Robson Resort Community

SaddleBrooke Ranch just north of Tucson announced its opening a brewery and has even hired a brewmaster.

Communities for adults 55 and older are changing to meet the needs of yet another generation — Baby Boomers. What some of these places have on tap is intriguing.

SaddleBrooke Ranch just north of Tucson announced its opening a brewery and has even hired a brewmaster. As unique as this might sound, it’s not really. Other age-restricted communities feature wine cellars, movie theaters and bowling alleys.

Luann Thoma-Holec, owner of Thoma-Holec Design, a senior living interior design company, said a brewery was not unusual.

She said several years ago, a community in Oregon decided to let the residents make craft beer within the community. Residents at SaddleBrooke won’t be making the beers, but it seems many communities are moving away from more traditional forms of entertainment like bingo.

Kathleen Waldron is with Arizona State and focuses on gerontology and family studies.

"I think we’ll just see more and more of what you might consider the amenities of urban life the lifelong learning classes, the connection to museums, anything at all that is going to increase people’s cultural appreciation and allow them to continue to engage in the kinds of activities they’ve enjoyed for the last 20 or 30 years," said Waldron.

Waldron said this trend will likely continue and communities are always looking for ways to appeal to a populations whose desires skew more towards, socializing, arts and lifelong learning.

Waldron does caution that many of the communities that offer these edgier amenities are also pricier.