The Best Independent Living Communities in Leon County, FL

"My father is in a retirement home called Sky Active Cherry Laurel. This is an independent living place so I don't have to check him out. If I want to pick him up, he could just leave with me. He is with people who are also retired. He has his own apartment which is a studio suite. I could also take him grocery shopping because he has a refrigerator and a kitchenette. He also has a bathroom and everything is pretty much in a private setting. No one comes in and out anytime or during the night because it's not memory care. He even washes his clothes all by himself since they have a laundry facility there. They have a movie theater, a library, and a salon where he goes and gets his haircut. He goes outside and walks around the building so he's been doing a lot of exercise. He is also meeting people. They sit out in this little thing they call 'the circle' and he is mingling with the residents. When he first got there, he was calling me from 4 am to 6 am, nonstop. Now, I'm only getting one call a day from him and it's a very big improvement. He plays bingo, pool, and checkers, and puts puzzles together. They had a card game going on the other day, too. They have three meals a day that include breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The staff only assists him when he goes down for his meals, and they have been very helpful. He has to order his food by telling them what he wants. They have a menu and he has to choose from there to make an order. He tells me that the food they are serving is good. I thought that maybe I should come up there and eat with him. One time they had lobster and they also had fish. They have all types of proteins, too, like chicken and pretty much whatever he wants to eat. He also could take food back to his room, if he wants. For Thanksgiving, they gave them a box of food to take back to their rooms with them. I think they did the same thing for Christmas. He also gets a lot of fruit whenever I go up there and see him. He always has a fruit basket. The building doesn't look like a circle on the outside but once you get inside, it's like a huge circle. On Christmas, they had this huge Christmas tree there that went from the ground floor to the third floor so it was huge. Right now they're remodeling everything so it's kind of dusty but it's going to look very nice when they're done. The rent he's paying a month already includes a bedroom, cable, and the light bill. It also includes cleaning where someone comes in and cleans the place up for him, and takes the trash out."

"We visited Mulligan Park Gracious Retirement Living. They're caring, the place is clean, and the food is excellent. The rooms are spacious. The staff was very caring and friendly. They have a library, a gym, an exercise room, and a movie theater."

"Tapestry Senior Living Lakeshore is our choice because of the activities they provide, it's clean, and the people there seem genuinely happy. The staff member who assisted us was good. They were helpful, nice, and knowledgeable. The structure of the building is well-maintained. The atmosphere inside is relaxed."

"Red Hills Village Retirement Community was clean, neat, and efficient. Everything was right up to the way it should be. The disadvantage is there's no swimming pool. Everybody was really pleasant. Another thing we didn't like is its buffet style. You have to stand and get it and then they'll bring it to your table rather than having a waiter come to the table. There's a two-bedroom and one-bedroom, and they're very nice, clean, efficient, and had all the amenities. However, it's a long walk from the rooms to an elevator and that's a disadvantage."

"We have chosen Canterfield of Tallahassee. It is a beautiful facility. As soon as you walk in, it's very bright. There are lots of windows, and the colors are light. It's very welcoming as soon as you walk in, and everything is very clean. I like that there are plenty of seating areas throughout the facility for visitors or the residents just to relax, and there's a seating area outside, too. The staff that I've met seemed very caring and knowledgeable. Those were all the things that we took into consideration. The staff who took us around was very sweet and caring. She talked to my dad a lot and didn't just ignore him or anything. She engaged him. She introduced us to the staff that we came across and she introduced us to residents, too. She showed us more than one room to see what my dad would prefer. She was overall very pleasant. My dad and I have eaten there twice when we were there, and the food was very good. The cleanliness is a 5, and the layout is fine. The only thing I don't like there is that they don't have a lot of parking, but I can deal with that."

"Westminster Gardens Apartments (WGA) is my home. I find it a safe, comfortable, affordable and convenient place to live. In the heart of Downtown Tallahassee, I am just minutes by walking or by car from my work, Publix grocery and a choice of pharmacies. Though I don't currently qualify for rental subsidies, they are available for lower income folks here at West Minster Gardens. WGA is located near several city parks and very accessible to the City Bus Transit System “Star Metro”. WGA is located near many banks and also the Downtown Saturday Market which hosts farmers, arts and crafts, and live free music every Saturday March through November just 5 blocks south. This is an independent living community for seniors over 62. The WGA staff is very helpful and maintenance is handled in a prompt and courteous manner. My choosing to live here was based on my investigations of available housing in Tallahassee. I rate this as the best choice I could have made. I'm very satisfied. Contact the Staff at Westminster Gardens and I'm sure you will be pleased "