RETIRE-VA | RETIREMENT COMMUNITIES Hermitage: A Sense of Family & Fun A private Georgian mansion turned retirement community offers residents a welcoming place to call home. BY LIZ LONG HERMITAGE IN ROANOKE may be one of the city's best-kept retirement-related secrets. What started out as a personally-owned home was sold and turned into a retirement facility 50 years ago (they celebrated the anniversary last year). It's one of seven properties managed by the Virginia United Methodist Homes, Inc. of Richmond, though you'd never know it's technically a corporate organization. (While the company is faith-based, residents do not have to be Methodist to join the community.) The Library The Hermitage offers a variety of on-site amenities, including a library and an exercise room. Upon first walking in, it's easy to see how visitors are often in awe of the Georgian mansion's grand architecture and elegant rooms. Also on the property are 23 independent-living apartments, as well as a Tudor-style mansion called Ring House. Residents feel right at home, especially with the comfort of knowing that if anything were to happen, help will be by your side in mere minutes. Hermitage offers many options for its residents, including continuing care (both independent-assistRETIRE-VA.COM| 19http://www.RETIRE-VA.COM