At any age, people love the chance to venture away from home. We all like to get out and about, mix things up, engage with the world.
It’s good for the body and the soul, and it’s great fun to boot. That’s why the activities coordinators at Manor House Independent Living and Linden House Assisted Living take great pride in arranging exciting weekly outings for residents.
“I have found living at Branchlands to be surprisingly convenient, carefree, and stimulating…. Stimulating because of the interesting people who live here, the programs presented (musical and educational) as well as trips to events in surrounding communities. Also, we get together to play bridge, poker, pokeno, dominoes etc., as well as pizza, and movie nights. I can’t imagine living anywhere else!” -Clare C., 5-star Google Review
The Great Outdoors
Virginia has four beautiful seasons, and our residents get out to enjoy them regularly with picnics, tastings, strolls, and excursions.
One week we might enjoy a great American pastime by attending a Charlottesville Tom Sox baseball game. Another week we might visit Chiles Peach Orchard or stop by King Family Vineyards to take in the views, sample the wine, and find out if it’s still true that in vino veritas.
Variety is the spice of life, so we intersperse destinations like Lake Anna among trips to our favorite Charlottesville area spots.
Arts & Culture
The arts offer some of life’s greatest joys and consolations. Many members of our community come to Branchlands with a lifelong appreciation for the arts, and others find themselves exploring them for the first time now that they’ve been gifted the time and freedom to do so.
We keep residents plugged into cultural experiences with trips to concerts, plays, and museums. For example, several of our Assisted Living residents just caught a show with the Cville Band at Charlottesville’s The Paramount Theater, and a number of Independent Living residents just toured the Virginia Museum of History & Culture, in Richmond.
We make regular trips to the wonderful museums we have here in Charlottesville, such as The Fralin Museum of Art and the Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Museum, and we journey further afield, too.
We can tell you from experience that boys of all ages are thrilled by the amazing aircraft on display at the National Air and Space Museum’s Udvar-Hazy Center!
Shopping & Dining
Whether you’re looking to gather some crafting materials for your hobby, hunt for thrift store treasure, or pick up a few favorite foods to stock up on at home, shopping is simply more fun with friends. We schedule regular times each week when our residents can sally forth together on shopping trips.
Likewise, we plan weekly outings for lunch, dinner, or ice cream. In the past month, we’ve sampled the good flavors of Sam’s Kitchen, Dr. Ho’s Humble Pie, Timberwood Grill, and Kohr Brothers Frozen Custard, to name just a few.
Bringing it Home
What if you want to experience something new without leaving home? We make it a point to bring residents to enriching experiences, and to bring enriching experiences to our residents.
On top of organizing community events like our Fall Festival, we invite guest speakers, musicians, and performers to Branchlands.
For instance, we hold two happy hours a week, and each is enlivened with activities, trivia, or live music. Local musician Matthew O’Donnell (pictured) brought his toe-tapping tunes to our Father’s Day Happy Hour, and this June has also featured music from Me & Martha, Fritz Horisk, and “Guitar Billy” Caldwell.
We host many types of performance, from a clarinet ensemble to a magician, along with stimulating educational talks.
Our very own Nancy N., a lifelong educator and resident of Manor House Independent Living, has delighted the community with Lunch & Learn presentations about the natural world.
The one pictured here was titled “Nature in Branchlands’ Backyard.”
Coming Up
Branchlands residents always have plenty to look forward to. Soon we’ll be heading out on a picnic at Carter Mountain Orchard, a second trip to Lake Anna, scenic walks through the Monticello Trails with our Memory Care residents—and so much more.
Our residents love embarking on regular and enriching outings, which are an essential part of fulfilling and active senior living. We’re looking forward to all the wonderful activities and excursions to come.
Are you thinking about joining the Branchlands community? Until August 31, 2023, we’re offering special introductory rates for Independent Living, starting at $2499. Contact us now to schedule a tour or learn more.
