Buying a retirement home in an active adult community is often the chance to improve your arts and crafts skills or dive into a new one. Several communities in the Tucson area have dedicated arts and crafts studios, which are well-equipped with the basic tools that you will need so you don’t have to make a big financial investment up-front. It’s also a chance to learn from fellow enthusiasts, take lessons, and perhaps make a little money by selling your creations at arts and crafts fairs and in craft shops.
Another factor to consider if you’re an arts and crafts enthusiast and looking for a community near Tucson is garage space. A three-car garage is ideal. Many couples take up different pastimes and need two cars to get around, and while golfers can use the extra garage space to store their golf cart, arts and crafts enthusiasts can use the space to build a home workshop. An extra den in the floor plan can also be turned into a small arts and crafts studio of your own.
These are the Tucson area communities that celebrate arts and crafts by having dedicated studios.
Low $400s - Low $1Ms
SaddleBrooke Ranch is the biggest community in the Tucson area. It is a gated, 40+ community with 5,400 homes. It also has some of the best amenities, including a dedicated Creative Arts and Technology Center. In addition to a woodworking shop and a computer lab, this arts center provides residents with studios for glass art, fine arts, jewelry and lapidary, ceramics, and quilting and needlework. The La Hacienda Club clubhouse also has an arts room as well as a learning center.
Other amenities include an 18-hole golf course with a pro shop and a driving range, 24 pickleball courts, tennis courts, a fitness center, a whirlpool spa, an outdoor pool, an indoor lap pool, restaurants, and an on-site brewery.
There are numerous models here, the smallest being 1,404 square feet with two bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a two-car garage. The largest models have 3,077 square feet, three bedrooms, a den, 3.5 bathrooms, and a three-car garage. Many models offer extra garage space as well as a den that can be used as an arts and crafts room or as an extra bedroom
SaddleBrooke Ranch is a 15-minute drive from the center of Oracle, a small town of a few thousand people in the desert north of Tucson. Downtown Tucson is a 45-minute drive away, while lovers of the outdoor lifestyle can use the Catalina State Park, a 20-minute drive from SaddleBrooke Ranch.
Mid $300s - Low $1Ms
SaddleBrooke is only eight miles south of SaddleBrooke Ranch in Tucson, and it is in a similar desert landscape overlooked by the Santa Catalina Mountains. Some of its attractions are its two 18-hole golf courses, both with mountain views. The community has a total of 4,589 homes for the 40+ active adult.
For people passionate about arts and crafts, the MountainView Country Club has a Creative Arts Center and separate studios for ceramics, sewing, and stained glass. Other amenities include two outdoor resort-style pools, an outdoor lap pool, tennis courts, a choice of dining options, a fitness center, and a performing arts theater.
There are many attached and single-family models available. The Cortez model is the smallest single-family plan with 1,335 square feet, two bathrooms, and a two-car garage. This plan starts with one bedroom and has a den that can be used as a studio or second bedroom. Many models have extra den space, and the larger models have up to five bedrooms and three-car garages.
Mid $300s - Low $700s
Oro Valley is a town of about 45,000 people, 40 minutes north of downtown Tucson, and a 10-minute drive from the Catalina State Park. Sun City Oro Valley is a 45+ active adult community with 2,488 homes with plenty of studio space.
The Artisan Center here provides facilities for arts and crafts lovers. In addition to a woodworking shop and a gift shop where residents can sell their creations, the center has studios for stained glass, sewing, lapidary, silversmithing, and three ceramics studios. The Catalina Vista has an art studio and a photography studio as well. Other amenities include an 18-hole golf course, two outdoor pools, and an aquatic and fitness center.
There are many single-family models available ranging from 1,035 to 2,665 square feet. Some of them provide a den in addition to one to three bedrooms, though only the largest models have two-and-a-half-car garages.
Low $300s - Mid $500s
The Highlands at Dove Mountain is near the small town of Marana and a 20-minute drive north of downtown Tucson. It’s a gated community with a 50+ age restriction and has 1,400 homes.
Amenities include an arts and crafts studio, a hobby and game room, and a ceramics studio. Other facilities include an 18-hole golf course, outdoor pool and spa, and fitness center as well as courts for pickleball and tennis.
The models here start at 1,111 square feet with two bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a two-car garage. Some models offer a den, and some have a two-and-a-half-car garage.
Mid $200s - High $300s
Continental Ranch Sunflower is also in Marana and an easy 20-minute drive into central Tucson along Interstate 10. It’s a community of 987 homes for the 55+ active adult. The community features an arts and crafts studio, and other amenities include a putting green, outdoor pool and spa, and a fitness center.
The smallest models are 1,096 square feet and have one bedroom, a den, one-and-a-half bathrooms, and a two-car garage. The largest models are 1,972 square feet and have two bedrooms, a den, up to two-and-a-half bathrooms, and a two-car garage.
