve learned something new and connected with people you might not have met otherwise.
Communities With Cake Decorating Activities
The Patios at The Meadows – Castle Rock, CO
Low $600ks – High $900ks
Located at the Rocky Mountain foothills, this Castle Rock community offers low-maintenance living just 20 minutes from Denver. The Grange Cultural Arts Center features meeting rooms and pools, and the 1,100 acres provide trails, sports courts, and parks. Homes range from 1,552 to 2,144 square feet with optional finished basements. Join neighbors for bridge, cycling, or decorating classes year-round.
VeronaWalk – Naples, FL
Low $400ks – High $700ks
This Southwest Florida community welcomes all ages with resort-style living near Naples. The 25,000-square-foot Town Center features a fitness center, a restaurant, and pools, while eight tennis courts and bocce ball await outside. Venetian-style bridges connect lakefront peninsulas where homes range from 1,392 to 2,611 square feet. Join neighbors for Zumba, trivia nights, or wine tasting.
VillageWalk of Bonita Springs – Bonita Springs, FL
Mid $300ks – Low $600ks
This Bonita Springs community between Naples and Fort Myers features lakefront peninsulas connected by Venetian bridges, with resale homes ranging from 1,392 to 2,611 square feet. With yoga classes, wine tastings, and card games coordinated by a full-time activities director, residents enjoy resort-style living with European flair. The Town Center anchors daily life with a fitness center, restaurant, pools, and eight tennis courts.
Sun City Mesquite – Mesquite, NV
Mid $300ks – Mid $800ks
This Del Webb community near Las Vegas centers on the 30,000-square-foot Pioneer Center, which features an indoor and outdoor fitness center. Sporting opportunities abound here, with bocce courts, tennis and pickleball courts, plus an 18-hole putting course and extensive walking trails. The homes range from 1,200 to 3,100 square feet, and a full-time activities director coordinates clubs, classes, and community gatherings.
Dessert Events
Dessert events cast a wider net than baking-specific activities. These social gatherings center around sweet treats, featuring potluck dessert tables, themed tastings, or ice cream socials. Not everyone wants to join a baking club or decorate cakes, but most enjoy dessert and time with neighbors. These events often pair with other activities: dessert night after a movie screening or a sundae bar at a pool party.
They also let regular bakers share their work. Someone might discover a knack for cheesecake and start getting neighbor requests; you might love a neighbor’s lemon bars and find yourself swapping tips in the clubhouse kitchen.
Communities With Dessert Events
Valencia Pointe – Boynton Beach, FL
Low $300ks – Low $800ks
GL Homes built 690 single-family homes in this gated Boynton Beach community. Outside, residents enjoy a resort-style pool, six lighted tennis courts, and a putting green overlooking a 20-acre lake, while the 35,000-square-foot clubhouse features a fitness center and arts studio. Valencia Pointe’s activities director organizes everything from ceramics classes to ballroom dancing.
Lions Gate – Souderton, PA
Low $400ks
This Montgomery County community offers 156 attached resale homes ranging from 1,400 to 2,200 square feet. Two facilities provide year-round recreation: the clubhouse hosts events with a catering kitchen, while the Activities Center features an exercise room, heated pool, and tennis courts. The Lions Gate association fees cover maintenance and snow removal, leaving residents free for fun activities like holiday socials.
Cresswind Myrtle Beach – Myrtle Beach, SC
Low $300ks – Mid $500ks
With year-round moderate temperatures, Cresswind Myrtle Beach residents enjoy yoga, water aerobics, and cooking classes organized by a professional activities team. The 12,500-square-foot clubhouse includes a fitness center, demonstration kitchen, and arts studio, while outside you’ll find pools, pickleball courts, and an outdoor amphitheater. This nature-inspired Myrtle Beach community features 400 single-family homes from 1,454 to 2,547 square feet set among walking trails and pocket parks.
Del Webb Southern Springs – Spring Hill, TN
Low $500ks – Mid $800ks
Del Webb offers 802 single-family homes from 1,263 to 2,586 square feet across four series in this 309-acre Spring Hill community near Nashville. There’s also a 19,000-square-foot clubhouse with a fitness center, indoor pool, and multipurpose room for neighborhood events. Outside, residents enjoy an outdoor pool, tennis courts, pickleball courts, and a dog park. Lawn care’s included, so residents have more time to enjoy over 70 community clubs.
Why Baking Activities Matter
The best 55+ communities don’t just prioritize gyms and golf courses; they create spaces for residents to pursue diverse interests alongside their peers who share their passions. A baking club and similar activities create routines, traditions, and opportunities for real friendships. When you’re kneading dough next to someone or debating salted vs. unsalted butter, you’re building connections that strengthen over time.
If these active adult communities spark your interest, ask about these activities when you tour them. Find out whether the clubs and events are well-attended and whether there’s infrastructure, such as a community kitchen, to support them.
FAQ: Baking Clubs in 55+ Communities
What is a baking club?
A baking club is a social group where members share recipes, bake treats, and meet regularly to taste, trade tips, and connect—often through themed events like cookie swaps, pie nights, or baking challenges.
How do baking clubs work in 55+ communities?
Many baking clubs meet in a clubhouse kitchen, community center, or residents’ homes. Some bake together on-site, while others bake at home and bring items for group tasting, feedback, and recipe sharing.
Are baking clubs common in 55+ communities?
They’re becoming more common as active adult communities add interest-based social clubs. Baking clubs are especially popular because they’re low-cost, easy to join, and naturally bring neighbors together.
What are the benefits of joining a baking club?
Baking clubs provide social connection, routine, creativity, and a shared sense of purpose—plus you get to enjoy treats, learn new skills, and build friendships through consistent meetups.
Do you need to be an experienced baker to join a baking club?
Most baking clubs welcome all skill levels, from beginners using store-bought dough to longtime bakers perfecting homemade bread. The focus is usually on community, not competition.
What’s the difference between a baking club and a baking event?
A baking club is ongoing and meets regularly, while baking events are usually one-time gatherings—like seasonal cookie swaps, pie nights, or holiday baking parties.
What is a pie night in a community setting?
Pie nights are social gatherings where residents bring homemade pies to share. They often include tasting, judging (optional), and lots of conversation—making them a popular tradition in 55+ communities.
Do baking clubs ever do fundraising or charity events?
Many baking groups contribute to community fundraisers, holiday drives, or local charities by baking for events, donation tables, or community-wide celebrations.
Do 55+ communities have kitchens for baking clubs?
Some do. Larger communities may have a demonstration kitchen or catering kitchen in the clubhouse. Smaller communities may use shared spaces or rotate meetings in residents’ homes.
Are baking clubs good for making friends after moving?
Yes. Baking clubs are one of the easiest social activities for new residents because they’re welcoming, conversational, and centered around sharing, so it’s easy to join in quickly.
How can I find a 55+ community with a baking club?
When touring communities, ask whether they offer baking clubs, dessert socials, or cooking demonstrations—and whether there’s a clubhouse kitchen or an activities director who schedules food-based events.
Get Ready to Turn on the Oven
Each community featured here is committed to bringing residents together through food and fellowship. We invite you to dive deeper into these communities—view photos, compare amenities, and get a real sense of what daily life looks like. When you’re ready to visit or want expert guidance on finding the right fit, we can set you on the right path.
Contact 55places.com to connect with a local real estate expert and explore the best 55+ communities with baking clubs and other groups you’ll enjoy.
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