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Covenant Woods residents enjoying time outdoors

Mechanicsville, Virginia · Established 1883

A Not-For-Profit Senior Living Community Near Richmond, Virginia

This is living. Pure and simple.

At Covenant Woods, the sense of vitality, connection, and purpose is palpable. Meet like-minded residents who embrace aging as a gift to be pursued actively and with vigor, on a 90-acre campus with its own working farm.

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Best of Virginia winner logo
Community and organization accreditation badges

Voted Central Virginia's Best Retirement Community by readers of Virginia Living, three years in a row. In 2025 the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities granted Covenant Woods its fourth consecutive five-year accreditation, an honor held by fewer than 10 percent of Life Plan Communities.

Our vision

Wellness through purposeful living.

To provide exceptional health care, quality of life, security, and comfort where all can thrive, in keeping with the benevolent vision of our founders of faith in 1883. Founded as The Richmond Home for Ladies and opened as a Life Plan Community in 2001, Covenant Woods has spent 140 years serving elders in central Virginia.

1883
Founded in Richmond as The Richmond Home for Ladies, with seven residents by the end of the first year.
90 acres
A single campus in the Richmond suburb of Mechanicsville, with a pond, wilderness trails, and a working farm.
350+
Residents in independent living apartments and cottages, plus assisted living, memory support, and skilled nursing.
20,000 sq ft
The campus farm, which supplies as much as 30 percent of the produce used by our restaurants in high season.

Independent living

Enjoy privacy and personal space in your apartment or cottage home.

How do you define personal independence? It comes down to doing what you want, whenever you like. At Covenant Woods, it also means having the living space to do it all easily, comfortably and enjoyably.

Residents on an apartment balcony at The Lodge

Apartments

Apartment homes

Apartment living in The Manor, Manor West and The Lodge, steps from three dining venues, the fitness center and the art studio.

  • Maintenance, housekeeping and landscaping included
  • Balcony and terrace plans available
  • Covered parking and storage
Request floor plans →
A Covenant Woods resident enjoying time outdoors

Cottages

Cottage homes

Freestanding cottage homes set among the trees, with four floor plans introduced during the cottage renovation program.

  • Private entry, garage and patio
  • Personal garden beds available
  • Walking distance to the pond and trails
Compare cottage plans →
A plaque on a desk at Covenant Woods

Contract options

Lifecare and other contracts

Our Lifecare contract provides guaranteed, priority access to on-site health care services for the life of the resident, with no significant increase in monthly fee when care is needed.

  • Not-for-profit governance by a volunteer board
  • All profits reinvested in the community
  • Benevolent funds for residents who face hardship
Talk through the options →

Health services

Enjoy peace of mind with on-site health care.

As a Life Plan Community, also known as a continuing care retirement community or CCRC, Covenant Woods offers access to a full continuum of health care services, should you ever need them. Residents enjoy guaranteed priority access to all levels of care in our Manor East health center. For those who are not already residents, Manor East accepts direct admission on a space-available basis.

A senior and caregiver walking outside

Assisted living

Empowering independence with a little help. Personalized support with the activities of daily living, plus full access to community amenities.

A couple together at Covenant Woods

Memory support

Respecting the past. Meeting in the moment. A neighborhood built around meaningful connection and each resident's own daily rhythms.

A nurse with a resident at Manor East

Skilled care

Compassionate, state-of-the-art care in well-appointed private rooms, for short-term rehabilitation or long-term nursing.

A senior using therapy equipment

Therapy services

Physical, occupational and speech therapies on campus, available on an outpatient basis or as a short-term rehabilitation stay.

Close to the care you may never need, and glad it is there.

Covenant Woods sits near Memorial Regional Medical Center in Mechanicsville and just nine miles from the Level 1 Trauma Center at VCU Medical Center in downtown Richmond. Acute care is available right on campus for a minor illness, for monitoring of a chronic condition, or for emergent care.

Respite care stays are accepted on a space-available basis, for a few days or a few weeks, including the transition home after a rehabilitation stay.

Ask about direct admission
Health services at Covenant Woods

How it works

Four steps from first visit to move-in day.

No pressure and no obligation. Most future residents visit two or three times before they decide, and many come first to an information session or a special event.

Visit the campus

Walk the trails, see an apartment or cottage, and have lunch in one of the three dining venues. Check the calendar for the next information session.

Choose your home

Compare apartment and cottage floor plans, pick a view, and decide what you want within walking distance.

Choose your contract

Review the Lifecare and other contract options with our team so you know exactly how future care is covered.

Settle in

Join a committee, take a garden bed at the campus farm, and meet the neighbors. There are no strangers here.

Community life

Here, neighbors quickly become friends.

A hallmark of community life at Covenant Woods is the immediate sense of connection you will feel. The warmth of residents and team members, and their willingness to open up, is evident from the start, along with a profound respect for each person's privacy.

An aerial view of the Covenant Woods campus
Residents enjoying a cup of coffee
A dragonfly on the campus
Residents enjoying a meal outdoors
A group enjoying drinks outdoors
The pond and fountain at Covenant Woods
A resident walking the wilderness trails
A water feature at Covenant Woods

Services and amenities help make life simple and fun.

With no worries about maintenance, housekeeping, cooking or landscaping, you are free to spend time and energy on what you really want to do. Here is just a sampling.

  • Three distinct dining venues
  • Fitness center and group classes
  • Indoor heated swimming pool
  • Full-service day spa
  • Art, pottery, and glass studio
  • Woodworking shop
  • Lifelong learning programs
  • Walking trails and fishing pond
  • Campus farm and personal garden beds
  • The Market convenience store
A resident using the exercise equipment
The campus farm at Covenant Woods

The campus farm

Growing food. Building community.

