Amenities Abound at The Retreat at Mountain Brook
May is an exciting time of year and a busy one. Finally, the days are mostly sunny and at The Retreat at Mountain Brook, that means it’s time to enjoy the alluring mix of amenities that we offer for outdoor (or indoor) enjoyment! Our community residents can choose relaxing, entertaining or fitness-focused activities thanks to the wide variety of options that The Retreat offers. For tennis players, we have two championship-modeled tennis courts that are perfect for a game of doubles or for simply learning how to swing a racquet. Or, tennis aficionados can relax in one of our two WIFI-equipped clubhouse resident lounges and watch the French Open held in Paris, France beginning May 20 at the Roland Garros Stadium. Of course, with the warmer weather comes the opportunity for outdoor entertaining. That’s why we offer a poolside outdoor kitchen, grilling spaces and a dining terrace. Grilling enthusiasts may want to try out Master Chef Bobby Flay’s recipe for amazingly tender grilled chicken skewers that are a great, easy menu option when entertaining a group of family and friends. But perhaps nothing symbolizes the start of summer like a splash in the swimming pool. The Retreat offers not one but three resort-style saltwater pools to enjoy. Relax poolside and soak up a few rays. Just don’t forget the sunscreen! And it’s not just humans that enjoy being outside. The Retreat realizes how important pets are, so the community also features a 6,500 sq. ft leash free pet park. And, the community is located adjacent to the Flora Johnston Nature Trail, giving residents and their pets even more possibilities for recharging in the rolling, forested hills. Finally, The Retreat offers a relaxing community garden featuring local flowers and herbs. Residents with a green or even a brown thumb are invited to enjoy planting and cultivating their own veggies, herbs, or flowers in the garden. According to Southern Living’s monthly garden planting calendar, May is a great time to plant lima beans, cucumbers, eggplant, okra, peppers, sweet potatoes, and watermelon. Of course, residents can get a head start by visiting local garden shops for a wide selection of ready to plant offerings. Nearby shops include Oak Street Garden Shop, Charlie Thigpen’s Garden Gallery and Leaf n’ Petal which has several locations nearby. And of course, no amenity package would be complete without a great fitness studio. The Retreat features two in fact, with free weights, treadmills, elliptical, spinning bikes, recumbent bikes, and weight machines. Fitness Studios also offer free space for yoga and other work-out options. So, pull out your racquet, lace up your shoes, or toss on a swim suit and come enjoy all that The Retreat has to offer in terms of amenities. Want to see them for yourself? Call us at (205) 956-9722 to schedule your personal tour with one of our friendly leasing center team members.
Are You Ready for Do Dah Day?
The Retreat at Mountain Brook is especially proud of our pet-friendly policy and our Pet Park allowing our residents to enjoy the benefits of their community. And since May is National Pet Month we are excited to highlight one of the most unique pet festivals anywhere—Do Dah Day coming up May 18 in Birmingham’s Historic Rhodes Park, a 12 minute drive from The Retreat. Bring your pet and plan to enjoy a marvelous day! Do Dah Day focuses on pets of all shapes and sizes and culminates in a parade for walkers on foot, cars, floats, marching bands, and of course pets of all kinds. Each year Do Dah Day Royalty is crowned and anyone with a pet can enter! A Do Dah Day King and Queen (of the furry kind) are selected and featured on the Do Dah Day website. The Do Dah Day Parade appreciates entrants of all kinds and according to their website, this can include marching bands, briefcase drill teams, synchronized dancers, mimes, clowns, decorated cars and creative floats! Or, anyone that wants to walk in the parade with their animal, with a dictate to be festive. Registration begins at 9:01 a.m. the day of the Parade. Click here for more information on how to register. Regardless of whether you are participating or watching the parade, be sure to bring the whole family because there are cool activities for kids including face painting, hair weaving, craft making with the McWane Science Center folks, basketball, live music, and even bungee jumping! And if you enjoy live music, you will find a robust line up of bands in both Caldwell and Rhodes Park throughout the day until the event ends at 6:01 p.m. The Birmingham Pipers will kick off the event in both parks to start Do Dah Day. There is also a wide variety of food and beverage for purchase. A sampling of those includes: Sweet Parad-ICE, Allen’s SNOBIZ, Nanny’s Old Fashioned Lemonade, Domino’s Pizza, City Bowls, Ray Ray’s BBQ, Cantina on Wheels, Joe’s World Famous Wood Fired Pizza, and The Cuban Café to name a few. The festival began in 1979 when a small group of friends got together and decided to have a party — and Do Dah Day was born. As the 100% volunteer-run event has evolved, it has become a fundraiser with the focus on supporting local animal charities, raising more than $1.5 million since 1992 for Jefferson County animal shelters. So grab your pet, borrow a pet, or there is still time to adopt a pet, and plan to come enjoy one of Birmingham’s best springtime events, Do Dah Day, celebrating more than 40 years. We look forward to seeing you there!
May is National Pet Month!
The Retreat at Mountain Brook is especially proud of our pet-friendly policies and Pet Park which provides a leash-free environment for residents with furry family members to enjoy. And since May is National Pet Month, we thought we’d highlight some of the reasons National Pet Month is observed. It is to: • Promote the benefits of pet ownership • Support pet adoption • Make people aware of the benefits of pets for people and people for pets • Increase public awareness of services available from professionals who work with animals • Raise awareness of the role, value and contribution to society of working companion animals The Retreat at Mountain Brook understands the importance of giving residents and other community members places to spend quality playtime with their pets and to socialize with each other, says Lauren Turner, community manager. Our Pet Park is 6,500 square foot dog-park that includes obstacle-course-style activity stations called The King of the Hill and Over Rover. Residents of The Retreat and nearby Mountain Brook and Eastwood neighborhoods are welcome to visit with their furry companions. Studies have shown spending time with pets, particularly dogs, can reduce stress, anxiety and depression. The American Heart Association has linked pet ownership with a reduced risk for heart disease. If you are interested in reducing stress in your life, you may want to consider adopting a pet. Below are several local nonprofit organizations that can help. Cat lovers can visit Kitty Kat Haven, an organization whose missions is to save abandoned, stray and injured cats and kittens. Right now, Stevie 2 (pictured below) is weaning kittens and will be available for adoption in June. Animals of all sorts can be adopted through the Greater Birmingham Humane Society, founded in 1883. The organization’s mission is “to promote respect for life through education and prevention of cruelty to animals and people. In addition to placing dogs and cats of all ages, the nonprofit has also been known to place rabbits, birds, and even amphibians for adoption. Another organization that helps pets find their perfect human is the Alabama Animal Adoption Society, offering a wide variety of dogs and cats for adoption. If you hurry, you may be able to adopt Butterball, an American Staffordshire Terrier – Boxer who is described as being house trained! Also coming up in May is the grandest and oldest pet festival and celebration, Birmingham’s own Do Dah Day held this year on May 18. Check our blog next week for all things Do Dah Day!
