Active Life

A Vibrant and Active Community

You can find residents on each campus swimming laps, working out in the gym, taking an art class, or enjoying a history lecture. Others are hammering away in the woodshop, working in our raised garden beds, or gathering at The Boulders for duplicate bridge. Still, more are tending to our goats, walking the trails around campus with their dog, or organizing a group to go kayaking on the river.

Our Residents are Active Citizens of our Community

We encourage our residents to be active citizens in the life of this community. There are many choices — participating in committees, starting a new initiative, or, helping run on-campus enterprises like the library, community store, resident newsletter, and more.

Residents who are selected by their peers to serve on the Resident Council collaborate with staff and leadership. There is also an opportunity for a resident to be a full voting member on our Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC) Board of Trustees.

The CCRC Board of Trustees is comprised of the CEO of the RiverWoods Group, and volunteer community members from a variety of professions, along with residents. The Board works in partnership to provide strategic direction for the RiverWoods Group family of communities.

Worried about what you'll give up when you move to RiverWoods?

A Community with a Passion for Learning

“The important thing is not to stop questioning; curiosity has its own reason for existing.”

~Albert Einstein

Our residents come from a diverse background of professions and personal interests. Aside from the interesting life stories shared among residents, there are organized discussion groups on topics ranging from history and politics to investing and books.

Continue Lifelong Learning at RiverWoods

CLEAR, a program created by our Resident Education Committee, includes presentations by actors, artists, political candidates, and other interesting and influential people and organizations like The Nature Conservancy, authors like Dan Brown, Willie Perdomo, and David A. Kelly, and so many more.

Our residents love learning and pursuing knowledge.

  • Choose from a vast array of resident committees and interest groups
  • Resident-organized field trips to historical, cultural, and entertainment attractions
  • Variety of workshops, classes, and demonstrations held frequently on campus
  • Osher Life-Long Learning Institute (OLLI) at Granite State College.

RiverWoods Cares About Others

Our founders wove the spirit of service throughout the RiverWoods commitments. Employees and residents are known for their charitable work and are involved in many causes throughout the greater Seacoast area. The community has had a tradition of raising money for other local not-for-profits — from Seacoast Family Promise to Planet Playground, to Seacoast Hospice, and Child and Family Services of NH among others. To date, the RiverWoods Gala has raised over $500,000 for fellow nonprofits in our region.

Our Residents Support Over 100 Local Causes

The RiverWoods Outreach Committee connects our residents with diverse local not-for-profit organizations. There are numerous outreach opportunities offering multi-generational activities for a wide array of causes. In addition to serving on many local boards and town committees, RiverWoods residents can also be found in these and many more local programs:

  • Arts in Reach A local not-for-profit that encourages teenage girls to express themselves with art.
  • Girls on the Run Providing fun, evidence-based programs that inspire girl empowerment by building confidence, kindness and decision making skills.
  • Project Linus A non-profit organization that provides new handmade blankets to children in need, made lovingly by adults and children.
  • Friends Forever International Empowering youth around the globe by combining their passion to make the world a better place with the skills, experiences, and resources required to do so.
  • St. Vincent de Paul Many residents spend time helping sort and stock shelves at Exeter’s local food bank.
  • End 68 Hours of Hunger Residents collect non-perishable food items for this effort to end childhood hunger.
  • Black Heritage Trail NH Promotes awareness and appreciation of African American history and life in order to build more inclusive communities today.

An Active Community of Friends

Most residents remark that they’ve become more active socially and physically since moving to RiverWoods. Life here brings every resident the opportunity to make new friends who share your common interests.

Local Museums and Galleries

Every month, we handle the logistics for various field trips and outings to points of interest, museums, and other venues on the Seacoast. From Portland to Boston, there are many interesting and educational places to visit like Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts, the Institute of Contemporary Art, Harvard’s Natural History Museum, and so many more.

  • Trips to Boston, Portsmouth and Portland
  • Boston Symphony Orchestra
  • Fine Dining Trips
  • Golf Outings
  • Tennis Clubs
  • Hiking, Kayaking and Paddling Trips
  • Theatre in Portsmouth, Ogunquit, Boston
  • Local Shopping
  • Ski Trips

I never feel alone.

I may be single but I never feel alone here. I have met so many new friends in my aqua-size swim class. I enjoy going with the Lunch Bunch group to try new restaurants every month and dinner has always been a lovely opportunity to sit with new and interesting people.

Life at RiverWoods Cultivates Endless Artistic Expression

Whether you’re an accomplished artist or simply looking to learn a new skill, our residents love to share their talents — from painting and drawing to three-dimensional sculpture and fiber arts.

Even if you’ve never picked up a brush — take a painting class, or get your hands wet throwing a bowl in our pottery studio. Share your love of fabric with one of our quilting or sewing groups, write for our resident-run newspaper, or compose a blog for the website. Explore our well-stocked wood shop, where you can build anything from a jewelry box to a new kitchen table. From oils to clay, wood, and stone, our residents have many opportunities to explore and share their talents.

Resident Art Calendar

An annual effort showcasing the artwork of one RiverWoods artist each month, curated by an outside panel of professional artists and designers.

RiverWords Quarterly

Perhaps your medium is not paint or wood but pen. RiverWords Quarterly provides the community with a literary review of both prose and poetry, celebrating the written word and providing additional evidence of the variety and depth of resident creativity.

On-Campus Studios

  • Music Room
  • Pottery Studio
  • Art and Craft Studios
  • Woodworking Shops
  • Nantucket Basket Workshop

Dozens of interest groups and classes for artists and beginners including:

  • Choral and instrumental music groups.
  • Journalism and creative writing for our campus newspaper and literary magazine.
  • Painting with watercolor, oils, acrylic, etc.
  • Drawing: colored pencil, pastels, collage, monoprints, crayon, chalk/charcoal, etc.
  • Photography/digital imaging and video making.
  • Fiber arts including knitting, needlepoint, embroidery, cross stitch, crochet, quilting, and weaving.
  • 3D arts including mixed-media, Nantucket Baskets, sculpture, woodcarving, woodworking, beading, jewelry, puppets, papier-mâché, model building, ceramics, clay, pottery, and more.

Do you have an interest that hasn’t yet been explored at RiverWoods? We’d love to help you make it happen. Whatever your passion, RiverWoods provides a myriad of opportunities to pursue what you love most about life.

Next month I'll be Artist in Residence.

Any resident can sign up for a month at one of the studios on campus. It's a chance to spread out a bit and I love being able to share my love for painting with others who stop by the studio.