The campus farm at Covenant Woods is an expansive garden, some 20,000 square feet to date, that forms the heart of our farm-to-table program. Each year the farm produces thousands of pounds of fresh, organically grown vegetables, berries, figs, and herbs for use in our restaurants.

It is a strictly organic, no-till operation, run with volunteers. Produce also reaches residents and staff through The Market on campus, and people in need nearby through donations to the Mechanicsville Churches Emergency Functions food pantry. Not every retirement community has its own 20,000-square-foot, fully functioning farm. The producers at PBS took note.

30%
of the produce used by our restaurants in high season
7,000+ lb
total yield in 2026, up from a 4,000 square foot plot in 2017
1,000+ lb
of Hanover tomatoes each summer, into gazpacho, tomato pies and more

“My favorite volunteer duty for this garden is harvesting some of the produce because I know it is going into Covenant Woods' kitchens, and we feel like we are eating so much better. It is much more flavorful than what we can buy at the store.”

Lee B., resident and campus farm volunteer

Savor the freshness.

Dining at Covenant Woods is different. Chef-crafted and made with the freshest, locally procured ingredients, many of which come from our own campus farm, meals here are nutrient-rich delights for the senses. Our executive chef and farm manager plan the season's crops and menus together, in sync with the harvest.

Three distinct venues cover every mood: Fireside and The Terrace at Fireside for a varied menu and full bar, Traditions for upscale cook-to-order dining and a hand-crafted wine wall, and The Bistro for breakfast, made-to-order sandwiches and a full coffee bar. Vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free choices are always available.

Join us for lunch
A plate of salad with fresh peaches

Frequently asked questions

The questions families ask us first.

What is a Life Plan Community?
Life Plan Community is a modern term for what was formerly known as a continuing care retirement community, or CCRC. The newer term better reflects the active, independent lifestyle and the affirmative choices residents make when choosing this type of senior living for themselves. Life Plan Communities offer independent living for adults age 62 and over, plus a comprehensive range of health care services such as assisted living, memory support, and skilled nursing care, available to residents on a short-term or long-term basis as needed. As a not-for-profit community, Covenant Woods' Lifecare contract also provides guaranteed, priority access to on-site health care services for the life of the resident.
What are the benefits of choosing a not-for-profit community?
Not-for-profit communities such as Covenant Woods manage financial resources in accordance with their mission, and longstanding values are reflected in governance and management decisions. Benefits include:
  • All profits are reinvested into the community for the benefit of current and future residents, not shareholders.
  • There is no profit motive to raise monthly fees.
  • Lower operating costs.
  • Direction by a dedicated, volunteer board of directors.
  • The organization may provide support to residents who outlive their financial resources or who face financial hardship through no fault of their own.
Will I have a voice in this community?
Covenant Woods gives residents the opportunity to join committees focused on different aspects of community life, and to participate on the community's Resident Council, something only the best senior living communities offer.
Can someone move directly into health care without living here first?
Yes. Residents of Covenant Woods always have guaranteed priority access to every level of care in the Manor East health center. For those who are not already residents, Manor East accepts direct admission on a space-available basis, including short-term rehabilitation and respite care stays.
What levels of care are available on campus?
Independent living in apartments and cottages, plus short-term rehabilitation, physical, occupational and speech therapy services, assisted living, memory support, and skilled and long-term nursing care, all in the Manor East health center on the same 90-acre campus.
Is Covenant Woods accredited?
Yes. In 2025 the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities, known as CARF, granted Covenant Woods its fourth consecutive five-year accreditation. Fewer than 10 percent of all Life Plan Communities are CARF-accredited. Readers of Virginia Living have also voted Covenant Woods Central Virginia's Best Retirement Community three years in a row.

Give, serve, work

Three ways to be part of this.

As a not-for-profit organization, we maintain the highest standards of stewardship. A gift benefits those who live on our campus and seniors who live in our local community.

Give from the heart at Covenant Woods

Give from the heart

Support the Holmes Fund, other benevolent funds, or a legacy gift. Benevolent funds help residents who outlive their resources through no fault of their own.

Ways to give
A volunteer at Covenant Woods

Share your talents

Volunteers lead classes, assist with activities, serve as a dietary aide in Manor East, and work the rows at the campus farm alongside residents.

View opportunities
Team members at Covenant Woods

Do work that matters

A career at Covenant Woods is more than just a job. It is a fulfilling opportunity to make a difference in the life of each resident, with some pretty great benefits.

See open roles

Community news

What is happening on campus.

A serving of food from the campus farm

Harvest season

The farm clears 7,000 pounds

Total yield passed 7,000 pounds in 2026, including more than 1,000 pounds of Hanover tomatoes. A new hoop house now extends the growing season for residents and staff.

Family members visiting a resident

Recognition

Best of Virginia, three years running

Readers of Virginia Living have again voted Covenant Woods one of Central Virginia's best retirement communities, the third consecutive year the community has held the title.

Wildlife on the Covenant Woods campus

On television

The farm on Virginia Home Grown

The producers of the PBS and VPM series came out to learn how the campus farm operates and how it benefits every resident at Covenant Woods.

Visit us

Won't you join us?

Check our calendar to discover the next information session or special event at Covenant Woods. Then, make plans to join us. Take a look around the campus, have lunch, and see why readers of Virginia Living vote Covenant Woods Central Virginia's Best Retirement Community year after year.

Covenant Woods
7090 Covenant Woods Drive
Mechanicsville, Virginia 23111
General: 804.569.8000
Sales: 804.569.4281

An aerial view of the 90-acre Covenant Woods campus

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