Ignite at Hiawassee Park sits across from Lake Chatuge in Hiawassee, Georgia, and has 34 cottages nestled in the North Georgia hills, with walking trails, gardens, and spaces like a gazebo and a meditation garden for folks to enjoy the outdoors. The community has been around since 1967 and is managed by Baptist Retirement Communities of Georgia, Inc., running as a nonprofit focused on providing care for older adults aged 50 and up. There are different care options depending on needs, including independent living, assisted living, skilled nursing, and memory care with specialized dementia care and 24-hour help, and programs can be tailored to each person. The staff know senior care well, and many are long-timers who see themselves as both neighbors and family, encouraging everyone to laugh, pray, eat, and spend time together through activities inside and out, whether that's catered dinners, therapy programs, or planned events in the community or around town.
The cottages offer something a little different with scenic views, spacious sunrooms, skylights, fireplaces with custom bookshelves, walk-in closets, vaulted ceilings, and private porches, plus modern kitchens with stainless steel appliances and granite or quartz countertops. Some have two-car garages, attics with pull-down stairs, and all are designed for handicap access. You'll find amenities like a clubhouse, a fitness room, resistance pool for aqua therapy, infrared sauna, and even physical therapy and massage partners on-site. There's a community center with computer and gathering areas, gardening spots with a greenhouse and raised beds, pavilions, outdoor lounge spots, and places to play shuffleboard and horseshoes. Residents can bring a dog under 30 pounds with a deposit, ride golf carts around, and benefit from included services like landscaping, house maintenance, garbage pickup, water, and scheduled transportation. Apartments range from studios to two bedrooms, and cottages and apartments are rented month-to-month, with a physician's authorization and proof that residents can self-evacuate required for moving in. Safety features like emergency call systems and medication management come standard, and residents can use an online portal for things like rent payment and requesting maintenance. The goal is always to provide a safe, lively, and supportive place where seniors can feel secure, stay active, and enjoy their days however they want with the extra help they might need along the way.
