The Best Independent Living Communities in Manatee County, FL

"Inspired Living at Lakewood Ranch is a beautiful place, and I would love to live there, but I cannot afford that rate. I looked at their assisted living, but they have everything. It seems spacious to me, and there's so much to do. They have a beautiful swimming pool, which I would like to use. They have walking paths, and they have bridges that go across their waterways and come back around to the complex. If you want to take a nice stroll, you can go through the woods. It's gorgeous. The people there are fantastic. They're very friendly. The people who are living there now are very friendly, too. I got to talk to a few of them. The staff members were wonderful. The building was excellent. I met one of the maintenance men, who was cleaning while we were there, and he was very thorough. I was impressed with him. The rooms were amazing. I was impressed with them. I looked at a two-bedroom and a one-bedroom. For myself, I would want a one-bedroom. They're spacious and very nice. There's a refrigerator and a little kitchenette in there. The bathroom is very accommodating. It has a nice big walk-in shower."

"I toured Sky Active Desoto Beach Club. It was very clean. The staff was great and friendly. They showed the dining room, the studio apartment, and their office. I believe the meals were included."

"I toured the DeSoto Palms Assisted Living Community. It was very nice, very clean, and very comfortable. The people inside were very friendly, and the food was great. The staff was wonderful. The size of the room was adequate."

"My mom moved into Cypress Springs Gracious Retirement Living. I like its location. The place is very clean and the people there are great. It has everything we need. The staff has been very nice and very, very helpful. The food is pretty good. It is better than I expected for that kind of a place. They have a ton of activities all day long every day. They have a pool and water aerobics. They have all kinds of games and events. They also have a movie theater."

"I like the location of Alderman Oaks Retirement Center. It was near the hospital and our physicians, so that was ideally located. You had the stores and other activities of Downtown Sarasota. The staff was very friendly and helpful. They were as good as they could be. They had a gym, a salon, and a courtyard. It's near restaurants. It's near the shopping area of Downtown Sarasota."

"Arietta is a very nice place with very nice staff. The apartments are spacious. I understand they built them as a condo and then turned them into senior living so that you get all the space that you would in the condominium. It's a rental. The staff member who took me around and showed me the whole deal was extremely nice. I had a very nice time, but they don't offer assisted living and all that other stuff that you may need. The staff were very nice to talk to, and they were very pleasant and very informal compared to some of the other places where you could feel the hard sell coming at you where they were trying to sell you. They only offer continental breakfast, and I like that because I don't want to go down to the dining rooms, and I'm very careful about my diet. I try to eat the right stuff, so it allows me more control over what I eat. And if you want something, there's a supermarket that you're able to walk to from there. I thought it was a great place. It is just you have no place to go in case you need more care. But for a place to live, it came out very high on my list."

"We toured the Grand Villa of Sarasota and were very impressed. We had a wonderful tour. The woman who showed us around was wonderful. It was very nice. We really enjoyed it. Everything looked wonderful and the rooms were nice sized."

"I toured American House Sarasota. The rooms were a good size. The two meals that I had there were good. Everybody that I spoke to liked living there. The staff who toured me around were nice and friendly. They answered questions if I had them. The unit is a two-bedroom with a living room, an eating area, a kitchen, and two baths. It's nice. They have assisted living, so if someone who is independent needs it, they have it there. I don't need assistance yet, but I'm getting close to 90, so I figure that's probably the way I should go. They have exercise classes, art classes, cards, and entertainment. They have a lot of social things going on. I was impressed. The accommodation was great. The people that I spoke to were happy. They had smiles on their faces. I interviewed quite a few people. I liked the layout and it was a very clean place. The staff was friendly."

"We like the grounds, the size, and the layout of the condos at Addington Place at College Harbor. The thing we liked least was the long waiting list. Other than that, the staff was very nice, very pleasant, and very informative. They have a good activities list. We also liked its location and cost. There was a good, varied menu, and you had good choices. It wasn't just one or two things. There were a number of items available."

"We visited the Seaside Springs Retirement Community. It's a very clean facility. We were able to have a Sunday brunch there. It was very good food. They have physical rehabilitation. They have exercise facilities. They have outdoor areas where you can just go out and get some sunshine and walk around. They have parking areas for residents if they're driving. They also offer transportation usually within a ten-mile radius of the facility. If you want to use that for doctor's appointments, salons, or for your shopping, that's fine. All these facilities seem to have the same programs. I thought Seaside Springs was unique in that the size of the facility and the units that they have are the same around the country, wherever they're located and it's the same construction pattern. The tour director was very good and spoke very highly of the place. His mother lives there, so apparently, she's very happy. The room size was fine. They did not have a full kitchen. It had a nice refrigerator. They had a microwave, but no stove. The dining area was very good."

"Since moving into a spacious independent living apartment 14 months ago, we have experienced resort living with the added bonus of a Wellness Center and 24/7 EMT services. In addition to a caring management and staff, add on expertise! Hurricanes? No hassle for residents, because EVERYTHING is under control! Top management moves into our complex with generators, dining, communication, medical assistance…all covered! Tina Turner sang it and we agree: “Simply the best, better than all the rest.”"

"My experience here at The Goldton at Venice has been wonderful. The place is great. They have all kinds of amenities to do there. I would recommend it to anybody. They have fine dining and a bar. They have a heated in-ground swimming pool that's saltwater. They have a movie theater, a library, and a beauty salon. The list goes on and on. The food is excellent. Their dining area is very clean and very nice. They have a dining room downstairs that's upscale to where you have lots of nice food."

"When you come into American House St. Petersburg, it is very welcoming. The place smells good and it's visually very pleasing. Everybody takes the time to help you. I spoke with a lady named Theresa. She is top-notch and very welcoming. She took the time to answer all my questions. In comparison to other communities, they have better ratios of patients to caregivers. Although it's more expensive, it's definitely worth it. They have a patio and an area where they do activities. They have many different seating areas where they can get together, whether it's by a fireplace or something to watch or just conversation-wise. They have hair salons available and many different doctors come in, from podiatry to general care. I was very surprised by that. The facility is brand new. They finished building it in 2021, and they're not in a flood zone."

"I toured Elison Assisted Living of Bella Vita. It was very nice and the people were very nice. The staff was excellent. The dining area looks nice. I just like the overall layout of it."