Essex House,
a Holiday Retirement
Community

Essex House residents enjoy a variety of health and fitness activities, from weekly group exercise classes to anytime access to on-site fitness equipment.

There's a walking club that takes regular strolls on property. Exercise and enjoying time with friends is the perfect combination. Tuesday yoga with Shanie is a resident favorite, and physical therapy is available onsite which is definitely a community convenience.

Enjoy restaurant-style dining served with courtesy and caring by our staff who know you. Chef-prepared meals are served every day in Essex House’s dining room. Sit with friends or invite your family for a special occasion in our private dining room. Each meal is designed to meet the unique nutritional needs of community members.

Chef Jeremiah has been at the Essex House for 13 years and has won the "touch of excellence" award twice. 90% of his food is made from scratch; in fact he makes homemade bread everyday! He's very collaborative with the residents and is open to trying a family recipe or favorite dish.

There’s so much to explore in the Lemoyne area and Essex House makes sure that residents experience as much as possible. Regular outings to favorite restaurants, local events, and more introduce residents to all their neighborhood has to offer and connect them to the surrounding community.

Some local bus excursions include, the Hollywood Casino, Gettysburg battlefield, Pride of the Susquehanna Riverboat, Strausburg Railroad Museum, and different stores and markets. And for the foodies, there are weekly outings to find the most fabulous food in town for lunch or dinner.

Essex House’s comprehensive calendar is packed with both recurring activities and special events. The variety of available activities is meant to enrich the whole person by stimulating physical, emotional, spiritual, intellectual, creative, social or vocational wellness.

A few of the popular activities are bingo, chair volleyball, and listening to music. Sometimes special needs kids and adults come to participate. A model train club was started by some of the Veterans; they meet weekly and have built an amazing display with at least 6 working tracks. There's also a Men's Group & a Women's Group who meet weekly to discuss current events or topics of their choice.

Furry friends are welcomed as residents at Essex House. We understand how important the companionship and bond that seniors share with their pets. We’re delighted to have cats, dogs, birds, and even bunnies as part of our community.

Therapy animals come to the community to play and cuddle twice and year, and if you don't have your own pet, the whole community has sort of adopted one of the resident dogs, a Shih Tzu named Cricket. There's also a squirrel with a short tail that's always hanging around, the residents have nicknamed him "Stumpy."

Essex House is equipped with WiFi access to help you stay connected throughout common areas. You can use a community desktop computer to stay up to date or connect your personal devices to the WiFi.

The exclusive Travel & Stay program offers residents exciting opportunities to travel around the country, with free stays of up to seven days at any of Holiday Retirement’s more than 260 communities. Three chef-prepared meals are included with each trip. Visit all 43 states or just choose a favorite new location or two.

Many residents find a sense of fulfillment in donating their time and skills to a cause close to their hearts. Some residents who knit make hats and baby blankets for premature babies in the local hospitals. There's an annual school supply drive for underprivileged kids, an annual used towel and blanket drive for the local animal shelter, and during the holidays the community provides meals for local seniors and families in need. Many outside volunteers come to help out with various events such as the annual Community Days Celebration.